Vietnam EV maker VinFast to shift HQ to Singapore ahead of IPO, first exports

A group of owners of VinFast's e34 electric car pose for pictures at an event organized by the Vietnamese carmaker in Ha Long, Vietnam April 7, 2022. Picture taken April 7, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Krolicki

(Reuters) - Vietnam's VinFast is shifting its headquarters to Singapore as the fledgling electric vehicle (EV) maker readies for a public listing and the first production run of cars for U.S. and European markets, its chief executive told Reuters.

The three-year-old unit of conglomerate Vingroup JSC will start building its VF8 sport utility vehicle (SUV) next week, its own EV batteries in August, and a $4 billion U.S. factory by summer-end, Le Thi Thu Thuy said in an interview.