FDI Flows into Electronic Components in North Vietnam

On 21 October 2026, Vietnam Investment Review (VIR) reported that foreign investors already operating in Vietnam are adding billions of dollars to semiconductor testing, packaging and advanced materials. The main driver is chip demand from data centres and AI servers. Many of the named projects are in northern Vietnam, especially Hai Phong. For electronics fabrication shops that make equipment housings, machine frames, fixtures and heat sinks for FDI companies, this is work worth preparing for early.

Housings, fixtures and heat sinks are the fabrication shop's share of the electronic components chain — AI-generated illustration

The electronic component projects named

• LG Innotek, Hai Phong: a USD 1 billion semiconductor package substrate plant in Nam Dinh Vu Industrial Park (zone 2), covering over 32 ha. The city approved the investment policy on 3 July 2026. It is LG Innotek's first substrate plant outside South Korea, making RF-SiP, FC-CSP and FC-BGA substrates, with trial production planned for Q3 2027.
• USI, Hai Phong: the ASE Technology subsidiary announced an extra USD 120 million in early September, targeting 100,000 optical transceiver modules a month using silicon photonics.
• Samsung Electro-Mechanics: on 29 September it announced about USD 1.85 billion to expand FC-BGA substrate production at its Vietnam subsidiary, aiming to complete and start operations by June 2030.

In Bac Ninh, according to VNA/VietnamPlus on 11 October, the nine-month industrial production index rose 20.16%, with electronics, computers and optical products up 22.58%. The city has about 33 semiconductor, materials and component projects, still mainly in packaging, testing and auxiliary equipment.

Component imports are rising fast, but the figures differ

VIR cites the National Statistics Office: imports of computers, electronics and components reached USD 27.1 billion in September, up 93.7% year on year, and USD 197 billion over nine months. Bao Van Hoa, on 15 October, cites customs data for the same group over nine months: USD 188.9 billion of imports and USD 123.66 billion of exports. The two import figures do not match, possibly due to different scope or estimated versus official data; we have not verified the cause. The LG Innotek timeline also differs slightly: VIR says mass production in mid-2028, Bao Hai Phong says from Q3 2028.

Whichever figure is used, the trend is clear: components imported for assembly, packaging and export are growing fast, pulling in demand for factories, machinery and the mechanical parts that go with them.

What this means for electronics fabrication shops

Chip packaging and optical module plants do not make all their mechanical parts in-house. Cabinets, machine frames, fixtures, trays, cleanroom carts, air ducts and covers are often ordered from supplier shops. Aluminum sheet and coil appear in many of these parts:

1. Equipment housings, covers, cabinet frames: 5052 aluminum at 1–3 mm is strong, bends well and resists corrosion. See our 2 mm aluminum sheet page.
2. Heat spreaders, shields, power component bases: 1050 aluminum conducts heat better than alloyed grades and stamps easily, suiting parts without heavy loads.
3. Air ducts and insulation cladding for cleanroom HVAC: 3003 or 1050 coil slit to width reduces scrap. See aluminum coil and slit strip.
4. Fixture tables and base plates: 5–10 mm plate, needing flatness and consistent thickness tolerance; order it cut close to drawing size. See 10 mm aluminum sheet.

FDI customers usually require stricter material records: a mill certificate stating the alloy, temper and mechanical properties of each lot, and clear origin. Shops planning to bid for these projects should file certificates by lot from the moment they buy aluminum. The new plants are more than a year from trial production, which gives shops time to prepare machinery and capability profiles. 1050, 3003 and 5052 sheet is on our aluminum sheet page.

References

• VIR – Foreign investors pour billions into Vietnam's semiconductor sector (21 October 2026)
• Bao Van Hoa – Electronics exports up 59.6% (15 October 2026, Vietnamese)
• VietnamPlus – Bac Ninh in the electronics and semiconductor value chain (11 October 2026, Vietnamese)
• Bao Hai Phong – Hai Phong approves LG Innotek semiconductor project (3 July 2026, Vietnamese)

If you need 1050, 3003 or 5052 aluminum sheet or coil with mill certificates for housings, fixtures or heat sinks, send your enquiry through our aluminum sheet and coil quotation page or call our hotline/Zalo 0904 678 236 (Sales Department) for advice on the right alloy and thickness.