Located in the heart of Southeast Asia, Vietnam enjoys a strategic position in the global supply chain and is an ideal location for manufacturers looking to enter the region’s fast-growing semiconductor market.
Experts held that Vietnam’s semiconductor industry boasts great development potential thanks to a stable political and economic system as well as an abundant workforce.
Vietnam currently ranks second in the world in rare earth reserves, a strategic material for semiconductor production. With these advantages, Vietnam has the potential to become a major growth centre in the semiconductor industry in the context of the global chip market, forecast to reach 1.4 trillion USD by 2029.
Human resources demand for the microchip and semiconductor industry is about 20,000 engineers in the next five years and about 5,000 ones with university degrees or higher in the next 10 years.
From reality
Nguyen Thi Le, an expert from Vina Solar Technology, a company headquartered in Bac Giang that specialises in manufacturing solar panels, and producing electricity from solar energy, said that each year, the firm needs 200-300 engineers in the field of design and packaging of microchips and semiconductors to work in industrial parks at home and abroad. Currently, there is a shortage of human resources.
Vina Solar Technology is one of many businesses that have a real need for the microchip and semiconductor areas but are facing difficulty recruiting. The company is willing to sign contracts with university interns so that the schools can train them in practical production processes, creating an annual recruitment source or training on demand.
Semiconductor requires workers’ high skills. (Photo: VNA)
Recognising the market demand, the University of Sciences under Thai Nguyen University (TNU) has decided to deploy a semiconductor technology training programme at the university level from the 2024-2025 school year starting in July.
TNU University of Sciences has focused on training human resources for the electronics, microchip, and semiconductor technology sectors. For Thai Nguyen University and the TNU University of Science, training in the field of semiconductor technology is new but not too unfamiliar to scientists and lecturers who have been are working here.
Associate Prof., Dr. Hoang Van Hung, Rector of the TNU University of Sciences
According to the training programme designed at the TNU University of Sciences, after graduation, students will have a solid grasp of fundamental and in-depth knowledge of microchip design techniques for application, along with skills to design and evaluate systems in the microchip design industry. In addition, they will be equipped with foreign languages to become experts in large electronics and semiconductor corporations. These are necessary and sufficient factors to create high-quality human resources for the future microchip semiconductor industry, Hung said.
High-quality human resources in the field of semiconductor microchips is a hot training field at universities in Vietnam. (Photo: VNA)
Other higher education institutions have also exerted efforts to train high-quality human resources for the semiconductor sector. For example, FPT Corporation has asked for support from the US to train 30,000-50,000 semiconductor experts through investment in FPT University. The University of Science and Technology of Hanoi started providing training programmes in semiconductor microchip technology in 2024, taking advantage of newly invested facilities and international cooperation.
FPT Corporation, Hanoi University of Science and Technology and Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park are the leading units in training high-quality human resources in the field of semiconductor microchips. (Photo: VNA)
… To breakthrough solutions
The Politburo’s Resolution No. 23-NQ/TW orienting the building of national industrial development policies until 2030 with a vision to 2045 identifies the boosting of electronics, semiconductors, and microchips as the main goal to 2030. These industries will reach advanced levels globally, meeting the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to create a digital technology platform for other industries.
Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat said that Vietnam has been attracting more and more large corporations in the semiconductor industry from the US, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and European countries.
Vietnam has completed the legal corridor to facilitate the investment and development of semiconductor chips. At the same time, the Investment Law and the Corporate Income Tax Law have added special incentives for high-tech, large-scale, high-value-added projects, including chip manufacturing projects.
Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat
Minister Dat held that along with advantages, Vietnam’s semiconductor industry has also seen limitations, including a low localisation rate, asynchronous research and development activities, and a modest number and quality of human resources in the field.
In December 2023, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visits Hana Micron Vina Co., Ltd., a Korean-invested firm in Van Trung Industrial Park, Van Trung commune, Viet Yen district, Bac Giang province. This is the first company to produce semiconductor chips in the North.
(Photo: VNA)
Data from the Ministry of Planning and Investment showed that Vietnam has had about 5,000 high-quality workers in the semiconductor industry. Therefore, the Government HAS assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment to coordinate with ministries and sectors to develop an action plan and strategy for the development of the semiconductor industry in Vietnam, including a project to train 50,000 engineers and experts for the semiconductor industry by 2030.
Minister Dat said that in the coming time, the ministry will increase support to basic research activities in the semiconductor field through the National Science and Technology Development Fund, as well as basic research programmes in natural sciences while prioritising resources for the implementation of the programme to create national products including integrated electronic microcircuits./.
