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From farmland to factory floor: Vietnam-Singapore industrial parks gear up for next chapter

Facilities under the joint venture are moving from labour-intensive growth to high-tech, green goals

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Jamille Tran

Jamille Tran

Published Thu, Apr 23, 2026 · 01:16 PM
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    • VSIP has now grown to 22 parks spanning nearly 12,000 hectares across 15 provinces and cities, with a plan to raise the total to 30 in 2026.
    • VSIP has now grown to 22 parks spanning nearly 12,000 hectares across 15 provinces and cities, with a plan to raise the total to 30 in 2026. PHOTO: VSIP

    [HO CHI MINH CITY] On a humid stretch of farmland 17 km north of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnamese and Singaporean officials gathered in 1996 to launch what was then an untested idea in Vietnam: a jointly run industrial park designed to attract foreign manufacturers to the newly opened economy.

    The first facility under the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) initiative began with just 500 hectares (ha) – modest in scale, but ambitious in intent.

    In 1995, Vietnam had normalised diplomatic ties with the US, formally ending decades of hostility with the world’s largest economy.

    Inside Asean: VietnamVietnamAsean BusinessAseanIndustrial propertysembcorp industriesAsia-PacificInside Asean

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