Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam willcreate optimal conditions for Samsung Electronics to invest in high technologyprojects, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said on October 20.
He made the pledge while hosting areception in Hanoi for Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics Lee Jae-yong, whois on a visit to Vietnam.
At the reception, the Vietnamese PM notedthat Samsung’s commitments made at their previous meeting during his visit tothe Republic of Korea (RoK) last November have been effectively carried out,especially the start of construction of Samsung’s largest research anddevelopment (R&D) centre in Southeast Asia in Hanoi this March.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the RoK’s conglomeratestill maintains production and continues contributing to Vietnam’s development,he added.
Phuc informed his guest that the VietnameseGovernment has allowed Samsung’s affiliate in Ho Chi Minh City to transform intoa for-export processing firm in the HCM City’s Saigon Hi-Tech Park per requestof the municipal People’s Committee, paving the way for the company to expandits scale in Vietnam and raise its global competitiveness.
Noting Samsung’s strengths in mobile phones,semiconductors and electronic appliances, with its mobile phones and electronicappliances manufacturing activities already thriving in Vietnam, the PM voicedhis hope that Samsung will invest in semiconductor production in Vietnam in thenear future.
Noting that the domestication rate ofSamsung products has been rising, Phuc urged the conglomerate to further help Vietnamesesupporting enterprises to take part in Samsung’s supply chain and R&Dactivities in Vietnam.
For his part, Lee Jae-yong expressed hisgratitude to Vietnam for facilitating the entry of over 3,000 Samsung engineersand experts for smooth operations of its plants in the country.
He vowed that the Hanoi-based R&Dcentre will be operational by late 2022 as scheduled and will create jobs for3,000 engineers, making it the main R&D stronghold of Samsung.
In addition to manufacturing, theconglomerate is teaming up with Vietnamese businesses in software development,he remarked.
Vietnam is currently Samsung’s largestmanufacturing base abroad and the company is also the leading FDI investor inthe country./.