Hung Nhon – De Heus join USD 33 billion investment wave in Gia Lai

The move marks a strategic step toward realizing a vision of turning the Central Highlands into a model hub for high-tech agriculture in the 2026 - 2036 period.

The 2026 Gia Lai Investment Promotion Conference is seen as a landmark event, signaling a strong shift in the province’s investment attraction strategy. With administrative reforms, most notably reducing licensing time to 38 days, Gia Lai is increasingly emerging as an attractive destination for both domestic and foreign investors.

The event was attended by senior officials, including Nguyen Thanh Nghi, Politburo member and head of the Party Central Committee’s Policy and Strategy Commission; Ho Quoc Dung; Thai Dai Ngoc; and Pham Anh Tuan.

At the conference, the De Heus–Hung Nhon joint venture received an investment memorandum of understanding for a project worth VND2.8 trillion, reaffirming its commitment to scaling up and maintaining a long-term presence in the province.

A mark of pioneering enterprises

Representing the joint venture, Johan van den Ban, CEO of De Heus Vietnam and Asia, said that earlier in March, De Heus had completed the acquisition of CJ Feed & Care’s operations in Asia. The deal marks a significant milestone, reinforcing the company’s long-term commitment to Vietnam while enhancing its capabilities in technology, human resources, and management, enabling more comprehensive and sustainable solutions for livestock producers.

“In that strategy, De Heus and Hung Nhon place particular emphasis on the Central Highlands, with Gia Lai holding strategic importance. With its advantages in land availability, natural conditions, raw materials, and clear development orientation, we believe Gia Lai has all the conditions to become a center for high-tech livestock value chains linked to processing and circular economy models,” he said.

Also attending the conference, Vu Manh Hung, Chairman of Hung Nhon Group, said the joint venture has implemented a total of 15 projects in Tay Ninh and the Central Highlands, with total investment of around VND12.4 trillion. In the coming period, the two groups plan to expand by nearly VND6 trillion, bringing total investment for 2026-2036 to VND18.3 trillion.

According to Hung, the entire system is designed under a circular economy model, in which livestock waste is treated through advanced biogas systems and composting, converted into organic fertilizer for agricultural production.

“The project is also accelerating investment in rooftop solar power systems, targeting about 30% of electricity demand to be supplied from renewable sources, contributing to greenhouse gas reduction and building a green livestock model,” Hung said.

Realizing a strategic vision

Earlier, on March 11, during a working session with Gia Lai Party Secretary Thai Dai Ngoc at the DHN Gia Lai project site, Hung said Phase 2 of the project had been completed and put into operation in February 2026-10 months ahead of schedule. The result demonstrates strong implementation capacity, effective coordination between businesses and local authorities, and a firm long-term investment commitment in Gia Lai.

According to Johan van den Ban, building on the success of the DHN Gia Lai project, De Heus and Hung Nhon have identified Gia Lai as a strategic base in their plan to develop a high-tech agricultural value chain across the Central and Central Highlands regions in 2026-2036, with total planned investment of about $106 million (VND2.8 trillion). The goal is to develop one of the region’s largest agricultural projects, meeting export standards for markets such as the EU, Japan, South Korea, and the Middle East.

Planned projects include raw material storage and logistics systems, feed mills, high-tech breeding farms for poultry and pigs, and the development of corn production areas in cooperation with local cooperatives.

These projects are expected not only to secure input supply and enhance production capacity but also to promote sustainable local economic development, increase export value, and improve incomes for residents.