Path Transplantation in Cross-border Production of Electronics Transnational Corporations in Vietnam: Divergent Practices of Developing Industrial Parks

Since early 2010s, there emerges a rapidly growing body of literature on path creation of regional development mainly from the Evolutionary Economic Geography (EEG) perspective. Recent studies reflect upon increasing interests in multi-scalar and multi-actor approaches to explain why regions differ from each other in nurturing new paths. Drawing upon this line of conceptual development, this study attempts to enrich the literature by examining divergent path transplantation in the process of cross-border investment engaged by various tiers of transnational corporations (TNCs) in the global electronics production networks, particularly from Korea, Taiwan and Mainland China in Vietnam since the late 2000s. Based on intensive field investigation and in-depth interviews during the period of Mar. 2016 and Feb. 2018, this study explores and compares different practices of TNCs in developing industrial parks by LG, Foxconn and China-base suppliers in Northern Vietnam. It argues that the divergent path transplantation in cross-border investment has been attributed to distinctive extra-firm strategies during the negotiations with multi-scalar governments and salient institutions in Vietnam. The findings of the study are helpful for advancing the literature on path transplantation in EEG approach with connections to insights from the Global Production Networks and geographical political economy perspectives.