Pho Sure: VinFast Commits to North Carolina Plant
By Edward A. Sanchez – April 6, 2022
If you asked most people what nationality Hondas, Toyotas, or Nissans were, they’d likely say Japanese. But going by domestic content percentages, that Tundra or Camry is just as ‘Murican as a Silverado or Fusion – and in some cases, more so. Over the last 40 years, it’s become a tradition for foreign automotive brands to setup manufacturing facilities on America’s shores, pumping out hundreds of thousands of “Japanese” vehicles right here in the good ol’ US of A – and soon, you can add Vietnam’s VinFast to that list.
Indeed, the American University’s Kogod “Made in America Auto Index” regularly features Japanese brands and models on its Top 10 list. Toyota doubled-down on its attempt to burnish its American bona-fides when it joined NASCAR in 2007. That move riled more than a few feathers in the Bible Belt, but as the saying goes, “business is business.” Toyota has gone on to win a total of 19 NASCAR championships, just a stone’s throw away from Ford’s 23-win total, but a far cry from Chevrolet’s 73-win total. But to put things in context, Ford and Chevy have been racing in the series since 1955. Will we see a VinFast VF 12 in the 2030 Tesla Cup? Who knows.
VinFast is aggressively entering the U.S. market with a couple of very attractive EV SUVs.
There is so much to unpack here with VinFast. There are still many Vietnam War veterans still alive. The fact that a Vietnamese company is setting up shop on American soil may still rankle them. Indeed, my late father, who fought in World War II at the tender age of 16 (via fudged enlistment documents) could not bring himself to buy a Japanese car, despite being duly impressed after driving a Lexus LS 400 in 1989. Never mind the fact that he owned two vehicles baring the Mercedes-Benz insignia. But I digress.
History is strange. Enemies become allies, and former allies can become “strategic rivals.” Going back over centuries and millennia, it gets even stranger. While modern-day Turkey is thoroughly “Turkish” today, for longer than it was Turkish, it was Greek. Not to get all Sunday School on you, but whenever you hear the term “Asia” in the Bible, or “Asia Minor” in history, it’s typically the Byzantine (read: Greek) Empire. Turkey has been “Turkish” for 569 years. It was Greek for more than 1,000.
Living in California for the majority of my life, Asian culture and cuisine is as normal to me as fried chicken and biscuits are for the Southeast, or baked beans and clam bakes for New England. Going out for pho or ramen is no more exotic to me than barbecue or Philly cheesesteaks. While it may be a while before pho and banh mi are North Carolina staples, nothing talks like money, and VinFast is reportedly committing to $2 billion to its North Carolina manufacturing efforts, and that’s just “Phase 1,” which is expected to eventually yield an output of 150,000 VF 9 and VF 8 SUVs.
VinFast isn’t shy with its money, so the company’s proposed North Carolina production facility could be a sight to behold.
In terms of footprint, VinFast’s initial presence in North Carolina will be 800 hectares (a whopping 1,977 acres, or literal three square miles). There’s no question VinFast is going big in the Tar Heel State. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see the Carolina Panthers play at “VinFast Stadium” in 2025.
Will VinFast’s charm offensive resonate with U.S. customers? Ultimately, it’s all about the product – and we can’t wait to get behind the wheel and tell you first hand.
(Images courtesy VinFast)
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