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| A visitor at the exhibition (Photo: VNA) |
The exhibition, which runs until November 19, introduces 25 works by Korean artists who captured the unique culture and beautiful life in the RoK with the use of materials such as lacquer on wood, lacquer on paper, watercolors, oil paintings, ceramic sculptures, terracotta, and metal.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese artists bring to the exhibition 20 works including lacquer paintings, ink paintings, wood carvings, ceramic sculptures, and bronze sculptures.
Speaking at the opening ceremony on November 15, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association Mai Thi Ngoc Oanh emphasised that the exhibition is an opportunity for Korean and Vietnamese artists to exchange, enhance their understanding of fine arts between the two cultures, as well as promote the solidarity and friendship between the two countries and their artists.
Director of the Korean Cultural Centre in Vietnam Choi Seung-jin highlighted the thriving bilateral relations since the two countries established the comprehensive strategic partnership on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in 2022.
He held that culture makes Vietnam and the RoK closer and closer. The two countries are currently continuing to exchange and cooperate in a variety of fields in culture and arts, including arts, performances, traditions, cuisine, languages, cinema and popular culture.
This art exchange exhibition is an opportunity to bring people of the two countries closer together, and deepen mutual understanding, he said.
Vietnam to become new market for global tech giants in semiconductor industry
Vietnam is likely to become a key market attracting major players in the semiconductor industry, especially following Donald Trump’s landslide victory in the recent US presidential election, said Radio the Voice of Vietnam.
Amid rising trade tensions between the US and China and geopolitical uncertainties elsewhere globally, many leading semiconductor manufacturers are considering shifting their production locations to more stable countries, and Vietnam is emerging as one of the top choices for undertaking semiconductor manufacturing projects.
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| Vietnam is likely to become a key market attracting major players in the semiconductor industry - illustration photo (Source: VOV) |
Indeed, Vietnam is becoming an attractive destination for major companies in the semiconductor industry. With low labour costs, a strategic geographic location in Asia, and supportive investment incentives from the government, the country is drawing the attention of top technology corporations like Intel, Samsung, and NVIDIA.
Additionally, the increasing demand for technology and consumer electronics is driving investors to seek opportunities in this market. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies are looking to diversify their supply chains to reduce risks, and Vietnam has become an appealing option in this context.
Vietnam is benefiting from the relocation of major electronics manufacturing plants from China, such as Foxconn, Samsung, and LG. This shift is driven by companies seeking more stable production environments amid global supply chain disruptions and increasing trade tensions, says Do Duc Hau, general director of Advantech Vietnam.
According to the executive, the supply chain has been reshaped into a 2.0 model, which includes the formation of eight new manufacturing regions. Southeast Asia is one of the key areas where companies are investing to establish new production hubs, with Vietnam being a preferred investment location for many major players in the semiconductor industry.
A recent Reuters report reveals several large companies are testing their production capabilities in Vietnam, especially as the government is investing in chip manufacturing infrastructure through military-run telecom group Viettel, with plans for operations to begin by 2030.
To achieve broader goals, the government is working to create an attractive business environment for chip manufacturers, offering various advantages. Concurrently, it is establishing comprehensive strategic partnerships with semiconductor powerhouses like the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea to facilitate investment from companies in these economies into Vietnam.
This is a unique opportunity for Vietnam to develop its semiconductor industry, leveraging these partnerships and favorable conditions to position itself as a competitive player in the global market, says Hau.
Furthermore, Vietnam has a rich and experienced labour force in the semiconductor sector, along with industrial infrastructure that meets the demands for chip production, assembly, and packaging.
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| Vietnam has formulated an ambitious plan for the development of the semiconductor industry (Photo: VOV) |
The country’s semiconductor industry has actually been developing for more than 20 years, benefiting from a strong STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) resource base. Currently, there are about 40-50 companies operating in chip designing in Vietnam. The ecosystem includes more than 5,000 design engineers, who will be essential for future expansion in this field.
Despite having some semiconductor manufacturing facilities, the supply chain in the industry is yet to be fully developed in Vietnam. Many materials and components still need to be imported from abroad. The country faces challenges in developing advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology and investing in research and development that limit the industry’s ability to compete directly with more developed countries.
Although there are efforts to train engineers and experts in the semiconductor field, there remains a shortage of highly skilled and experienced personnel.
The government has recently approved the program “Developing Human Resources for the Semiconductor Industry by 2030, with a Vision for 2050.” By 2030, Vietnam aims to train and develop a high-quality workforce in the semiconductor industry, focusing on semiconductor chip design, packaging, and testing. The goal is to gradually master technology in semiconductor manufacturing, training at least 50,000 university-level professionals to support all stages of the semiconductor value chain.
By 2050, Vietnam aspires to have a strong workforce integrated into the global semiconductor value chain, capable of meeting the quality and quantity demands necessary for the growth of the semiconductor industry in Vietnam.
