"$50 Billion in Smartphone Exports Over 17 Years"... Why Samsung's Roh Tae-moon Returned to This Country After Just 3 Months

HANOI, Vietnam — Kim Joon-seok, correspondent] Roh Tae-moon, head of Samsung Electronics' Device eXperience (DX) Division, returned to Vietnam just three months after his last visit. Samsung Electronics has now reached cumulative exports of $50 billion from Vietnam, 17 years after it began smartphone production there. Against that backdrop, Roh outlined a plan to expand Samsung's business in Vietnam from manufacturing into research and development (R&D) and advanced technologies. The move signals an effort to elevate Vietnam from Samsung's global production base into a strategic partner that helps nurture both technology and talent.
According to industry sources on the 28th, Roh met the previous day with Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, the country's third-highest political figure, at the Hanoi government complex. They discussed Samsung's business operations in Vietnam as well as plans to expand investment and cooperation. At the meeting, Roh said that Samsung's smartphone manufacturing affiliates in Bac Ninh Province and Thai Nguyen Province had achieved cumulative exports of $50 billion as of the end of June.
This marks a milestone 17 years after Samsung began smartphone production in Vietnam in April 2009. Samsung's production bases in Bac Ninh Province and Thai Nguyen Province now account for about 50% of Samsung Electronics' global smartphone output, making them a key pillar of the worldwide smartphone supply chain.
Roh also said the Galaxy Fold8 series, launched in early August, is receiving a strong response in global markets, and he predicted that Samsung Electronics will maintain double-digit growth through the end of the year. As of the end of last year, Samsung Electronics' cumulative investment in Vietnam had reached $24 billion.
Samsung now plans to shift the center of gravity of its Vietnam business from manufacturing to R&D and advanced technologies. Roh said Samsung sees Vietnam not merely as a production base, but as an important strategic partner for joint R&D and the development of advanced technologies. He added that the company will continue expanding R&D investment in Vietnam and support the training of advanced technology talent.
The Vietnamese government also expects Samsung to play a larger role. Prime Minister Le asked Samsung to go beyond expanding production and help develop Vietnam into a hub for technology, R&D and innovation. He also expressed hope for broader cooperation with South Korea in advanced fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), data centers, R&D and digital transformation.
He also called for greater participation by local companies in the supply chain. Le urged Samsung to identify additional Vietnamese partners and to help local firms build the capabilities needed to join Samsung's production networks in Vietnam, South Korea and around the world through technology transfer and the sharing of management know-how.
Meanwhile, Samsung Vietnam's recent performance has continued to grow. Combined sales at its four key manufacturing affiliates in Vietnam reached about $35.2 billion in the first half of this year, up 21% from a year earlier, while net profit rose 28% to $2.3 billion. According to Na Ki-hong, head of Samsung Vietnam's Strategy Cooperation Office, cumulative exports through July stood at about $39 billion, accounting for 12.2% of Vietnam's total exports during the same period.
[email protected] Kim Joon-seok Reporter