Hong Kong's investment trend phases taking place in Vietnam

We believe that Hong Kong’s role in Vietnam should be understood through the lens of continuity, not fluctuation.

- By Michael Lin

By Michael Lin Vice chairman for Southern Vietnam Hong Kong Business Association

Depending on the methodology used, Hong Kong has ranked between the top three annual investors in recent years and the top five on a cumulative basis.

That durability matters. It tells us that Hong Kong is not simply following a temporary cycle. It is attached to longstanding business relationships, operational footprints, and a deep familiarity with Vietnam as a place to manufacture, trade, invest, and grow.

When investment is booked from Hong Kong into Vietnam, the story is often larger than a straightforward bilateral flow. Hong Kong remains one of the world’s leading financial centres, a preferred base for corporate treasury activity, and a dominant gateway between Mainland China and global capital. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has said that about two-thirds of direct and financial investment between Mainland China and the rest of the world is intermediated through Hong Kong.

In practical terms, that means it often provides the legal, banking, treasury, and holding company architecture through which regional and international investors enter markets such as Vietnam. This is one important reason its investment footprint in Vietnam stays consistently strong.