In the heart of the Mekong Delta, long seen as Vietnam’s rice bowl, a transformation is quietly underway. It’s not loud or dramatic, but it’s enough to make foreign investors pause and pay attention.
They bring not only capital but also a new approach to development: long-term, selective, and responsible. This is the new generation of FDI, foreign direct investment that isn’t just about building factories but about partnering in meaningful transitions.
Transparent Agriculture Grows With A New Mindset
Without needing the “green” label, many businesses in the Mekong Delta are quietly redefining sustainability. Their actions speak louder than declarations.
Clean shrimp, clean trust
That’s what’s quietly unfolding in Bac Lieu, where a company has spent years perfecting a closed-loop shrimp farming system: no antibiotics, no weather roulette. Shrimp grow in precisely monitored water, and farmers grow alongside the brand in long-term partnerships. That company is Viet-Uc Group, and their model is putting Vietnamese shrimp on the global map through safety, not shortcuts.
Farming built on full-cycle responsibility
A similar story is taking shape in Long An. One enterprise here doesn’t just farm; it runs a rare full-cycle system, from breeding to food processing. The point? Control not just for quality, but for cleaner inputs, lower emissions, and international ESG compliance. That company is Mavin Group, not loud about being green, but thoughtful in everything from how animals are raised to how meat ends up on a plate.
Rethinking what it means to eat clean
Meanwhile, in southern supermarkets, a familiar name is evolving. San Ha, once synonymous with everyday poultry, is now building a more transparent food chain, from QR codes to organic practices at the farm level. They’re working with farmers to cut input costs, reduce water waste, and quietly shift consumer expectations around "clean food."
Green Manufacturing, Clean Logistics
Not all transitions are flashy. Some changes come from infrastructure, the kind that often goes unnoticed but has lasting impact.
In one industrial park blueprint, you’ll find rooftop solar panels, water reuse systems, and shaded rest areas for workers. Behind this? Kinh Bac City, a leading developer that’s prototyping industrial zones designed to work with the land, not just build over it.
And down the logistics chain, a familiar name is tackling emissions not with a campaign, but with code. Tan Cang Sai Gon (SNP) is digitizing container workflows, deploying electric forklifts, and lowering the carbon cost of moving goods. Because when the end-to-end supply chain is cleaner, the label “sustainable” actually sticks.
Clean Energy: From Straw, Sunlight, And People
The green shift in the Mekong isn’t just about infrastructure or industry; it’s also about how energy is sourced and who gets to use it.
Take what’s happening in the rice fields. Instead of burning leftover straw, one company is converting it into biochar, a carbon-absorbing soil booster. The process even generates heat, which becomes electricity. That circular solution comes from Mai Anh Biochar, and it’s helping farmers create value without waste.
Further south, clean energy is arriving through trust, not just tech.
Syntegra Solar works directly with farms and rural businesses to co-develop solar systems tailored to local needs. Their work in Long An and Ben Tre is enabling growers to store power, cut grid reliance, and step into a future they helped design.
And powering all of this transition? People. That’s where Swinburne Vietnam enters, training engineers and sustainability professionals fluent in both Vietnam’s climate realities and global best practices. A joint effort with FPT Education, their programs are equipping the very workforce that will lead, not follow, this green transition.
A Low-Carbon Future Starts From The Ground Up
FDI is no longer about chasing the cheapest labor. It’s about aligning with ecosystems that are ready, responsive, and quietly rebuilding.
Across the Delta, companies like Viet-Uc, Mavin, San Ha, Kinh Bac, SNP, Syntegra, and Swinburne are showing that sustainable growth isn’t a distant goal—it’s already happening. Slowly. Steadily. Together.
MIDT 2025 - A Journey to Connect, Not Just Observe
From June 23 to 27, 2025, the Mekong Delta Investment & Trade Discovery Tour (MIDT) organized by AusCham Vietnam and the Australian Government, will guide international investors through Long An, Dong Thap, Can Tho, and Ben Tre.
These aren’t just stops on a map. They’re quiet markers of a region reshaping itself—one clean shrimp, one solar panel, one trained engineer at a time.
Vietnam Innovators Digest (VNID) is proud to be the media partner of AusCham Vietnam for the MIDT 2025 series, connecting green solutions with regions most in need of renewal.
About the Mekong Delta Investment & Trade Discovery Tour (MIDT)
Dates: June 23–27, 2025
Locations: Long An, Đồng Tháp, Cần Thơ, Bến Tre
Register here