Will Intel continue to invest in Vietnam in the future?

To date, Intel has invested more than 1.5 billion USD in Vietnam and continues to expand its investment by upgrading factories and applying new technology.

Intel factory in Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Park - Photo: DUC THIEN

Vietnam has always been a destination that I look forward to visiting. It is a dynamic country with great potential for development.

Mr. HANS CHUANG (Vice President, General Manager of Sales and Marketing, Intel Asia Pacific and Japan)

Mr. KENNETH TSE - Vice President, General Director of Intel Vietnam Factory - affirmed this when talking to Tuoi Tre . He said: We expect to continue to expand the market as well as increase our contribution to the Vietnamese economy. Intel Vietnam aims to create a sustainable future for both Intel and Vietnam. "We will continue to support Vietnam's high-tech semiconductor projects:.

Adjust strategy but continue to invest

* Will Intel continue to stay and invest in Vietnam in the future?

- Up to now, Intel has invested more than 1.5 billion USD in Vietnam and continues to expand its investment by upgrading factories and applying new technology.

However, given the current global economic environment and the company's internal situation, we are temporarily postponing some investments and adjusting our strategy. But in the long term, Intel still intends to continue investing.

Of course, this decision will depend a lot on market developments, which is normal for any semiconductor company.

* In the strategy for developing Vietnam's semiconductor industry to 2030 and vision to 2050 issued by the Government at the end of 2024, Vietnam will selectively attract FDI investment, forming at least one small-scale semiconductor chip manufacturing plant and 10 semiconductor product packaging and testing plants. How does Intel evaluate this ambition when up to now Vietnam only has one packaging and testing plant, which is owned by Intel?

- In my personal opinion, with experience working in the semiconductor manufacturing sector for 7-10 years and experience operating at factories, I find the ambition of the Vietnamese Government very reasonable.

Of course, this will require a lot of focus, a lot of change, and a lot of collaboration. But overall, I believe that this plan is completely feasible. However, it will be a long journey and it will require cooperation from many parties. Neither the government nor any business can do it alone.

* Will Intel be involved in supporting or contributing to this plan?

- From Intel's perspective, when we first entered Vietnam, the most important thing was human resource development. We cooperated with Arizona State University (USA) as well as local authorities and domestic universities to build a team of specialized personnel.

I think this is an important and necessary first step for the semiconductor industry in Vietnam to develop steadily.

Meanwhile, as a manufacturing facility in Vietnam, we continue to support human resource training through scholarship programs, internships and job opportunities. Looking back since the factory started operating, we have trained about 8,000 - 10,000 engineers and technicians.

In addition, Intel has signed several memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with universities, including Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, to focus on training in artificial intelligence (AI). We are also working with the Ministry of Education and Training to popularize AI and prepare human resources for the future.

In addition, with our global presence, we have the opportunity to learn from other countries and apply best practices. In many cases, we also work with governments to promote policies that support the high-tech industry.

This is an important factor because the semiconductor industry requires large investment capital and policies on business environment and infrastructure will play a very important role in the development of the industry.

Mr. Kennth Tse - Vice President, General Director of Intel Vietnam Factory - Photo: DUC THIEN

* You mentioned the investment environment and investment attraction policies. In your opinion, what should Vietnam improve to attract more large global companies?

- In my observation, Vietnam is doing very well in accessing and attracting investment. Based on our experience, one proposal that I think could be highly effective is to establish a "one-stop-shop" process.

Having a single ministry or representative in charge of assisting investors in handling various infrastructure and industry-related requirements will make the investment process smoother. This is also one of the important factors that helped Intel in the early stages of investing in Vietnam.

* What is your assessment of Vietnam's role and position in the current change in the global semiconductor supply chain?

- I can say that the global supply chain has changed significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic, as industries realize the risks of concentrating too many resources in one area.

I believe Vietnam is in a strong position to take advantage of this shift and we have already begun to see significant movement in that direction.

From Intel’s perspective, we are committed to continuing to develop our domestic supply chain. Previously, many components had to be imported from outside, but we are expanding our supplier network in Vietnam.

In addition, as one of the pioneers in the high-tech industry, we proactively seek ways to promote this development through cooperation with the Government to organize supplier conferences.

This will help us attract suppliers who may be interested in Vietnam and facilitate exchanges between the Government and businesses, creating new opportunities.

Vietnam is a country with a young, dynamic and hard-working workforce, a stable socio-political structure and a government with strong development aspirations. I believe these factors will contribute significantly to Vietnam's role in the changing global supply chain.

4 billion units of products shipped from Intel Vietnam Factory

Since 2010, when the production line officially came into operation, Intel Vietnam Factory has contributed more than 96.2 billion USD to Vietnam's export turnover, accounting for nearly 60% of the total export turnover of Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Park and about 25% of the total export turnover of Ho Chi Minh City.

By the end of 2024, Intel Vietnam Factory had shipped more than 3.9 billion units. It is expected that around April 2025, Intel Vietnam will reach the milestone of 4 billion units shipped.

Intel Vietnam factory is also the largest assembly and testing facility among Intel's four assembly and testing factories globally.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/intel-se-tiep-tuc-gan-bo-va-dau-tu-vao-viet-nam-thoi-gian-toi-20250217224755819.htm