Evolution Data Centers Enters Vietnam via Joint Venture with HTC Telecom

Evolution Data Centers Enters Vietnam via Joint Venture with HTC Telecom December 9, 2025 In a significant move to capture growth in one of Southeast Asia's most promising digital economies, Asia-Pacific data center operator Evolution Data Centers has formed a strategic joint venture with Vietnam's HTC International Telecommunication JSC (HITC). The partnership, announced this week, aims to develop large-scale hyperscale and artificial intelligence (AI)-ready data center facilities in Vietnam's two primary economic hubs, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The collaboration marks a pivotal entry for Evolution into the Vietnamese market, which has recently liberalized its data center sector. In July 2024, the government removed a longstanding 49 percent cap on foreign ownership, opening the door for greater international investment and expertise. This regulatory shift is accelerating the development of digital infrastructure to support the country's rapidly expanding internet economy and burgeoning demand for cloud and AI services. Under the joint venture, the companies will pursue two key projects. In Hanoi, the plan involves expanding HITC's existing EcoDC facility located within the Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park. This five-story data center sits on a 4.47-hectare site and currently offers capacity for approximately 900 racks across 3,000 square meters. The second project entails the development of a new, greenfield hyperscale data center in Ho Chi Minh City, specifically designed to meet surging demand in southern Vietnam. Darren Webb, CEO of Evolution Data Centres, emphasized the strategic importance of the deal, stating, "Vietnam is one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing digital markets. Through this market entry, Evolution will be one of the first international data center operators active in Vietnam, and the only one with projects in both major economic hubs." He added that this "North-to-South strategy" ensures the company can support customer demand as it scales nationwide. The partnership also represents a milestone for the local telecom infrastructure sector. Nguyễn Hoàng Dương, vice chairman of HITC, noted, "With this joint venture, HITC Telecom becomes one of the first telecom infrastructure companies in Vietnam to welcome an international strategic investor in the data center sector." He expressed confidence that combining Evolution's international expertise with HITC's local market knowledge would "establish a new benchmark for sustainable digital infrastructure development in Vietnam." For Evolution, a Singapore-based firm founded in 2021 with backing from investors like Warburg Pincus and Abu Dhabi's Zero Two, the Vietnam foray is part of a broader APAC expansion. The company has major projects underway in the Philippines, a 69-megawatt campus, and Thailand, a 52-megawatt facility, both scheduled to go live in the coming year. The entry of a well-funded international player like Evolution intensifies competition in Vietnam's data center landscape, which includes local telecom giants like Viettel and VNPT, as well as other international operators such as NTT, ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, and Edge Centres. This increased investment is expected to significantly boost the nation's total IT capacity, supporting its digital transformation goals and positioning it as a more competitive destination for regional cloud and AI workloads. Source: datacenterdynamics