Vietnam emerges as cost-competitive data centre market

Vietnam emerges as cost-competitive data centre market

A proposed $3 billion data centre complex in Dak Lak province highlights Vietnam's growing appeal as a cost-competitive destination for digital infrastructure investment.

On April 9, Do Huu Huy, Chairman of Dak Lak People's Committee, held a working session with a delegation from BIN Corporation to discuss a proposal to study and invest in the complex. The project comes amid surging demand from AI, cloud computing, and the digital economy.

At the meeting, Le Hung Anh, CEO of BIN Corporation, presented a preliminary plan to survey and develop an integrated AI, renewable energy, and high-tech workforce training complex across Ea Sup (approximately 458.8 hectares) and Ea Wer communes (299 ha).

The proposal outlines several core components, including data centres supporting AI and digital transformation; a renewable energy system combining solar power and energy storage; a high-tech training centre focused on AI and IT talent; and digital infrastructure to serve both enterprises and local government.

"The company is committed to conducting research and feasibility studies in full compliance with applicable regulations, ensuring alignment with the province's master planning and socioeconomic development strategy," Hung Anh said. "We will fully self-finance the project and stand ready to proceed with subsequent steps upon receiving in-principle investment approval."

A rendering of the proposed data centre complex. Source: Dak Lak People’s Committee

At the DNSE Securities AGM on March 26, chairman Nguyen Hoang Giang revealed plans to participate in a carbon credit exchange, invest in digital asset companies, and develop an additional data centre in Ho Chi Minh City. The initiatives aim to reduce trading latency, expand the firm's technology ecosystem, and enhance competitiveness.

“Under the 2026 plan, the company will invest in a new data centre located near the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange to minimise order latency and better serve high-frequency traders,” Giang stated at the AGM. “Currently, DNSE’s average order processing latency is approximately four milliseconds, which is among the lowest in the market. The system is also built with scalable architecture, enabling a multiple-fold increase in order volume while maintaining stable performance.”

Cushman & Wakefield's latest Asia-Pacific Data Centre Construction Cost Guide, published on April 6, points to Vietnam as a market to watch in the next wave of regional data centre development.

The guide placed Vietnam among the region's more cost-competitive markets, with construction costs ranging from $5.7 million to $8.7 million per MW and a mid-range cost of $7.2 million per MW, while annual construction cost inflation remains relatively moderate at 3.8 per cent.

The market is covered in the guide through Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and is beginning to show greater scale, with around 73MW of operational capacity and a further 137MW in pipeline by 2030. At the same time, power access is becoming a more important factor in project viability, with the guide indicating an approximate two- to three-year wait time for new 100MW power in Vietnam’s key clusters.

Forecast data centre construction activity by market through 2030. Source: Cushman & Wakefield

Cushman & Wakefield’s Southeast Asia Outlook also identifies data centres as the largest property type by investment volume across the region, while describing Vietnam’s market as relatively nascent compared with regional peers and therefore offering long-term expansion potential.

Ngoc Le, senior director, head of Strategic Consulting, Cushman & Wakefield Vietnam, said the country was still at an early stage in its data centre journey, but that was precisely where its long-term potential laid.

“The market combines relatively competitive construction costs with rising demand from cloud adoption, AI applications and the broader digital economy. As occupiers and investors look beyond the region’s most constrained hubs, Vietnam is increasingly emerging as a market with room to scale, provided developers can navigate power readiness and site selection effectively,” she said.

VIR