Amata plans industrial park in Ho Chi Minh City

The intention was shared by Amata Group leaders during a working session between the Royal Thai Embassy in Vietnam and leaders of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee on November 3.

Urawadee Sriphihiromya, Thai Ambassador to Vietnam

Nguyen Van Duoc, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, received Urawadee Sriphihiromya, Ambassador of the Thailand to Vietnam at the event, which also welcomed Wiraka Moodhitaporn, consul-general of Thailand in Ho Chi Minh City, and leaders of several Thai enterprises.

Speaking at the meeting, Sriphihiromya expressed her gratitude to the leaders of Ho Chi Minh City for taking the time to receive the delegation, and conveyed the heartfelt thanks of the Thai royal family for the city’s support and goodwill.

The ambassador praised the role of Ho Chi Minh City as a dynamic economic hub with one of the most attractive investment environments in Vietnam.

“The city is home to a large number of Thai enterprises operating effectively in various sectors such as industry, energy, retail, and financial services. The Vietnam-Thailand friendship is growing strongly, aiming to be upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership, especially on the occasion marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2026,” she said.

She expressed confidence that economic, cultural, and trade exchanges between the two nations will continue to expand, contributing to a stronger regional partnership.

As part of the meeting, a representative of Amata Group, one of Thailand’s major investors in Vietnam, shared some notable insights.

Vikrom Kromadit, CEO of Amata Group, said that after more than 35 years of investing in industrial infrastructure development, Amata has developed industrial parks covering over 140 square kilometres, attracting more than 1,600 factories across various countries and contributing tens of billions of US dollars to regional economic growth.

“In Vietnam, Amata plans to invest over $1.5 billion, with more than half of that concentrated in Dong Nai province. The company currently has over 200 clients operating in its industrial parks across northern, central, and southern Vietnam,” he said.

Vikrom Kromadit, founder and CEO of Amata Group

Amata’s representative in Vietnam, Somhatai Panichewa, expressed the company’s desire to continue expanding its investments, with particular interest in developing a new industrial park (IP) in the Chau Duc area, formerly part of Ba Ria – Vung Tau province, now part of Ho Chi Minh City.

The project is expected to have a minimum total investment of $180 million, focusing on high-tech industries and logistics, aiming to develop a smart industrial-urban model.

“Our company has partnered with a Japanese consulting firm to conduct feasibility studies and develop a master plan for the project. We hope to receive support, guidance, and facilitation from the Ho Chi Minh City authorities in promoting, connecting, and completing the necessary investment procedures in the locality,” said Panichewa.

She also extended an invitation to the chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee to visit the ‘Amata Smart Cities’ in Thailand or the Amata Bien Hoa IP to learn more about the development model the group is implementing.

“Amata aims to bring its experience in developing modern, green, and sustainable industrial-urban areas to Vietnam in the forthcoming period,” she noted.

Speaking at the meeting, Duoc said that the city values and promotes the cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Thailand in the spirit of friendship and mutual development.

Nguyen Van Duoc, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee

Thailand is currently the ninth-largest investor in Vietnam, reflecting the close ties and mutual trust between the business communities of the two countries in various sectors such as industry, trade, tourism, and aviation.

“Thai products are increasingly favoured by Vietnamese consumers. In addition, trade, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries are thriving, further deepening the bilateral friendship,” he said.

From Ho Chi Minh City’s side, following the administrative reorganisation, the city is expanding its development space, creating more room for investment and production.

In the regional development orientation, the former Binh Duong area is designated as an industrial hub, while the former Ba Ria-Vung Tau area is positioned as a coastal economic growth pole, focusing on sectors such as energy, petrochemicals, logistics, and IPs.

The city’s leadership affirmed that Ho Chi Minh City stands by investors, seeing the success of businesses as the success of the locality.

“The municipal committee is committed to providing the most favourable conditions in terms of administrative procedures, infrastructure, and connectivity to ensure that foreign enterprises, including Thai businesses, can operate efficiently and sustainably,” he added.

Regarding Amata Group’s proposal to invest in a new IP, Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee hailed the initiative, regarding it as aligned with the region’s industrial and logistics development orientation.

Chairman Duoc assigned Ho Chi Minh City Department of Finance to act as the focal point to coordinate and guide Amata through working with authorities to review planning and complete the required documentation in accordance with regulations.

The city’s leader believes that, with Amata’s experience and capabilities in developing modern industrial-urban zones, the successful implementation of this project will help promote regional connectivity and serve as a driving force for economic development in southern Vietnam.

The head of Ho Chi Minh City’s government also expressed a desire to further expand cooperation with Thai enterprises in high-tech industries, smart urban development, and green energy that align with the city’s sustainable development strategy.

The Amata journey – creating smart industrial cities

Founded in 1989 and fired by the vision of founder, Thai entrepreneur Vikrom Kromadit, Amata has grown from a tiny entity into an industrial giant with industrial estates covering over 10,000 hectares of land on strategically located sites in Thailand and Vietnam, with more in development in Laos and Myanmar.

Song Khoai Industrial Park: A sustainable investment destination

After five years of operation, Song Khoai Industrial Park (IP) has performed strongly in terms of foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction in Quang Ninh province, a locality along Vietnam’s northeastern coast.