Vietnam's Vinhomes is advancing a model of city-building that integrates residential, commercial, educational, healthcare, and green infrastructure into a single ecosystem, and is now extending its projects and development plans into Congo, India, Australia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. The company's approach, rooted in two decades of experience and the wider Vingroup ecosystem, aims to redefine urban development as Asia becomes the center of global urbanization.
The first Vinhomes projects, such as Royal City and Times City in Hanoi and Vinhomes Riverside, were built on reclaimed industrial land and riverbanks with a premise that a residential development must encompass an entire urban life. Schools, clinics, parks, transit, and commerce were built as foundations rather than added later. This structural approach has proven resilient as Vietnam's cities have become one of the region's most closely watched growth stories. In 2025, Vietnam drew more than $38 billion in registered foreign direct investment, with real estate the second-largest recipient sector after manufacturing. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, roughly half of the world's 600 largest cities by GDP are now in Asia, and in most Asian countries, cities generate over 80 percent of national output. Vinhomes' answer has been to fold its projects into the Vingroup ecosystem, integrating education (Vinschool, VinUni), healthcare (Vinmec), retail (Vincom Retail), hospitality (Vinpearl, VinWonders), and green mobility (VinFast, V-Green, Green SM), with renewable energy and regional infrastructure through VinEnergo and VinSpeed. This creates a city that behaves like an economy in miniature, generating demand for jobs, services, and investment.
Vinhomes has framed its environmental approach as "ESG++," not merely limiting damage but actively restoring ecosystems. At Can Gio, Vinhomes Green Paradise is being built alongside a significant mangrove system, with construction deliberately constrained to protect it. In Ha Long, Vinhomes Global Gate sits beside a UNESCO World Heritage Bay, designed to complement the landscape. This approach has drawn international notice: Vinhomes Green Paradise became the first official global participant in New7Wonders' "7 Wonders of Future Cities" initiative. Jean-Paul de la Fuente, the campaign's director, described visiting the project as an encounter with a place where nature, people, and technology converge in ways he had not anticipated from the paperwork alone, adding that few developers have the execution capacity to build at this scale and speed while managing that complexity.
The company's ambitions now extend well beyond Vietnam. Vinhomes has projects and development plans in Congo, India, Australia, the Philippines, and Indonesia, carrying two decades of Vietnamese urban experience into markets asking the same questions Vietnam once asked. This shift signals that Vietnamese cities are no longer just absorbing standards tested elsewhere; they are beginning to set them. The data underscores the stakes: the United Nations' World Urbanization Prospects 2025 reports that cities are now home to 45 percent of the planet's 8.2 billion people, more than double the share in 1950, with two-thirds of all future population growth through mid-century expected in urban areas. The number of megacities has quadrupled since 1975, from eight to 33, and more than half are in Asia. Capital is already voting with its feet, and McKinsey's research suggests the economic weight has shifted, even if global recognition has not yet caught up.
For business leaders, this signals a significant shift in global urban development. Vinhomes' integrated model and ESG++ standards could set new benchmarks for sustainable city-building, influencing how companies invest in infrastructure, real estate, and technology across emerging markets. As Asia's urban population continues to surge, the ability to build quickly while maintaining quality and environmental responsibility will be a competitive advantage. Vinhomes' expansion into Africa, South Asia, and Oceania demonstrates that the company is not just exporting a real-estate model but a comprehensive approach to urban life that could shape the next several decades of global growth.
