Yongin Mayor Lee Sang-il Visits Vietnam Semiconductor R&D Center to Discuss Cooperation
[News S=Reporter Cheon Ui-hyun] On the 5th (local time), Yongin Special City Mayor Lee Sang-il visited the FPT High-Tech Semiconductor Research and Development (R&D) Center to examine Vietnam's semiconductor industry ecosystem and explore cooperation plans with Yongin, where the world's largest semiconductor project is underway.
Mayor Lee visited the FPT High-Tech Semiconductor R&D Center located in Da Nang's Second Software Park and met with FPT Group officials including Nguyen Cao Thain, site manager of FPT Semiconductor.
The roundtable discussion with FPT Group officials was attended by Mayor Lee Sang-il, City Council Chairman Jang Jeong-soon, City Council Committee Chair Shin Na-yeon, and City Councilor Kang Young-woong, among other city and city council representatives.
The FPT High-Tech Semiconductor R&D Center is a research institute of FPT Group, Vietnam's largest information and communication technology (ICT) enterprise.
FPT Group established FPT Semiconductor, a semiconductor design specialist (fabless company), in 2022 and established a research institute in Da Nang's Second Software Park, an advanced industry cluster, in March last year.
The mayor received explanations on FPT Group and Da Nang City's semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) promotion strategies at the roundtable discussion and inspected relevant facilities.
The mayor also visited the 'Da Nang Semiconductor and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center' (DSAC) under Vietnam's Ministry of Science and Technology, located within Da Nang's Second Software Park, and listened to explanations about Vietnam's advanced industry strategy.
The mayor then moved to the FPT Software Complex, where approximately 7,000 employees work, and received explanations about FPT Group's ICT technological capabilities while touring the facilities. FPT has constructed employee residential complexes with four buildings in the area and operates elementary, middle, and high schools as well as a university.
Mayor Lee Sang-il stated, "FPT Group is the largest and fastest-growing company in Vietnam's ICT sector, and I heard they are actively seeking cooperation with Korean companies," and added, "Yongin is home to Samsung Electronics' Giheung Campus, which produced Korea's first semiconductors 43 years ago. In Yongin, six Samsung Electronics semiconductor fabs and four SK Hynix fabs, for a total of 10 fabs, will be established, and many semiconductor materials, parts, and equipment companies will also move in. I believe the opportunities for FPT Group to cooperate with Yongin companies will expand."
The mayor said, "I understand FPT is planning to make significant investments in semiconductor chip testing and packaging fields. I hope they will cooperate with semiconductor-related companies in Yongin, and Yongin City will do its best to support such cooperation."
FPT Group CEO Nguyen Van Khoa and 10 other executives visited Yongin on March 21 last year and met with Vice Mayor Ryu Kwang-yeol and other city officials at the Yongin City Hall video conference room to discuss cooperation plans with companies in the Yongin area.
On the 4th (local time), Mayor Lee Sang-il met with Consul General Han Jeong-il at the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Da Nang to discuss ways to expand exchanges and cooperation.
The meeting was attended by Mayor Lee Sang-il, City Council Chairman Jang Jeong-soon, City Council Committee Chair Shin Na-yeon, City Councilor Kang Young-woong, Consul General Han, Senior Consul Oh Jung-taek, Consul Yoon Hye-won, and Da Nang Trade Manager Cho Joo-yeon of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).
The mayor asked the consul general for the consulate general's support and attention so that the two cities can achieve cooperation outcomes.
Mayor Lee said, "Yongin Special City has supported the construction of the 'Quang Phu Yongin Public Digital Library' in Tam Ky, Quang Nam Province through an official development assistance (ODA) project," and added, "Following Vietnam's administrative reorganization last year, when Quang Nam Province was incorporated into Da Nang City, we signed a friendship agreement with Da Nang City in January of this year to maintain our relationship."
The mayor stated, "Since Da Nang is a key hub city in central Vietnam, I hope the consulate general will provide significant support in strengthening exchanges and cooperation between Yongin Special City and Da Nang City."
Consul General Han said, "Da Nang City currently has great interest in attracting companies, so there will likely be considerable exchanges with Yongin Special City," and added, "The consulate general will actively serve as a bridge to facilitate active exchanges between Yongin Special City and Da Nang City."