AMID A GLUT of Chinese brands now numbering more than 20, is there a place under the Philippine sun for Vietnam-headquartered electric vehicle specialist VinFast?
In the rear seat of a VinFast VF8 midsize SUV, we head to our hotel amid a light afternoon rain in Ho Chi Minh. The traffic strangely feels like in Manila, with a deluge of motorbikes crisscrossing the thoroughfares, and aggressive drivers insinuating themselves into lanes. The all-electric VF8 occasionally beeps to alert our driver when vehicles get too close, or are coming up from the rear and blind side.
Our quick jaunt in Vietnam involves rather brief seat time behind the wheel, though I must admit it is a pleasant experience to occupy the second row of the five-seater SUV around the size of the Toyota Fortuner. We are driven to and from our appointments in the city still known by its old moniker, Saigon — appreciating both the newer commercial districts and older sections as if in a snapshot of the bygone wartime era.
Bookended by the larger E-segment SUV VF9 and smaller C-segment SUV VF7, the D-class VF8 stretches 4,750mm, is 1,667-mm tall, 1,934-mm wide, and gets a wheelbase length of 2,950mm. The latter figure usually dictates cabin space, and we find the VF8’s to be comfortably generous. To complete the list of stats, VF8 has a trunk capacity of 376 liters with the second-row seatbacks up, and 1,373 liters when folded. Pop open the hood for a “frunk” (front trunk) with an additional 88 liters of volume to accommodate other stuff you may want to bring with you.
Saturday finds us at a makeshift proving ground a few minutes by car from our hotel at the Landmark 81 — developed by VinHomes which is, yes, owned by VinGroup. This, in turn, also owns VinFast. The VinGroup empire is headquartered in Hanoi, and has interests in real estate development, retail, and “services from healthcare to hospitality.”
The affable Malaysian driving instructor and training specialist Kenvin Low guides me on a demonstration run through the obstacles at the course, which include a wading pool which submerges the VF8 in around 200mm to 300mm of the wet stuff, a suspension test, a 30-degree metal ramp where we get to try out hill start assist as well as experience the ease of the vehicle’s ascent, navigate through a tight section using the 360-degree camera system, and execute an emergency brake test after a pedal-to-metal sprint. The course is reasonable for a quick glimpse at several abilities, but I reserve a complete judgment on the VF8 after I have a longer stint behind the wheel. I see the promise though, with the low NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) as a direct offshoot of the two electric motors — one on each axle — certainly a welcome sensation. The suspension can still be tweaked for greater comfort, if I’m being honest. The humid and hot weather though is quick work for the air-conditioning — cool and adequate for our party of four in the SUV.
Following this year’s Manila International Auto Show where the VF6 subcompact SUV was unveiled, VinFast Philippines elucidated a “three-pronged” strategy to underpin its growth aspirations in the country.
First, the company committed to offer free public charging at VinFast stations “through 2027,” in order to “reduce the immediate operating costs and (to reassure) potential buyers.” It is doing this through a separate but affiliated (VinGroup) firm V-Green, a global charging network developer, which is said to be working on installing 15,000 DC electric vehicle charging ports nationwide by the end of the year. “For context, as of March 2025, the country has a total of over 900 public charging stations,” said VinFast Philippines. This lofty aspiration is predicated on the Vietnam model, where VinFast is said to have installed some 200,000-plus charge points.
Next, VinFast is helping allay doubts as to the quality of its vehicles by firmly standing behind them. “To ease concerns about long-term value, VinFast introduced a buyback program that guarantees up to 90% of the vehicle’s original price, depending on how long it’s been owned. This applies across the entire lineup, not just premium models,” its official statement had continued.
Lastly, the brand revealed the forging of partnerships with financial institutions to aid in acquisition through “more flexible payment terms” and to ease the “high upfront cost” of customers. In addition, VinFast is continuing to grow its local footprint — committing to opening “more than 60 new showrooms this year.”
To date, there are 10 VinFast showrooms now open in the country: VinFast ASEANA, VinFast Bacolod, VinFast Alabang, VinFast Cainta, VinFast EDSA, VinFast Iloilo, VinFast Isabela, VinFast La Union, VinFast Manila Bay, and VinFast Urdaneta.
Back to the VF8, there’s no clear timeline yet when the SUV model will arrive in the country, but the safe bet is that it will make an appearance sooner or later — particularly if VinFast wants to tick as many price point boxes as possible while deploying the aforementioned charging network.
