Reuters — Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has called on Chinese businesses investing in Vietnam to shift toward higher-quality investment using advanced technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, and semiconductors.
The Vietnamese leader urged businesses to translate high-level agreements into concrete projects, particularly in rail connectivity, logistics, clean energy, and advanced technology — including AI, semiconductors, 5G, and big data — according to a statement from the Vietnamese government.
Chinese involvement in 5G and AI in Vietnam is a contentious issue, as the United States and Vietnam's Western allies have called on the country to avoid using Chinese technology due to security concerns.
Hanoi recently reversed course toward Chinese 5G, striking deals to roll out networks with Huawei and ZTE, after Vietnam joined the U.S. government's "Clean Network" initiative in 2020, under which it pledged not to use 5G equipment from either of the two Chinese companies.
The United States is planning to tell allies that they should choose sides in the AI competition with China.
Prime Minister Chinh told Chinese investors in Hanoi that the next phase of cooperation should not be about the volume of investment, but about quality and impact.
"Chinese companies should treat Vietnam as a long-term investment, production, and business base, with increasingly advanced technology," Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized.
Chinese investors have launched more than 7,100 projects in Vietnam with registered capital of $37 billion, the majority of which is investment in manufacturing, infrastructure, energy, electronics, and technology, making Beijing Vietnam's sixth-largest foreign investor, according to official data.
Investment has increased in recent years, and in the first seven months of 2026, newly pledged Chinese investment expanded 31.5% from the previous year.
