Of around 45,000 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in Vietnam, about 1,500 are subject to the global minimum tax (GMT), while fewer than 200 have actually incurred tax liabilities under the mechanism.

Production activities at an FDI enterprise in Tay Ninh province (Illustrative photo: VNA)

The figures were revealed by Deputy Director of the Department of Taxation under the Ministry of Finance (MOF) Dang Ngoc Minh at a September 28 seminar on tax and investment policies for FDI enterprises.

​He said the common GMT rate of 15% applies to enterprises that previously benefited from preferential tax rates of 5% or 10%, as well as other tax incentives.

Vietnam collected around 16.5 trillion VND (635.4 million USD) in GMT revenue in 2025, contributing to socio-economic development while recovering part of the tax incentives previously granted.

FDI attraction shifts towards quality

Director of the department Mai Xuan Thanh said that after nearly four decades of attracting foreign investment, the FDI sector has become an important part of Vietnam’s economy, contributing to economic growth, exports, employment and technology transfer.

However, investment policy has shifted from focusing on the volume of capital attracted to investment quality, value creation and contributions to sustainable development, he said, stressing the need to adapt policies and management practices to changing investment priorities.

​Nguyen Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the MOF's Foreign Investment Agency, said Vietnam needs to improve productivity, growth quality, competitiveness and economic self-reliance.

Continued FDI attraction remains necessary, but the goal is no longer simply to increase capital inflows or the number of projects.

Greater emphasis should be placed on the quality, efficiency and sustainability of investment, while strengthening links between the FDI sector and domestic capabilities and long-term development goals, he added.

Incentives shift to cost-based support

Minh said foreign investors’ decisions to choose Vietnam are no longer as heavily dependent on tax incentives as before, with the country’s strategic position in global production chains, infrastructure, trade relations and workforce providing favourable conditions for deeper participation in production networks.

Accordingly, income-based incentives will no longer be appropriate, and FDI attraction policies will shift towards cost-based support, including assistance for technology, technology transfer and human resource training in industrial and high-tech sectors.

The Government will also invest in industrial infrastructure to help enterprises develop ecosystems and encourage Vietnamese firms to join supply chains through training, business establishment support and ecosystem development.

​Future incentives will be linked to enterprises’ performance, particularly technology transfer and human resource training, and must be clearly specified from the outset in investment licences.

Minh said tax authorities would conduct pre-supervision of enterprises’ implementation of their commitments.

A shared database platform should be developed to enable tax authorities to exchange enterprise and population data with agencies under the Ministry of Finance and other Government bodies.

The aim is to allow enterprises to declare relevant information and commitments only once, while tax authorities conduct indirect monitoring and subsequent inspections based on performance assessments.

Vietnam attracts 40.63 billion USD in FDI in eight months

Notably, the number of new FDI projects rose only 9.4% while their registered capital surged 96.8%, indicating a significant increase in average project size and investors’ stronger commitment from the outset.

FDI flows bolster Bac Ninh’s economic growth

BAC NINH - Foreign direct investment (FDI) continues to play an important role in driving Bac Ninh’s industrial development. Industrial parks across the province currently host 2,316 active secondary projects with total registered investment of nearly 46 billion USD. Of these, 1,685 are active FDI projects with total registered investment of more than 41.39 billion USD, while the remainder are domestically funded projects.

Northern Vietnam attracts 80.5% of new manufacturing FDI in first half

John Campbell, Director and Head of Industrial Services at Savills Vietnam, said investment in electronics and semiconductors continued to concentrate in northern localities, which have developed relatively complete manufacturing ecosystems encompassing industrial infrastructure, technical labour and supplier networks.

Vietnam targets higher-quality FDI under Resolution 10

During the first seven months of 2026, Vietnam attracted more than 38 billion USD in registered FDI, up nearly 58% year-on-year. More importantly, the increase was driven by large-scale, high-tech projects rather than a surge in the number of new investments, signalling a significant improvement in the quality of capital inflows.

Vietnam reshapes FDI strategy with focus on technology, innovation

Politburo Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW, issued on June 8, 2026, recognises the foreign-invested sector as an important component of the national economy, signalling a major shift in the country's investment attraction strategy. Rather than prioritising labour-intensive projects, Vietnam is now seeking high-quality investments capable of driving technological progress, innovation, sustainable development and stronger participation in global value chains.