[HO CHI MINH CITY] The Vietnamese government has just approved a national programme to realise its goal of training 50,000 semiconductor engineers and workers with bachelor’s degrees by the end of this decade.
The programme, effective from Sep 21, is one of several measures being developed by the South-east Asian country to further participate in global chip supply chains, which have become increasingly diversified amid the intense China-US tech war.
The state will provide funding to assist in the investment, construction, upgrade and modernisation of four national semiconductor laboratories by 2030. The shared facilities are located at the Vietnam National Innovation Centre and universities in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang – the three tech hubs of the country.
About 18 public universities will also be financially supported to develop local labs across the nation within the next six years.
Vietnam’s government will also offer grants for semiconductor-related research projects, as well as provide financial support for the specialised training of instructors in the chip sector.
Specific mechanisms and policies will be developed to attract domestic talent, overseas Vietnamese, and international experts in the semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) industries to work in Vietnam, including scholarships and tuition waivers for students, competitive salaries and personal income tax incentives for professionals, and long-term work visa support for foreigners.
Friday, 8.30 am
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In a document from the country’s investment ministry reviewed by The Business Times, Vietnam is expected to house about 10 packaging, assembly and testing factories, and 15 equipment-producing plants for the semiconductor industry by 2030, requiring a supply of 30,000 engineers.
The country could also see its semiconductor ecosystem expand, with 100 fabless companies employing around 13,500 chip-design engineers by 2030.
Another 6,500 Vietnamese engineers are expected to be sent to work overseas,