Vietnam has all the elements to rise in the semiconductor field.

In his speech at the 5th National Forum on Developing Vietnamese Digital Technology Enterprises recently held in Quang Ninh, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung pointed out: 2024 will be the year of commercialization and development of 5G nationwide to create infrastructure for industrial applications; the year of narrow AI development, creating AI applications for each field; and also the first year that Vietnam implements the National Strategy on Semiconductor Industry Development.

According to the Minister, the semiconductor industry is not only a foundation industry, but also a key national industry in the next 30-50 years. Developing semiconductor technology is also an opportunity for Vietnam to rebuild its domestic electronics industry, especially when this industry is entering a transition phase to AI electronic devices and IoT devices.

Sharing the perspective of a Vietnamese technology corporation participating in the semiconductor field, in the presentation "FPT - from power chips to semiconductor dreams" selected to be presented at the main session of the forum, FPT General Director Nguyen Van Khoa, Chairman of the Vietnam Software and IT Enterprises Association - VINASA emphasized the special importance of semiconductor chips.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Khoa, semiconductor chips function as the 'blood vessels' of the economy because electronic devices contain chips. The development of semiconductor chips must be closely linked to the electronics industry. And the rapidly growing electronics industry is the output for chips.

In Vietnam, last year, electronics, computers and components exports ranked second among eight product groups with a turnover of over 10 billion USD. Since the beginning of 2023, major electronics companies such as Samsung, LG, Foxconn... have invested in building high-tech electronic product manufacturing facilities in Vietnam.

Countries are promoting bilateral and multilateral economic ties with Vietnam as well as ratifying new-generation free trade agreements CPTPP and EVFTA... to facilitate e-commerce and investment.

Besides, Vietnam is in the process of promoting digital transformation. The Prime Minister approved the National Digital Transformation Program to 2025, with a vision to 2030.“Digital transformation needs to go hand in hand: Developing hardware and software, mastering core technologies including semiconductor chips”,Mr. Nguyen Van Khoa expressed his opinion.

Assessing that Vietnam has all the advantages to seize opportunities and rise in the semiconductor sector, Mr. Nguyen Van Khoa analyzed: Open foreign policy helps our country gain an important position. Vietnam has signed comprehensive cooperation agreements with many countries in the world and has emerged as a bright spot attracting investment. In terms of geopolitics, Vietnam is the center of Southeast Asia, the position of the "gateway" to the world is a rare resource.

In addition, Vietnamese people like to study math, science, and technology. These are suitable qualities for semiconductor development. In particular, the Government pays great attention to the semiconductor sector and has a policy of training 50,000 personnel.

From the above analysis, FPT leaders pointed out that Vietnamese technology enterprises have all the factors to develop the semiconductor field, including: Output - large market; Human resources - young, abundant human resources with good mathematical thinking foundation; Cooperation opportunities - Countries are considering Vietnam as a new destination for semiconductors, enterprises have the opportunity to cooperate with reputable research, training and business units in this field.

With the question “Where should Vietnam focus?”, Mr. Nguyen Van Khoa proposed a development roadmap in 3 stages: Short term - design, packaging, testing; Medium term - production; Long term - mastering core technology. In particular, Vietnam should focus on the fields of telecommunications, electric vehicles, computing, energy and aim to put AI into every chip.

Along with sharing about the 10-year journey of chip research and production to produce the first chip line in September last year, FPT General Director Nguyen Van Khoa also said that in the coming time, FPT will contribute to developing semiconductor human resources, specifically training 10,000 employees in semiconductor chips. "We also hope that Vietnamese IT enterprises will invest and cooperate to promote the policy of making chips, together committing to creating new miracles," Mr. Nguyen Van Khoa shared.

Mr. Nguyen Van Khoa also informed that in the near future, VINASA will organize a number of seminars and talks to create a forum for businesses to share and exchange. Thereby, calling on businesses to invest, research and participate in the semiconductor field, with the expectation that Vietnamese digital technology businesses will join hands to bring chips - Made in Vietnam products to the world.