Saigon Hi-Tech Park (SHTP) — Vietnam's First High-Tech Zone

The Saigon Hi-Tech Park (SHTP) is Vietnam's first high-tech zone, established in 2002 by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee in what is now Thu Duc City. It operates under the national Hi-Tech Zone Law, governed by the SHTP Management Board with strategic oversight at Prime Minister level.

SHTP covers 326 ha (95% utilised) and is being expanded to 913 ha under a 2024 Prime Minister-approved development plan. The park hosts 160 active investment projects with total committed capital of US$12.3 billion — US$10.3 billion in FDI. Intel's US$1 billion semiconductor assembly-and-test facility (2006) is the flagship anchor; Samsung, Nidec, Jabil, and Rockwell Automation are among the other major tenants.

High-tech exports reached US$20.7 billion in 2024, an 18% year-on-year increase, with cumulative exports of US$161.9 billion since inception. The park employs more than 52,000 workers. The 2024 PM plan formally pivots SHTP toward R&D, incubation, and higher-value commercialisation, with 12 new projects expected by end of 2025 worth over US$1 billion.

Cautionary note: dominant activity remains high-tech assembly rather than design R&D — Intel's facility is a packaging-and-test operation. Vietnam has not independently audited SHTP impact data, and workforce disaggregation (gender, skill level) is not publicly reported.

Read the full analysis: https://shtp.hochiminhcity.gov.vn/en