“Vietnam Emerges as a Strategic Manufacturing Hub in Asia: Over 200 Industrial Support ‘Giants’ Seek Partners.”

As global supply chains undergo significant restructuring, Vietnam is emerging as a strategic manufacturing hub in Asia. The wave of investment relocation, onshoring trends, and digital transformation is opening up immense opportunities for Vietnam’s supporting industries to make a breakthrough.

Seizing this opportunity, two large-scale exhibitions, the 17th Vietnam Manufacturing Expo (VME) and the 11th Supporting Industries Exhibition (SIE), will be held simultaneously in Hanoi from August 6 to 8, 2025. These exhibitions are expected to serve as a strategic platform to foster Vietnam-Japan cooperation, enhance domestic production capabilities, and attract high-quality investment into key industries.

Speaking at the press conference, Mr. Vu Ba Phu, Director of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said that by the end of 2024, Vietnam had over 6,000 enterprises operating in key supporting industries such as textiles, automotive assembly, footwear, mechanical engineering, and electronics. The supporting industries have made significant contributions to the development of the main industries, helping Vietnam achieve an impressive trade surplus, increasing from $2 billion in 2017 to over $28 billion in 2024.

Mr. Phu also frankly pointed out the challenges, stating that Vietnam’s supporting industries currently meet only about 10% of the domestic market’s demand for components. This figure poses a significant challenge, especially as Vietnam imports billions of dollars’ worth of components from foreign countries annually to serve its domestic production needs.

To achieve its development goals, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has been implementing various programs to support the enhancement of production capabilities, management capacities, and digital transformation for enterprises in the supporting industries. The Ministry also promotes cooperation with multinational corporations and large foreign-invested enterprises operating in Vietnam.

In this process, Japan continues to play a leading role as a strategic partner. The cooperation between Vietnam and Japan in developing supporting industries is considered a typical model. Japan is currently one of the leading investors in Vietnam in the fields of manufacturing and high technology. In the past decade, the value of direct investment from Japan to Vietnam remained substantial, reaching $3.5 billion in 2024, ranking 5th in investment value.

Notably, Mr. Haruhiko Ozasa, Chief Representative of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in Hanoi, shared positive survey results: “According to JETRO’s latest survey in 2024, up to 56.1% of Japanese businesses operating in Vietnam plan to expand their investment in the next 1-2 years, far exceeding the ASEAN average. Moreover, 50.9% of these companies intend to increase their procurement in Vietnam, the highest rate among ASEAN countries.”

Mr. Haruhiko Ozasa further informed that 20 Japanese businesses would participate as buyers, focusing on finding partners in key areas such as sheet metal processing, industrial plastics, precision CNC machining, electronic components, and other auxiliary products. Simultaneously, about 20 carefully selected Vietnamese enterprises with production and supply capabilities will directly connect and work with Japanese partners.

Ms. Dhamcharee Varaporn, General Director of RX Tradex Thailand & Vietnam, stated, “2025 will be a pivotal year for Vietnamese enterprises to restructure, promote technology, and develop sustainable thinking to adapt to the new global context.”

The VME-SIE 2025 exhibition will focus on critical solutions such as digital transformation, flexible automation, zero-emission manufacturing, and digital supply chains. These factors are vital for the future of Vietnam’s manufacturing sector.

The exhibition is expected to gather over 200 enterprises from more than 10 countries, including industrial powerhouses like Japan, South Korea, Germany, Taiwan, Singapore, China, and Vietnam. They will introduce key manufacturing solutions, including machinery, automation, industrial connectors, material processing technology, measurement equipment, and molding and stamping technology. The event promises to attract numerous specialized visitors from key sectors such as automobiles, electronics, medical equipment, mechanical engineering, textiles, and high technology.

Notably, two prominent fields of supporting industries, industrial connectors (Fastener and Fixing) and material processing technology (ViMat), will be introduced at the event.

In addition to the exhibition area, the event is designed as a specialized business matching platform with a series of practical accompanying activities, including Factory Visit (direct visits to typical factories) and Buyer Zone (an area dedicated to domestic and foreign buyers)…