Bac Giang
Vietnam's fastest-growing province (13.85% GDP, 2024)—Foxconn $270M Apple factory, $2.23B FDI, 342K industrial workers, merged with Bac Ninh July 2025.
Bac Giang achieved Vietnam's highest GDP growth (13.85%) in 2024 by becoming Foxconn's laptop factory floor. The Taiwanese electronics giant invested $270 million in Quang Chau Industrial Park to produce 8 million tablets and laptops annually for Apple. Total FDI reached $2.23 billion in 2024 through Q1 2025; 16 industrial parks and 55 clusters now cover 6,000+ hectares employing 342,000 workers.
The province exemplifies Vietnam's electronics manufacturing strategy—and its limits. Foxconn, Pegatron, Hana Micron, and suppliers cluster in northern Vietnam, turning the region into Asia's newest electronics hub. But 89% of component value must be imported; Vietnamese firms remain absent from high-value supply chains. Critics warn Vietnam risks becoming the "world's assembly hub and e-waste dump" without technology transfer requirements.
Labor competition intensifies. Average wages rise 6–10% annually; workers switch jobs frequently for better pay. The July 2025 merger with neighboring Bac Ninh created a province of 3.6 million people across 4,800 km²—consolidating Vietnam's electronics manufacturing heartland. By 2026, Bac Giang tests whether assembly-line growth translates into industrial upgrading or permanent middle-income status.