South Korean and Vietnamese business leaders gathered in Hanoi to expand economic cooperation, with talks and agreements spanning artificial intelligence, energy and other future industries.
The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry said it sent an economic delegation to Vietnam and held a South Korea-Vietnam business forum on April 23 (local time), timed to President Lee Jae-myung’s state visit.
About 500 government and business figures from both countries attended. Lee and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung appeared together, underscoring their commitment to closer economic ties.
Attendees included Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group and the chamber; Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong; LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo; Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin; POSCO Holdings Chairman Chang In-hwa; HD Hyundai Group Vice Chairman Chung Ki-sun; GS Group Chairman Huh Tae-soo; Doosan Enerbility Chairman Park Jie-won; Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Hyun-joon; Daewoo Engineering & Construction Chairman Jung Won-ju; Hyundai Motor President Sung Kim; and Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon, along with other business group leaders.
The delegation, involving 109 companies, sought to move beyond manufacturing-centered cooperation toward AI, advanced technology and energy, the chamber said.
In welcoming remarks, Chey called Vietnam “Korean companies’ most important global partner,” and said cooperation should go beyond expanding trade to higher value-added areas such as advanced manufacturing, services and digital industries.
“Through cooperation in AI and advanced technology, Korea’s technology and Vietnam’s young, dynamic talent can create tremendous synergy,” Chey said, adding that Vietnam is “no longer just a land of opportunity,” but a partner in building the future.
The forum, held under the theme of advancing industrial, investment and science-and-technology partnerships, discussed concrete tasks in four areas: training advanced talent, energy, AI transformation and science and technology.
Na Ki-hong, head of Samsung Electronics’ Vietnam strategic cooperation office, introduced manufacturing innovation consulting and smart factory support cases and outlined plans to expand “youth future technology education” to develop next-generation talent. SK Innovation CEO Choo Hyung-wook highlighted the importance of power infrastructure for building an AI ecosystem and shared a roadmap for ongoing cooperation projects, including the Quynh Lap LNG power project.
KIST President Oh Sang-rok presented a vision linking talent, technology and industry and proposed a cooperation strategy combining Korea’s maturity with Vietnam’s dynamism. Vietnamese presenter Nguyen Trung Chinh, chairman of CMC, shared strategies for advanced-industry innovation based on AI and science and technology, calling for stronger technology partnerships.
The chamber said the forum produced about 70 MOUs and contracts. Key areas included AI data centers and digital infrastructure; energy projects such as nuclear power and power-grid construction; production bases for secondary batteries and advanced materials; smart cities and infrastructure development; and finance and investment.
SK Innovation and SK Telecom signed MOUs with Vietnam’s National Innovation Center on building AI data centers and an ecosystem, and with Nghe An province on AI infrastructure, expanding cooperation on future infrastructure, the chamber said.
Daewoo Engineering & Construction signed an MOU with Vietnam’s SaigonTel to jointly develop a data center business and participate in construction. POSCO Future M said it completed approval procedures with Thai Nguyen province to build a plant for artificial graphite anode materials, a key secondary-battery material, and began building a supply chain for battery materials.
Doosan Enerbility signed MOUs with Vietnamese companies PTSC and PETROCONs on cooperation including Vietnam’s new nuclear power projects. Taihan Cable & Solution signed an MOU with Vietnam’s Newtecons on power-grid upgrades and extra-high-voltage cable business cooperation, moving to expand technology partnerships for local energy infrastructure.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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