The southern economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City attracted more 4.69 billion USD in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first seven months of 2018, a year-on-year rise of 70.5 percent.

A corner of Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA)
According to the municipal Department of Planning and Investment,
the city granted new investment licenses to 553 projects worth 508.25 million
USD in the period under review. Besides, it also allowed 148 existing projects
to increase capital by 453.38 million USD, a respective year-on-year increase
of 27.6 percent and 13.3 percent.
Local authorities also approved 1,628 foreign investors to carry out procedures
to contribute capital, purchase shares, and buy back capital of 3.73 billion
USD contributed by domestic enterprises.
The Republic of Korea made up the lion’s share of foreign investment in HMC
City with 30 percent, followed by Singapore (22 percent), Norway (13.8
percent), and Japan (10.4 percent).
Investment was mainly poured into real estate (47.6 percent), science and
technology (19.5 percent), wholesale and retail and repair of automobiles,
motorcycles and other vehicles (8.1 percent), processing and manufacturing
industry (7.7 percent), accommodation and catering services (4.2 percent).
In the January-July period, the city granted establishment licenses to 24,303
new domestic businesses with a total registered capital of 315 trillion VND
(13.4 million USD), an annual rise of 5.8 percent and 6 percent respectively.
Source: VNA
Once a mountainous province facing many challenges, Hoa Binh has, after more than a decade of implementing the national target programme on new-style rural area development, emerged as a bright spot in Vietnam’s northern midland and mountainous region. In the first quarter of 2025, the province recorded positive results, paving the way for Hoa Binh to enter a phase of accelerated growth with a proactive and confident mindset.
Hoa Binh province is steadily advancing its agricultural sector through the adoption of high-tech solutions, seen as a sustainable path for long-term development.
The steering committee for key projects of Hoa Binh province convened on May 14 to assess the progress of major ongoing developments
A delegation of Hoa Binh province has attended the "Meet Korea 2025" event, recently held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Vietnam, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, and the People's Committee of Hung Yen province.
Hoa Binh province joined Vietnam’s national "One Commune, One Product” (OCOP) programme in 2019, not simply as a mountainous region following central policy, but with a clear vision to revive the cultural and agricultural values in its villages and crops.
From just 16 certified products in its inaugural year to 158 by early 2025, the One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme in Hoa Binh province has followed a steady and strategic path. But beyond the numbers, it has reawakened local heritage, turning oranges, bamboo shoots, brocade, and herbal remedies into branded, market-ready goods - and, more profoundly, transformed how local communities value and present their own cultural identity.