Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (R) receives Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics Lee Jae-yong. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam will create optimal conditions for Samsung Electronics to invest in high technology projects, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said on Tuesday.

He made the pledge while hosting a reception in Hà Nội for Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics Lee Jae-yong, who is on a visit to Việt Nam.

At the reception, the Vietnamese PM noted that Samsung’s commitments made at their previous meeting during his visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) last November have been effectively carried out, especially the start of construction of Samsung’s largest research and development (R&D) centre in Southeast Asia in Hà Nội this March.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the RoK’s conglomerate still maintains production and continues contributing to Việt Nam’s development, he added.

Phúc informed his guest that the Vietnamese Government has allowed Samsung’s affiliate in HCM City to transform into a for-export processing firm in HCM City’s Saigon Hi-Tech Park as per the request of the municipal People’s Committee, paving the way for the company to expand its scale in Việt Nam and raise its global competitiveness.

Noting Samsung’s strengths in mobile phones, semiconductors and electronic appliances, with its mobile phones and electronic appliances manufacturing activities already thriving in Việt Nam, the PM voiced his hope that Samsung will invest in semiconductor production in Việt Nam in the near future.

Noting that the domestication rate of Samsung products has been rising, Phúc urged the conglomerate to further help Vietnamese supporting enterprises take part in Samsung’s supply chain and R&D activities in Việt Nam.

For his part, Lee Jae-yong expressed his gratitude to Việt Nam for facilitating the entry of over 3,000 Samsung engineers and experts for smooth operations of its plants in the country.

He vowed that the Hà Nội-based R&D centre will be operational by late 2022 as scheduled and will create jobs for 3,000 engineers, making it the main R&D stronghold of Samsung.

In addition to manufacturing, the conglomerate is teaming up with Vietnamese businesses in software development, he remarked.

Việt Nam is currently Samsung’s largest manufacturing base abroad and the company is also the leading FDI investor in the country. — VNS