Samsung starts construction of new R&D centre in Vietnam

As the very first Samsung R&D centre outside its home market, the Hanoi facility is the culmination of Samsung's investment in Vietnam

Samsung's establishment of the Vietnam R&D centre proceeded quickly after it was discussed as a key agenda in October 2018 and November 2019, when Prime Ministre Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Jay Y. Lee, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, had meetings in Hanoi and Seoul.

With the total investment of $220 million, the new R&D centre of Samsung Vietnam will be built on 11,603 square metres of land, with 79,511sq.m floor area. The building is designed with 16 stories above ground and three stories below ground, and is expected to be completed in late 2022.

Besides being equipped with advanced research facilities for mobile and network, the new R&D centre of Samsung Vietnam will be set up with a creative and friendly working environment featuring fitness facilities, club rooms, an in-house restaurant, and a rooftop garden, among others.

When the facility opens its gates, the number of employees of Samsung Vietnam Mobile R&D Centre (SVMC), will increase to 3,000 from the current 2,200.

This is the first time Samsung Electronics build a building specifically for R&D activities overseas. It will also be the largest R&D centre raised by a foreign-invested enterprise in Vietnam.

Via the construction of this centre, Samsung endeavours to help Vietnamese engineers enhance their R&D capacity in terms of not only product technology but also high-technology such as AI, IoT, big data, and 5G , which will create a foundation for Vietnam to boldly step ahead into the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Choi Joo Ho, president of Samsung Vietnam, shared, "The construction of the new R&D Centre in Vietnam is a strategic investment and a new step forward in Samsung's investment history in Vietnam. This will be the site that will help us fulfil our promise of developing Vietnam's science and technology through nurturing excellent engineers in the field of high-technology."

Currently, the total investment of Samsung Group in Vietnam is more than $17 billion, of which Samsung Electronics accounts for $9.5 billion with its first mobile phone factory in Bac Ninh province in 2008, followed by the second factory in Thai Nguyen province, then a production complex for televisions and home appliances in Ho Chi Minh City, as well as the new R&D centre in Hanoi.

The new R&D centre in Hanoi is the culmination of Samsung's investment in Vietnam, which has been growing steadily over the past 12 years, making Vietnam not only a large-scale production base for Samsung but also an important strategic base in R&D.