Hanoi (VNA) - The Vietnamese Government wants Samsung to remain a critical bridge and partner in enhancing technological capability, building industries and integrating deeper into global value chains, said Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.
At a reception in Hanoi on August 27 for CEO of Samsung Electronics Roh Tae-moon, PM Hung hailed Samsung’s substantive contributions to Vietnam’s industry, manufacturing, exports, job creation and socio-economic development over the past years, saying that Vietnam has gradually become one of Samsung’s leading major production bases in its global value chain.
He noted that Vietnam is entering a new growth phase requiring faster and more sustainable growth, a shift in growth model, economic restructuring, and productivity gains driven by science and technology, innovation and digital transformation. In this context, foreign investors, including Korean companies, are an important part of the economy.
Vietnam’s new foreign investment strategy prioritises projects with high technology, high added value, strong spillovers and links to domestic firms. Under the Politburo’s Resolution 10-NQ/TW, the focus is shifting from capital attraction to strategic investment foundations and from standalone projects to industry clusters, value chains and innovation ecosystems, PM Hung noted.
Vietnam wants to bolster cooperation with the Republic of Korea (RoK) in high-tech sectors, particularly semiconductors, artificial intelligence, data centres, R&D, innovation and digital transformation, he said.
PM Hung stressed that the Vietnamese Government is committed to ensuring policy stability, improving the business climate, guaranteeing openness, transparency, fair competition and protection of foreign investors’ legitimate rights and interests. It is ready to offer all possible support to strategic investors such as Samsung and will consider appropriate incentives for its strategic and hi-tech projects under Vietnamese law, he added.
The leader asked Samsung to continue placing its trust in Vietnam and treating Vietnam as a long-term investment, production and trade destination and pursue higher-quality, higher-impact projects. He called for closer coordination with the Government and local firms to unlock the two economies’ complementary potentials and strengths.
PM Hung said he wants Samsung to expand investment and improve operational quality, turning Vietnam from a production base into a technology, R&D and innovation hub.
The PM called for higher technology and innovation content, moving beyond factory expansion to more R&D, university and research partnerships, engineer training and technology transfer. Vietnam seeks not only capital, but also technology, knowledge, management expertise and new growth drivers, he said.
At the same time, the leader called on Samsung to deepen ties with Vietnamese companies, develop local suppliers, raise their technological and management standards, boost procurement of domestic goods and services, and open its production and supply chains in Vietnam, the RoK and globally.
Roh, for his part, congratulated Vietnam on its National Day and the national men’s football team on a second straight ASEAN Hyundai Cup title.
Citing shared history, culture and people-to-people ties, Roh said he expects the bilateral relations to deepen and believed that Vietnam will achieve sustainable growth and innovation.
He revealed that Samsung’s mobile phone plants in Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen provinces reached 500 billion USD in cumulative exports by the end of June, 17 years after production began in April 2009. The Galaxy Fold 8, launched in early August, has been welcomed in global markets, and Samsung expects double-digit growth through year-end. Its cumulative investment in Vietnam hit 24 billion USD at the end of last year.
The CEO attributed the gains to Samsung’s efforts and sustained support from the Vietnamese Party, State, Government, ministries, agencies and localities in clearing obstacles.
Roh said Samsung strongly supports Vietnam’s new foreign investment orientations and sees the country not merely as a production base but as a strategic partner for R&D and high technology.
He said Samsung will continue expanding R&D investment in high-tech areas and support training of Vietnam’s technology workforce. The company is working with the Ministry of Industry and Trade on schemes to bring Vietnamese firms deeper into its global supply chain, he said.
Roh told his host that Samsung’s R&D centre in Hanoi is expanding cooperation with Vietnamese universities and investing more in technology capability and talent development. Samsung will continue to contribute to R&D, talent development and the competitiveness of Vietnamese enterprises.
He emphasised that Vietnam’s development is also Samsung’s development, while Samsung’s success is likewise Vietnam’s success, and affirmed that Samsung will continue to stand alongside Vietnam as the country’s most trusted partner./.
