VinFast cars are appearing more and more on Emirati roads, backed by a successful and fast-growing global business. It isn’t a lone start-up. Its parent is one of Vietnam’s largest companies, and the carmaker now sells on three continents. So here’s the story of VinFast, from its conglomerate roots to its push across the UAE and the wider Middle East.
Where does VinFast come from?
VinFast is the car arm of Vingroup, Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate. Vingroup began in 1993 as Technocom, a business founded by Vietnamese entrepreneurs in Ukraine. It later returned home and expanded across property, tourism, retail, healthcare and education. Today its brands include Vinhomes in property, Vinpearl in hospitality, Vinmec in healthcare and VinUniversity in education. It has even set up ventures in ride-hailing, robotics and high-speed rail.
The group is large and listed. It has traded on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange since 2007, and its total assets sit near $44 billion. In 2026, it climbed 11 places to rank 26th in the Fortune Southeast Asia 500, placing it among the region’s 30 biggest companies. So VinFast is a young brand, yet its parent is neither small nor untested.
VinFast itself now trades in New York. It listed on the Nasdaq exchange in 2023 under the ticker VFS. That gives the carmaker access to global capital as it grows.
How big has VinFast become?
VinFast launched in 2017 as Vietnam’s first homegrown carmaker. It soon switched fully to electric power, and growth followed quickly. In 2025, the company delivered 196,919 electric vehicles worldwide, more than double its 2024 total and a record for the brand.
At home, its lead is clear. By May 2026, VinFast had been Vietnam’s best-selling car brand for 20 consecutive months. Abroad, the momentum is building too. In India, VinFast became the fourth best-selling EV brand within months of arriving in September 2025, overtaking established names such as Hyundai and Kia. Indeed, it reached that spot with the VF 6 and VF 7, backed by more than 25 dealerships and over 80 service centres. Beyond Asia and the Middle East, the company also sells across North America and Europe.
What does VinFast actually make?
The line-up is broad. For private buyers, VinFast offers a full range of electric SUVs, from the compact VF 3 city car up through the VF 5, VF 6 and VF 7 to the VF 8 and the seven-seat VF 9 flagship. Many of these carry design work from the Italian house Pininfarina, which lends the range a premium feel. In addition, alongside the passenger cars sit a commercial “Green” line for ride-hailing fleets and a Lac Hong ultra-luxury range for Vietnam. The company builds electric scooters and buses as well.
VinFast doesn’t stop at the vehicles either. Its sister companies run a charging network, V-Green, and a large green ride-hailing operation, GreenSM. Together they form an ecosystem meant to make electric ownership simpler. That joined-up approach helps explain the brand’s rapid climb.
Where is VinFast heading next?
Beyond today’s cars, VinFast is investing in software-defined and self-driving vehicles. In 2026, it announced a plan to develop a Level 4 robotaxi platform for the dense traffic of Asian cities. It also signed an agreement with the chipmaker NVIDIA to power that platform with NVIDIA’s Hyperion technology. These moves push VinFast beyond being a conventional carmaker.
The shift is important for buyers as much as investors. Modern VinFast cars already receive over-the-air software updates, much like a smartphone. As a result, the vehicles can improve after purchase, and the company can add features over time.
What does this mean for the UAE and MENA?
The Middle East is central to VinFast’s next phase. It entered the region in Dubai in October 2024, through an exclusive UAE partnership with Al Tayer Motors, and opened its first showroom downtown.
For now, the VF 8 SUV is on sale, and the smaller VF 6 is listed as coming soon. For the model detail, start with our complete VF 8 buyer’s guide for the UAE. You can also see how the car compares with the Tesla Model Y and how it copes with Gulf heat.
The regional ambition runs wider than one country. VinFast has signed dealer partnerships in Qatar and Oman, with further Gulf markets including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain in its plans. It also agreed a deal with Charge&Go to expand public charging in the UAE and offers a market-first ‘At Your Door’ Electric Vehicle (EV) charging service delivered through a strategic collaboration with PlusX Electric, a DEWA-approved EV Charging operator in Dubai.
In May 2026, it added 29 new aftersales partners across international markets, several in the Middle East, to strengthen service and spare-parts support. On top of that, VinFast backs its cars with long warranties, including a 10-year battery guarantee.
Put together, the picture is of a confident, fast-growing conglomerate rather than a risky newcomer. VinFast is still quite early in the UAE, but with corporate muscle behind it, and its widening MENA footprint, the brand clearly intends to make real waves in this market, as it has done elsewhere.
