By Praveen Paramasivam and Chandini Monnappa THOOTHUKUDI, India (Reuters) -Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast began operations at a new plant in India, its first overseas factory, on Monday, and said it hopes to source more parts locally and that it had received orders from Sri Lanka,

Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast Auto Ltd. sees its new India factory as key to entering South Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Asia Chief Executive Officer Pham Sanh Chau said, as it begins a $500 million push to crack the world’s third-biggest car market.