The opening marks the end of a project Pandora announced in 2022 to strengthen production capacity and supply-chain resilience. Construction began in May 2024, and the site is described as the world's largest jewellery manufacturing facility.
The new $USD150 million ($AUD214 million) factory in Ho Chi Minh City will increase Pandora’s manufacturing capacity by 50 per cent, enabling it to produce up to 60 million jewellery pieces annually. Once fully operational, the facility is estimated to create 7,000 local jobs.
The company will offer specialised training through its crafting academy, focusing on production skills and career development. Pandora’s CEO Berta de Pablos-Barbier said this was an important step forward for the company.
“With the opening of our Vietnam facility, we begin an important new chapter for Pandora,” she said.
“We are building on decades of exceptional craftsmanship in Thailand, bringing that expertise together with new talent and capabilities in Vietnam.”
The shift to Vietnam is significant in the company's history, which has otherwise been tied to Thailand for nearly half a century. Danish goldsmith Per Enevoldsen and his then-wife Winnie Liljeborg started a jewellery business in Copenhagen in 1979, importing jewellery from Thailand.
In 1982, the couple opened a jewellery store, originally called Populair Smykker (Popular Jewellery), while continuing to travel to Thailand to import products. Their focus gradually shifted towards wholesale distribution, and Enevoldsen closed the store in 1987.
He began designing jewellery for wholesale distribution, and two years later manufacturing was entirely relocated to Thailand. In 2000, Pandora launched its iconic charm bracelet.
The factory officially opened on 1 October. Pandora executives, Vietnamese authorities, and the Danish ambassador to Vietnam attended the event.
Watch Video
More reading
Pandora announces collection expansion amid legal headache
Modest sales boost for Pandora amid course correction
End of the line for “Mr Pandora”, Jesper Kasi Nielsen?
Industry Hijacked: Who gave Pandora the right to rewrite?
Pandora, Natural Diamond Council feud over ‘misleading’ campaign