The information was disclosed on September 17 by Wallaya Chirathivat, Chairperson of Central Group at a press briefing on the Vietnamese Week in Thailand. The leadership highlighted Vietnam as a top-priority market in the group's international strategy, with plans to inject an additional US$ 1.5 billion over the coming decade, describing it as a market of exceptional importance.

Central Group entered Vietnam in 2012 via Central Retail, operating retail brands such as GO!, Tops Market, Lan Chi Mart, and Supersports, alongside 330 stores and shopping malls across 26 provinces and cities.

To date, the group has invested US$ 1.5 billion in Vietnam. The plan to double its investment capital stems from three main drivers, led by rapid economic development with annual GDP growth reaching 8% to 10%, outperforming regional averages, according to Wallaya Chirathivat.

Vietnam's population has exceeded 100 million, surpassing that of Thailand, with consumers open and ready to spend through modern retail channels. The economy features a geographic structure stretching from North to South, with key growth poles such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang City, generating space for widespread provincial development. She added that the group has reached cooperation agreements with Sun Group and other domestic enterprises to research and develop projects.

Olivier Langlet, CEO of Central Retail Vietnam, stated that the investment plan focuses primarily on retail, shopping malls, and hospitality, noting that the company has identified 200 potential locations requiring further research across urban areas. He shared that the team is heavily engaged in sourcing suitable locations and land parcels to develop projects, acknowledging it as a massive operational undertaking.

In the hospitality sector, alongside the 984-room Centara Mirage Resort Mui Ne in Lam Dong province operating since 2020, the group is developing two additional hotels in Van Don, Quang Ninh province, adding approximately 1,000 rooms.

Langlet pointed out very high  land prices in Vietnam is a challenge in carring out investments, forcing the group to calculate carefully to ensure expected shareholder returns. Additionally, he noted that while Vietnam has greatly simplified administrative procedures, further improvements are needed to prevent certain legal regulations from being vague in interpretation, which causes investors confusion.

According to the half-year financial report, Central Retail's business units in Vietnam generated over 24 billion baht in revenue for the parent group in the first half of the year, equivalent to approximately VND 19.2 trillion (roughly US$ 733 million). The Vietnamese market accounts for roughly 20% of revenue, serving as Central Retail's second-largest market after Thailand.

Vietnam and Thailand recently marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. As of the end of August 2026, Thailand maintains 824 investment projects in Vietnam, with total registered capital exceeding US$ 15.476 billion, ranking as the 9th-largest foreign investor globally and the 2nd-largest in ASEAN, according to data from the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Finance.

Central Group of Thailand plans to expand investment in Vietnamese market

VOV.VN - Thai retail conglomerate Central Group is in the process of planning to aggressively expand its efforts in the Vietnamese market in the hope of taping into an expected jump in demand when the COVID-19 pandemic ends, according to Nikkei Asia newspaper.