VinFast, a fledgling Vietnamese automaker, has been grabbing headlines with plans to start selling electric SUVs in the U.S. by the end of the year—the two-row 2023 VinFast VF 8 and the larger three-row 2023 VinFast VF 9. Both were on display at the 2022 New York International Auto Show. The company also recently announced plans to build a vehicle assembly and battery plant in North Carolina with production slated to begin by July 2024, and it has filed paperwork for an initial public offering in the U.S.

What is VinFast and is it for real? We spent the better part of a week in Vietnam with VinFast and its parent, the Vingroup, for greater insight into this newcomer on the automotive landscape, with the goal of answering that very question.

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