The solid foundation in human resources positions Vietnam well to enhance its capabilities in semiconductor design and production, enabling the country to attract more investment and expertise as the industry continues to grow.
Bac Ninh, East Kazakhstan boost cooperation
A delegation from the northern province of Bac Ninh led by member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyen Anh Tuan met with leaders of East Kazakhstan region, Kazakhstan, on November 15 to promote cooperation between the two localities, said the Vietnam News Agency.
The meeting was part of the working trip to to Kazakhstan from November 13-16 by a delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam led by Nguyen Xuan Thang, Politburo member, Chairman of the Central Theory Council and President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA).
At the meeting, a memorandum of understanding on establishing a twinning relationship between the two localities was signed by Vice Chairman of the Bac Ninh provincial People's Committee Le Xuan Loi and Governor of East Kazakhstan region Yermek Kosherbayev.
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| Representatives from Bac Ninh province and East Kazakhstan region sign a memorandum of understanding on establishing a twinning relationship between the two localities. (Photo: VNA) |
At the meeting, Tuan highlighted a new step of development in the Vietnam-Kazakhstan relations following the official visit to Vietnam by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in August last year, during which the President visited Bac Ninh province and highly valued potential for bilateral cooperation. After that, the two sides discussed, and reached agreement on relevant contents, and completed the content of the MoU for signing at this time.
Tuan said that he believes the signing of the MoU will open up cooperation in various fields, and contribute to the development of both countries.
With advantages on industrial zones, industrial production, agriculture, foreign investment attraction and Vietnam – Kazakhstan direct flights, the two localities will further promote cultural and tourism exchanges, carry out local promotional activities, thereby luring more tourists from the East Kazakhstan region in particular and Kazakhstan in general to Bac Ninh and Vietnam, and vice versa, Tuan said.
For his part, Governor Kosherbayev agreed with the necessity to realise the policy of expanding and strengthening bilateral cooperation agreed during the Kazakh President's Vietnam visit, matching the sound political relations between the two countries.
Education, culture, trade, investment and tourism are first areas that the two countries eyes to promote cooperation, he said.
The governor showed his interest in cooperation in high technology, saying that it is possible to consider the establishment of industrial zones for processing products and exporting them to third countries, as well as launching a joint venture for wool processing.
Earlier, while staying in Astana capital, the Bac Ninh delegation attended working sessions with presentatives of Kazakhstan’s ruling party Amanat, a workshop on bilateral relations on the occasion of 65 years of President Ho Chi Minh's visit to Kazakhstan (July 1959) held at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan (KISI). The delegation presented the institute with a bronze bust of President Ho Chi Minh.
Vietnam sees opportunities to attract investments in electronics support industries
As an investment attraction of numerous leading technology corporations, Vietnam sees many opportunities to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) into electronic components manufacturing, the Vietnam News Agency reported.
Attracting investment in the electronics industry can help domestic enterprises participate in the global supply chain.
The country's electronics industry spans many areas such as component manufacturing, processing and product assembly.
The increase in the number of projects and investment capital in component manufacturing shows the great potential of this market.
A Chinese investor that recently invested more than 100 million USD in electronic component production in Vietnam told Xay Dung (Construction) Newspaper that the reason it chose Vietnam is the country’s increasingly improving investment environment and quality labour force.
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| Vietnam sees many opportunities to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) into electronic components manufacturing. (Photo: VNA) |
The most important factor for electronic component manufacturing enterprises to choose Vietnam is that it has been attracting a series of electronic enterprises such as Samsung, Apple, LG, and Intel.
Accordingly, Vietnam's electronic support industry can be a production hub in Asia.Among the items with export turnover of over 10 billion USD, phones and electronic components account for a large proportion.
The mobile phone market in Vietnam is growing strongly, with Apple recording impressive success.Apple’s major partners like Foxconn, Luxshare and GoerTek are expanding their production in Vietnam.
Foxconn has invested 1.5 billion USD and will continue to invest another 300 million USD in a new factory in the northern province of Bac Giang. Luxshare currently has six factories with about 40,000 employees, while Pegatron is expanding its project with a total investment of about 481 million USD in the northern city of Hai Phong.
Despite achievements in FDI attraction, the domestic electronics industry still depends heavily on FDI enterprises.Vietnam imports about 50 billion USD worth of electronic components every year, while the ability of domestic enterprises to participate in the global value chain is limited.
The localisation rate of the electronics industry remains low, with many products being mainly imported.Do Thi Thuy Huong, Executive Board Member of the Vietnam Electronics Industries Association (VEIA), said that domestic enterprises mainly supply products with low technological value.
To enhance the capacity of domestic enterprises, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has implemented many international cooperation programmes to support domestic suppliers.
The ministry has also cooperated with large corporations such as Samsung and Toyota to enhance the capacity of the domestic supporting industry. These programmes include training consultants and technical support to improve production at Vietnamese enterprises./.