Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinhon April 13 expressed his belief and wish that Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.,of the Republic of Korea (RoK) will maintain its important role in enhancingeconomic cooperation between the two countries with many new strategic projects.

At a reception in Hanoi for Park Hark Kyu, Head of Corporate Management Office at DX Division of Samsung Electronics, PM Chinh commended operations of Samsungcompanies in Vietnam and their contributions to economic restructuring, boostingexports and growth, promoting supporting industries and creating jobs in the Southeast Asian country.

He stressed that Vietnam and the RoK upgraded theirrelationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership on December 15, 2022, opening up new cooperation opportunities for the two countries in generaland their businesses in particular.

The PM suggested Samsung expand its investmentand set higher targets for 2023 and the coming years.

The Vietnamese government will continue to accompanyand hold dialogues with foreign investors, including those from the RoK, and removetheir obstacles in a timely manner, facilitating their effective andsustainable business in Vietnam with the view of “harmonised interests andshared risks,” PM Chinh pledged.

In reply, Park thanked the government, the PM andlocalities of Vietnam for their support, and spoke highly of thedomestic business and investment environment.

Samsung will further contribute to Vietnam’ssocio-economic development, he said, noting that the group regards theSoutheast Asian nation as a global production hub and aims to turn Vietnaminto a “centre of its research and development centres” globally.

The group will also make efforts to enable more Vietnamese people to join in the leadership of Samsung Vietnam, raise the localisation rate, and stepup cooperation with the Vietnam National Innovation Centre, he said, informinghis host that more than 2,000 engineers are working for Samsung’s R&D centrein Hanoi.

Park raised some proposals to the PM on encouraging the use of made-in-Vietnam products, which were highly valued by the host.

Samsung is the biggest foreign investor in Vietnam,with its major projects located in the northern provinces of Bac Ninh and ThaiNguyen, and Ho Chi Minh City, and worth some 20 billion USD in total.

Samsung's phone production in Vietnam accounts forabout half of its global output. As of November 2022, Samsung companies in the country had employed nearly 100,000 people./.