Everything, everywhere, all at once for VinFast
Lately, it has looked like all the parallel universes for Vietnam’s ubiquitous BEV maker have converged into our current plane of reality. So many things are going on for the company, across its 4-wheel, 2-wheel, and transport network sides of the business.
Just a few days ago, a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) statement revealed that Vingroup, which founded the EV brand VinFast in 2017, is investing $500 million (over P31 billion) to build an EV manufacturing facility in the Philippines.
This comes as a pleasant surprise, standing in stark contrast to earlier pronouncements to the motoring media that the Vietnamese conglomerate had no plans for local assembly.
The announcement followed a high-level meeting between Trade Secretary Maria Cristina A. Roque and Vingroup vice chairman Nguyen Quoc Tuan. Reports indicate that the plant, slated for construction in 2027, will feature an initial annual production capacity of 200,000 units. Catering to both domestic and export markets, the facility is planned to roll out both 2-wheel and 4-wheel BEVs.
VinFast remains the most talked-about automotive brand in Southeast Asia today. Over the past several months covering the brand, I have observed its aggressive, top-down culture driven by an obsession with speed to market and a distinct “fail-fast, learn-fast” ethos.
That mindset can achieve astonishing feats, but it can also lead to confusing information (as I have learned from the conflicting statements regarding the plant establishment in the country).
During a media tour in Vietnam last May, our contingent visited VinFast’s flagship manufacturing complex in Hai Phong. Spanning 335 hectares on land entirely reclaimed from the sea, the high-precision facility went from groundbreaking to fully operational in an unbelievable 21 months. Powered by over 1,400 industrial robots with automated stamping and paint shops, the facility boasts an annual capacity of 300,000 EVs and 1 million electric 2-wheelers.
This relentless drive mirrors the legendary grit of Vingroup chairman Pham Nhat Vuong, Southeast Asia’s wealthiest man. Born in Hanoi in 1968 to an impoverished family during the Tet Offensive, Vuong’s mathematical aptitude earned him a scholarship to Moscow in the late 1980s. After graduation, he relocated to Ukraine, opened a small Vietnamese eatery, and risked everything to establish an instant noodle production line. He built Mivina into Ukraine’s most popular food brand before selling it to Nestlé for $150 million. Returning to Vietnam, he merged his resort and real estate businesses to create the powerhouse that is Vingroup.
Beyond the billions, Vuong’s ecosystem is already reshaping everyday livelihoods in the Philippines. During the Green GSM Platform Driver Partner Festival held at The Tent in Las Piñas City last September, which celebrated the handover of 1,000 EVs to driver-partners, I spoke with three Green GSM drivers: A teacher, a former jeepney driver, and a former motorcycle taxi rider.
All three credited the platform with dramatically stabilizing their household incomes. The teacher had her garage renovated with a complimentary wallbox charger installed; the former jeepney driver is now finalizing the purchase of his own home; and the former motorbike rider shared that his steady earnings now provide working capital for his family’s sari-sari store.
In an interview earlier this year, VinFast Southeast Asia CEO Antonio “Toti” Zara outlined how wide this multi-pronged ecosystem stretches. Vingroup is building out the entire EV infrastructure through initiatives like the “Trade Gas for Electric” scheme (pairing battery subscriptions with a Residual Value Guarantee), V-Green’s expanding public charging network, and Green GSM’s all-electric fleet and operator platform expanding across Metro Manila, Cebu, and key urban centers. In parallel, renewable arm VinEnergo is partnering with local firms to develop 3.8 GW of solar capacity nationwide, targeted to come online between 2027 and 2028.
The latest buzz is that VinFast is shaking up automotive retail.
On Monday, Oct. 26, VinFast Philippines Director for O2O Rox Lacerna unveiled the brand’s first Online-to-Offline (O2O) delivery center in the country. Tailored for digital-first buyers, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, the platform combines online buying convenience with in-person delivery.
Rather than relying solely on traditional showroom visits, VinFast brings the showroom to the customer. Through a streamlined journey at vinfastauto.ph, buyers can consult sales reps, book home or office test drives, complete documentation, and settle payments online. Vehicles can then be picked up at the delivery center or delivered straight to the buyer’s doorstep via flatbed truck.
Lacerna claims a customer can complete an online vehicle purchase in under five minutes. Rather than replacing physical dealerships, O2O complements them—proving once again that VinFast intends to be everywhere, in every lane, all at once.
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