At the opening ceremony of SEMI EXPO Vietnam 2025 on November 7, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung shared Vietnam’s long-term determination to develop the semiconductor industry into one of the pillars of the digital, knowledge-based, and green economy.

The national strategy for Vietnam’s semiconductor industry to 2030, with a vision toward 2050, aims to develop the full value chain, from research, design, packaging and testing to manufacturing, while establishing specialized talent and innovation centers for semiconductors.

Dung emphasized: “Vietnam has sufficient conditions and internal strength to gradually enhance its position in the global semiconductor supply chain.” He pointed out Vietnam’s advantages, including a stable political system, strong macroeconomic environment, favorable geopolitical location, and a large labor force with competitive costs, especially in engineering and technology.

At the event, Dung called on international partners to “support Vietnamese enterprises in the process of building the first semiconductor chip factory through the provision of equipment, technical assistance, workforce training, technology transfer, and sharing of experience in operating an internationally standardized production line to ensure the effectiveness of project implementation.”

Deputy Minister of Finance Nguyen Duc Tam added that Vietnam currently has over 50 IC design companies with around 7,000 engineers, along with 15 companies and more than 10,000 technicians working in packaging, testing, and manufacturing of semiconductor equipment and materials. 

Global major corporations such as Samsung, Intel, Amkor, Foxconn, and Hana Micron continue to expand production in Vietnam, while leading global technology firms including NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Coherent, and Marvell have chosen Vietnam as a hub for chip research and development.

“These achievements demonstrate the confidence of global investors and reflect Vietnam’s strategic progress in the journey of ‘leapfrogging’, i.e developing through knowledge, innovation, and international cooperation,” the deputy minister said.

Focus on local capabilities

On the sidelines of the event, Clark Tseng, vice president of SEMI, assessed that Vietnam has strong capabilities in electronics assembly and manufacturing, especially in products such as smartphones and electric vehicles. 

He said these are two high-potential sectors, and noted that consumer electronic chips, whether for domestic or export markets, are in strong demand.

“These types of chips often rely on mature technologies, so investment costs are relatively manageable. This could be a direction that Vietnam should follow,” the expert said.

He noted that each country in the region could find its own niche within the semiconductor supply chain, and Vietnam should choose segments that align with its existing capabilities. 

With a strong workforce, competitive costs, and experience in electronics, developing design, packaging, and testing capabilities for consumer electronic chips is seen as a “suitable” and effective path.

To seize opportunities, Vietnam needs to continue investing in infrastructure, energy, logistics, and especially in high-tech human resources. 

“Human resources are one of Vietnam’s strengths. The challenge is how to retain talent. Retaining high-quality personnel is the key factor,” he said.

He also observed that Vietnam has a stable political and policy environment and numerous free trade agreements with other countries, which can be seen as a major advantage in attracting investment and building new production facilities.

The Ministry of Finance is directing the National Innovation Center (NIC) to work with enterprises, institutes, universities, and international organizations to promote public–private partnerships and strengthen connections between the government, academia, and business. 

According to Vo Xuan Hoai, deputy director of NIC, Vietnam is collaborating with Samsung and corporations such as Amkor to prioritize development in advanced packaging and testing technologies.

“This is one of the most important stages with high added value in the semiconductor industry. Vietnam is also oriented toward establishing domestic chip manufacturing plants, showing steady progress from design, packaging, and testing to future fabrication,” Vo Xuan Hoai said.

In Vietnam, the demand for workers in the semiconductor industry is rapidly increasing. The country aims to train at least 50,000 professionals with university-level education or higher, including a minimum of 42,000 engineers and bachelor’s degree holders, at least 7,500 master’s degree holders, and 500 doctoral researchers.

The SEMI EXPO Vietnam 2025 event, with a series of seminars, forums, and supply chain connection activities, is considered proof of Vietnam’s efforts to expand international cooperation and affirm its position on the global semiconductor map.

Du Lam