Currently, the country has 6 high-tech zones with different scales and development orientations, playing an important role in attracting high-tech investment, promoting research and development (R&D), training human resources, and incubating technology businesses.
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The Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Park is one of the exemplary models. Covering an area of 534.14 hectares, the park currently has 121 land lease projects with a total investment of US$12.24 billion, averaging US$20.96 million per hectare.
By 2025, there were 112 operational projects employing over 52,000 workers. At one point, exports from this high-tech park accounted for up to 47% of Ho Chi Minh City's total export turnover. The park contributed approximately US$1.7 billion to the budget, with total disbursed capital exceeding US$6.3 billion. The city is implementing a plan to expand the park by approximately 200 hectares to meet future development needs.
Hoa Lac High-Tech Park is also an important high-tech center of the country. To date, the park has attracted 109 projects with a total investment of over 116 trillion VND (approximately 5 billion USD).
Hoa Lac is planned with 8 functional zones; however, there are still some limitations in R&D infrastructure, with approximately 80 laboratories. In addition, socio-technical infrastructure and the level of linkage between research institutes, universities, and businesses still need to be further strengthened.
In addition to the existing high-tech zones, several new high-tech zones are being established with a focus on developing cutting-edge technologies.
The Ha Nam High-Tech Park (now part of Ninh Binh province) covers an area of 663.19 hectares and is oriented towards developing fields such as artificial intelligence, electronics and semiconductors, biotechnology, medicine, and new materials. The park is currently in the process of establishing a management board and attracting investment.
The Hung Yen High-Tech Park (HINNOPOLIS), covering approximately 496.1 hectares, is currently finalizing its planning and establishment documents. The park is oriented towards development based on a model of mastering and deciphering technology, conducting experiments and trial production, training human resources, incubating businesses, and providing technology services.
Meanwhile, the Da Nang High-Tech Park, covering an area of 1,128 hectares, is planned into 6 functional zones with the goal of integrating training, research, production, and business incubation, aiming to become a high-tech center of the Central region.
In the field of biotechnology, the Dong Nai Biotechnology High-Tech Park covers an area of 207.8 hectares and is oriented towards developing research, incubation, technology transfer, production, and training activities. However, the master plan for this high-tech park has not yet been fully approved.
Meanwhile, the Hanoi Biotechnology High-Tech Park covers an area of 199.03 hectares with a total investment of approximately 5.9 trillion VND for infrastructure and land clearance. According to the plan, the park's infrastructure is expected to be completed by 2029, focusing on R&D, production, services, and biotechnology incubation activities.
According to the Ministry of Science and Technology's assessment, among the six existing high-tech zones, three have clearly demonstrated their role as drivers of attracting high-tech investment, with a total FDI of nearly $17 billion from large corporations and domestic enterprises.
Ministries and sectors are also continuing to refine institutions and policies to develop high-tech zones in line with the development orientation of strategic technologies and industries.
Refine mechanisms and policies for the development of high-tech zones.
In recent years, planning and investment in technical and social infrastructure in high-tech zones have continued to receive attention. Incentive mechanisms regarding land, taxes, investment, and R&D support have been gradually improved to enhance the attractiveness of high-tech projects.
A significant milestone was the National Assembly's adoption of the amended High-Tech Law on December 10, 2025, comprising 6 chapters and 27 articles. The law shifted the approach from "general encouragement" to "key investment" and "effective management and control."
Notably, the law adds two new concepts: strategic technology and strategic industry, creating a legal basis for focusing resources on developing breakthrough technologies, mastering core technologies, and aligning with national defense, security, and technological self-reliance requirements.
The law also adds many new mechanisms to promote innovation. These include public-private partnerships (PPP) in the development of infrastructure and high-tech activities; and controlled testing mechanisms (sandboxes) for new technologies.
Businesses are classified into strategic technology enterprises and other high-tech enterprise groups, with incentives linked to the localization rate, R&D spending, and technology mastery capabilities.
Incentive policies for R&D activities have also been expanded, including tax breaks, land allocation, access to shared laboratories, human resource development, and support for technology decoding. Strategic technology products are given priority in public bidding and procurement.
These policies aim to encourage businesses to make substantial investments in research and development, promote technology transfer, and limit incentives for businesses that only engage in assembly.
The law also strengthens the decentralization of power to local authorities in establishing, expanding, or adjusting high-tech zones, linking them with the responsibility of allocating land, investing in connecting infrastructure, and building a high-tech ecosystem according to new standards.
Towards becoming a center for R&D and innovation.
Despite achieving many positive results, the development of high-tech zones in Vietnam still faces some limitations.
The development model in many areas is still heavily focused on manufacturing and assembly, and has not yet truly become a center for research, development, and innovation. The links between businesses and universities, research institutes, investment funds, and the startup ecosystem are still not strong.
Progress in land clearance and infrastructure investment in some areas remains slow; many projects face difficulties regarding funding and investment mechanisms. Modern R&D infrastructure is still lacking, especially internationally standardized laboratories and large-scale research centers.
Furthermore, the connectivity between high-tech zones and between localities is not yet synchronized. The attractiveness for high-tech projects and high-quality human resources is still not truly competitive compared to some countries in the region.
In the coming period, the development of high-tech zones will continue to be promoted by improving institutions and strengthening resources for research and innovation.
In particular, the two key high-tech zones, Hoa Lac and Ho Chi Minh City, will be focused on developing into national-scale R&D and innovation centers. Simultaneously, a national network of laboratories and satellite laboratories, technology incubation and transfer centers, and the planning of satellite high-tech cities will be established.
In addition, it is necessary to promote mechanisms for commissioning research from businesses, encourage the formation of spin-off companies from universities, develop technology exchanges, innovation centers, and industry clusters.
With these orientations, high-tech zones are expected to become important centers for research, development, and innovation, contributing to enhancing national technological capabilities and promoting knowledge- and technology-based economic growth.
Thu Giang,
According to the Government Electronic Newspaper