ITO building automation factory as TikTok seeks Ho Chi Minh City support
ITO plans to recruit hundreds of additional workers, while TikTok is seeking cooperation on projects and services for residents.
Singapore-based ITO Group Holdings is building a factory for automation equipment at Vinh Loc Industrial Park, its chairman Peter James Opdahl said at the Autumn Economic Forum 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City. Separately, TikTok Vietnam sought the city's support for its projects and initiatives.
Opdahl said ITO intended to recruit hundreds of additional workers. He called on Vietnam to draw more leading international high-tech manufacturers to the country, saying this would generate demand for industrial automation and encourage domestic supply chains to develop.
He identified shortages in the local supply of components, chips and industrial parts as an obstacle, with imports adding to costs and production times. ITO had struggled to find experienced automation personnel when it invested in Vietnam in 2012, he said. Its Vietnamese engineers can now undertake design, research and development, programming and equipment manufacturing for international customers.
TikTok Vietnam general director Nguyen Lam Thanh said working with Ho Chi Minh City was a priority, given the number of company partners, suppliers and employees based there. He said cooperation from authorities on TikTok's initiatives could help it offer residents better services at lower costs, and highlighted the value of direct exchanges with city leaders.
The four-day forum covers technology, innovation and new sources of growth, with more than 1,500 delegates from Vietnam and overseas. For the first time, the World Economic Forum is co-branding the event's two main days.
