Korean firm Hana Micron to invest US$1 billion in Vietnam chip production

The RoK manufacturer of chip packaging and memory products told Japanese news outlet Nikkei Asia that it is in the process of moving equipment to its new second factory in Bac Giang province to "prepare for production and we have a busy schedule with customer audits, etc."

Bac Giang, a gateway to Hanoi capital, hosts three Apple suppliers and, along with neighbouring Bac Ninh province, is renowned for making the bulk of Samsung phones globally.

With this level of investment, Vietnam is currently courting global chipmaking companies after years of stalled attempts to grow its semiconductor industry, Nikkei Asia wrote.

Hwang Chul Min, human resource manager of Hana Micron, told Nikkei that the added investment, "Will create opportunities to attract more high-tech projects and lay the foundation for the development of the semiconductor production ecosystem."

The string of recent announcements has given added momentum both to global chipmakers, which are diversifying supply chains due to geopolitics, as well as to Vietnam, which aims to attract investment from more companies after years of stalled attempts.

According to information given by the business news outlet, Vietnam is struggling to keep up with skills and infrastructure demands as well. Hana Micron plans to employ 4,000 people and co-operate with Vietnam-Korea Industrial Technical College for hiring.

The producer also has a factory in Bac Ninh where it has job postings seeking staff for information technology, sourcing, and production planning, as well as searching for line workers.