Vietnam to train up to 50,000 semiconductor engineers

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered four government bodies to collaborate to train 30,000-50,000 engineers and 100 experts in digital transformation and manufacturing semiconductors.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered four government bodies to collaborate to train 30,000-50,000 engineers and 100 experts in digital transformation and manufacturing semiconductors.

In a meeting on Saturday, he tasked the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Education and Training, and Ministry of Science and Technology with realizing this goal.

Chinh has called government bodies and foreign companies to help Vietnam produce semiconductors.

Last year, at the launch of Samsung’s first research and development center in Vietnam, he asked the company to quickly prepare all necessary criteria to test manufacturing semiconductors and aim to mass produce them starting from July at Samsung’s factory in the northern province of Thai Nguyen.

In April this year the PM tasked the Ministry of Planning and Investment with completing a national center for innovation and establishing a program for semiconductor manufacturing.

Last month, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said her country is willing to assist Vietnam in producing semiconductors.

Several Vietnamese companies have made moves research and develop semiconductors.

State-owned telecommunications giant Viettel in August last year asked the government’s permission to research, design and manufacture semiconductors for domestic needs and exports.

A unit of tech giant FPT in September last year launched its first semiconductors designed for medical use.

Stevel Long, Intel general manager of Asia-Pacific and Japan, told VnExpress last year that Vietnam has the capacity to establish infrastructure and policies to support semiconductor manufacturing.

But he also said that it is a long and costly process.

Electronics and semiconductor account for around one-third of Vietnam’s exports, but most of them are produced by foreign direct investment companies.

Samsung, LG, Intel, Apple’s suppliers and Xiaomi all have factories or research centers in Vietnam.