An artist's impression of Samsung Viet Nam's new research and development centre in Viet Nam. — Photo courtesy of Samsung

Samsung Electronics Viet Nam on Monday started construction of its largest research and development (R&D) centre in Southeast Asia in the new town of Tay Ho Tay in Ha Noi.

With a total investment of US$220 million, the new R&D centre will be built over 11,603sq.m of land and 79,511sq.m of floor area. The building is designed with 16 stories above ground and three below ground, and is expected to be completed in late 2022.

Besides being equipped with advanced research facilities for mobile and network technology, the new centre will be set up with a creative and friendly working environment with a fitness centre, club rooms, in-house restaurant and rooftop garden.

Upon operation, the number of employees of Samsung Viet Nam Mobile R&D Centre (SVMC), which is currently 2,200, will increase up to 3,000.

This is the first time Samsung Electronics has built its own centre specialised to serve R&D activities overseas. It is also the largest R&D centre among FDI companies in Viet Nam.

Through the construction of this centre, Samsung endeavours to help Vietnamese engineers enhance their R&D capacity in terms of not only product technology but also high technology fields such as AI, IoT, Big Data and 5G, which will create a foundation for Viet Nam to be bold amid the numerous changes of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Choi Joo Ho, President of Samsung Viet Nam, said: “The construction of the new R&D Centre in Viet Nam is a strategic investment that marks a stride in Samsung's investment history in Viet Nam. This will be the site that helps us fulfil our promise of developing Viet Nam's science and technology through nurturing excellent engineers in the field of high technology.”

Currently, the total investment of Samsung Group in Viet Nam is more than $17 billion, of which Samsung Electronics accounts for $9.5 billion with the first presence of a mobile phone factory in Bac Ninh Province in 2008, followed by the second factory in Thai Nguyen Province; complex of televisions and home appliances production in HCM City and SVMC.

The new R&D centre shows Samsung's highest commitment to investment in Viet Nam, which has lasted for the past 12 years, making Viet Nam not only a large-scale production base for Samsung, but also an important strategic base in R&D. — VNS