CEO Group breaks ground on first industrial park in Haiphong Free Trade Zone

CEO Group breaks ground on first industrial park in Haiphong Free Trade Zone

Amid Vietnam’s strong shift from attracting investment by quantity to selecting and guiding capital flows based on quality, on January 15, CEO Group officially broke ground on Tien Lang Airport Industrial Park – Zone B (CEOZone Haiphong) project in Chan Hung commune, Haiphong city.

This is one of the first projects to be implemented within Haiphong Free Trade Zone (FTZ), marking a significant step in translating a new institutional framework into concrete developments and on-the-ground projects.

The groundbreaking ceremony for Tien Lang Airport Industrial Park – Zone B (CEOZone Haiphong)

Haiphong is widely recognised as one of the most attractive investment destinations in Vietnam today, not because of a single advantage, but due to the simultaneous convergence of multiple systemic strengths. As the main maritime gateway of the Northern Key Economic Region, Haiphong plays a pivotal role in trade and connectivity, not only for the northern region but for the entire country.

With ample development space, well-invested and synchronised infrastructure, and as one of the few localities possessing all five modes of transportation (road, rail, inland waterways, maritime, and aviation), Haiphong has firmly established itself as the largest industrial hub in northern Vietnam. The city has become a preferred destination for high-quality FDI inflows, supported by large, clean industrial land and an increasingly skilled workforce.

Beyond its rapid growth, maintaining double-digit economic growth rates for many consecutive years, Haiphong has also demonstrated outstanding governance quality, consistently ranking among the top nationwide in key investment climate and governance indices such as the Provincial Competitiveness Index, PAR Index, SIPAS, and the Provincial Green Index.

The leaders of Haiphong have demonstrated a strategic vision closely aligned with practical implementation, showing strong commitment and decisive direction in accompanying and providing timely support to the business community.

A perspective of Tien Lang Airport Industrial Park – Zone B (CEOZone Haiphong)

It is precisely this foundation that has enabled Haiphong Free Trade Zone (FTZ) to take shape as a new institutional space, where Vietnam is piloting a development model based on the quality of capital flows, technological content, value chains, and innovation, instead of the traditional cost-driven approach.

The FTZ is oriented towards an operating environment aligned with international standards, featuring streamlined procedures, automated customs, long-term tax incentives, favourable mechanisms for international experts, and strong policy support for research and development (R&D), high technology, and clean manufacturing.

With 25 years of formation and development, CEO Group is entering a phase of strategic repositioning, aiming to build a billion-dollar market capitalisation enterprise and a “happy enterprise”, where economic growth goes hand-in-hand with social responsibility, sustainable development, and quality of life.

Within this strategy, the development of next-generation industrial park infrastructure has been identified as a long-term growth pillar, alongside real estate, construction, and services. CEOZone Haiphong serves as the first project in the group’s strategy to develop 500-1,000 hectares of next-generation industrial parks.

The project covers an area of 186.49 ha with a total investment of nearly VND2.8 trillion ($106.6 million), invested by C.E.O Industrial Park Development JSC (CEO IP). It is oriented toward sthe next-generation industrial park model: green, smart, sustainable. Holding a “backbone” position within the northern Vietnam industrial and logistics network, the project is located along the Ninh Binh – Hung Yen – Haiphong – Quang Ninh coastal expressway, close to the Nam Do Son deep-water seaport and adjacent to Tien Lang international airport (under planning), creating rare multimodal connectivity advantages.

Being located within the Southern Haiphong Economic Zone and Haiphong FTZ allows CEOZone Haiphong to benefit from a dual advantage in both infrastructure and institutional frameworks. Incentives related to procedures, taxation, customs, expert attraction, and R&D promotion make the project an attractive destination for high-tech, low-emission, high value-added investors amid the ongoing restructuring of global supply chains.

Chairman Doan Van Binh delivers a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony of Tien Lang Airport Industrial Park – Zone B (CEOZone Haiphong)

Speaking at the ceremony, Doan Van Binh, chairman of the board of directors of CEO Group, noted, “When fully operational, CEOZone Haiphong is expected to attract approximately $1.5 billion in secondary investment capital, create around 20,000 jobs for local workers, increase budget revenues, and promote the development of the urban, services, and logistics ecosystem in the southern part of the port city, thereby making a substantial contribution to the socioeconomic development of Haiphong.”

Vice Chairman of Haiphong People’s Committee Le Trung Kien said, “Tien Lang Airport Industrial Park – Zone B plays an important role in the city’s industrial and logistics development strategy. Haiphong is committed to accompanying the project and creating the most favourable conditions to ensure it is implemented on schedule, efficiently, and put into operation as soon as possible.”

The groundbreaking of CEOZone Haiphong represents a milestone for CEO Group, and reflects a significant shift in Haiphong’s industrial development mindset, from extensive growth towards the selective attraction, guidance, and upgrading of investment capital quality. From a coastal area rich in potential, Tien Lang is gradually emerging as a new link in the global industrial and logistics value chain, with CEOZone Haiphong serving as a declaration of a new growth model.

VIR