From Hanoi to Thoothukudi: Inside VinFast's India Bet

Eight years ago, VinFast did not exist. Today it builds electric cars on 400 acres of Tamil Nadu coastline, and you can drive four of them out of our HBR Layout showroom. This is the story of how a Vietnamese newcomer became an Indian manufacturer — and what that actually means if you're the one signing the cheque.

Eight years ago, VinFast did not exist.

Today it builds electric cars on 400 acres of Tamil Nadu coastline, ships them to showrooms across India, and sells four models — VF 6, VF 7, VF MPV 7 and Limo Green — right here in Bengaluru.

That compression is the whole story. It explains why VinFast moves faster than most carmakers, and it's the honest answer to the question every one of our customers asks in the first five minutes: who are these people, exactly?

The backstory nobody expects

VinFast is the automotive arm of Vingroup, Vietnam's largest private conglomerate. Vingroup was founded by Pham Nhat Vuong, now Vietnam's richest man, and it began in the 1990s selling instant noodles in Ukraine. From there it grew into real estate, hospitals, schools, retail and hospitality.

In 2017, it decided to build cars.

Most carmakers take a decade to bring a single platform to market. VinFast went from breaking ground to rolling out finished vehicles in roughly two years. It built petrol cars first, then made a decision very few legacy manufacturers have had the nerve to make: it dropped combustion entirely and went all-electric. No hedging, no hybrid transition phase, no "we'll see how the market develops."