JETRO: 70% of Japanese firms to expand investment in Vietnam

Up to 70% of Japanese businesses have announced that they want to expand operations in Vietnam, especially in manufacturing, trade and service, and retail sector, according to the Japanese External Trade Organisation (JETRO).

Japanese specialists work at the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro project in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: VnExpress)
Japanese specialists work at the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro project in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: VnExpress)

Findings of the latest survey conducted by JETRO on investment trend of Japanese firms operating in Vietnam in 2019 show that as many as 65.3% of the 787 Japanese companies recorded high profits in Vietnam in 2018.

The majority of these companies said the market scale and growth are the greatest advantages of Vietnam’s investment environment.

Other positive factors include low labour cost, political stability, and improvement of customs and administrative procedures.

Vietnam ranked fourth in political and social stability and cheap labour cost; sixth for market size and growth; and 12th for language barrier in the ASEAN, Southwest Asia and Oceanian regions.

Japanese companies are getting the best out of the advantages from free trade agreements that Vietnam have joined.

According to Takimoto Koji, chief representative of the JETRO Office in Ho Chi Minh City, Japan was the biggest foreign investors in Vietnam in 2018 with 630 projects worth nearly US$8 billion.

Besides focusing their investment in Hanoi and HCM City, Japanese firms have expanded operation to many adjacent localities.

Speaking at a press conference in HCM City recently, Takimoto said in 2019, the manufacturing industry remains the most attractive field to Japanese businesses.

Each year, the office receives representatives of around 6,000 Japanese firms seeking investment opportunities in Vietnam, with many keen to expand the provision of services.