The Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee presented the Decision on Investment Policy and approved the investor for the Dream Plastic Mai Son Factory Project..

To attract FDI projects, Son La proactively connects with international organizations and Vietnamese diplomatic missions abroad to promote the local potential and strengths. At the same time, it actively provides information and publications on investment, trade, and tourism promotion, participates in international conferences and trade fairs, and sends delegations to seek cooperation opportunities with foreign businesses.

By the end of 2025, the province will have 8 FDI projects with a total registered capital of approximately US$161 million, including: the Ban Phuc nickel mining project in Ta Khoa commune; the Vietnam-Korea high-quality fruit and forestry production center joint venture; Takii Vietnam Seed Company Limited in Moc Son ward; the tea planting and processing project for export by Li Garden Vietnam Company Limited in Thao Nguyen ward; the Van Ho high-tech agricultural product preservation and processing plant and the tea factory project of Satoen Vietnam Company Limited in Van Ho commune; the service project of CJ CGV Vietnam Company Limited, Son La Branch; and the Dream Plastic Mai Son factory project of Dream International Limited (Korea) in Mai Son Industrial Park. The investors mainly come from New Zealand, Japan, and Korea, with investment focusing on high-tech agriculture, agricultural product processing, mineral exploitation, and industrial production.

The Provincial Industrial Parks Management Board is working with foreign investors.

Among the ongoing FDI projects, the Dream Plastic Mai Son Factory project by Dream International Limited (South Korea), invested in Mai Son Industrial Park with a total registered capital of 7 million USD, aims to produce and process children's toys and plastic products, with a designed capacity of approximately 20 million products per year. Mr. Jang Kyung Ho, Deputy Director of Dream Plastic Co., Ltd., said: The company highly appreciates the timely support and assistance from the departments and agencies of Son La province in completing investment procedures and is committed to implementing the project on schedule and in compliance with legal regulations.

Satoen Vietnam Co., Ltd.'s project for growing and processing Japanese tea for export, located in Sao Do 2 sub-area, Van Ho commune, covers 41 hectares of tea plantations and is fully equipped with advanced technology and applies an automated, closed-loop production process. The production capacity is 2 tons of green tea per day and 2.5 tons of matcha per day. Satoen's products have received international certifications such as HACCP, HALAL, and GLOBAL GAP.

Foreign experts transfer technology to officials and workers at the Son La Sugar Mill.

In addition, the mining and mineral processing project of Ban Phuc Nickel Mine Co., Ltd. ( thuộc Blackstone Minerals Limited - Australia) is the largest FDI project in Son La, with a total investment of 136 million USD. However, the project is currently temporarily suspending mining operations to carry out procedures for license renewal as required. The remaining FDI projects are mainly agricultural and agricultural product processing projects of small and medium scale, with relatively small investment capital and seasonal operations.

Ms. Ha Ngoc Chau, Deputy Director of the Department of Finance, stated: In 2025, the Department reviewed dossiers for approval of investment policies, issuance of investment registration certificates, and procedures for buying and selling shares and capital contributions of foreign-invested organizations; at the same time, it coordinated with the Provincial Police to review contents related to national defense and security, ensuring compliance with procedures, timelines, and legal regulations.

In addition, the department received and processed applications for the purchase and sale of shares and capital contributions in several foreign-invested enterprises; and appraised applications for approval of investment policies for the Ta Khoa High-Tech Deep Processing Plant Project. Simultaneously, it coordinated with relevant agencies to guide the adjustment of investment registration certificates, urged FDI enterprises to comply with periodic reporting requirements, strengthened investment activity monitoring, and promptly addressed cases of violations, delays, and inefficiency.

Currently, attracting FDI has not met expectations, due to Son La's particularly difficult socio-economic conditions; its infrastructure is not yet synchronized, its location is far from economic centers and consumer markets, investment costs are high; there is a limited supply of high-quality labor, and the production scale of businesses and cooperatives is small. Therefore, it has not been attractive enough to foreign investors.

A corner of Muong Chien village, Ngoc Chien commune, with potential for community tourism.

Our province currently lacks FDI projects that meet the criteria for special investment incentives under the 2020 Investment Law, indicating significant difficulties in attracting investors with substantial financial resources and advanced technology. Most FDI projects are small-scale, under $10 million, and primarily focused on agriculture, with low added value and technological application. The Van Ho Industrial Park, despite being approved for over 216 hectares, has yet to attract infrastructure investors. Similarly, industrial clusters and border gate areas lack logistics infrastructure and support services, and have not yet formed border economic zones, thus limiting their attractiveness to cross-border investment flows.

Attracting FDI is crucial for promoting sustainable growth. Our province is focusing on solutions such as: improving infrastructure, land planning, accelerating land clearance, and reforming administrative procedures to create a transparent and attractive investment environment for foreign investors. The focus is on establishing industrial zones and clusters, and improving logistics infrastructure to enhance attractiveness. We are also improving the quality, transparency, and time required to process administrative procedures for businesses. We are developing attractive investment incentive mechanisms and policies, especially in high-tech agriculture and ecotourism. We are proactively selecting investors and collaborating with central ministries and agencies to organize investment promotion activities. The goal is to attract high-tech, environmentally friendly projects that contribute to enhancing competitiveness and ensuring sustainable growth for the locality.

Text and photos: Minh Thu