[EXCLUSIVE] Samsung Electronics CEO in Vietnam ahead of Galaxy Unpacked 2022

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman and CEO Han Jong-hee is in Vietnam to make remaining preparations for the South Korean tech big’s annual Galaxy Unpacked occasion scheduled this Thursday.

In line with an trade supply Tuesday, the manager arrived in Hanoi on Monday to verify the manufacturing of Galaxy 22 smartphones. That is Han’s first go to to Vietnam since Samsung Electronics merged its smartphone and shopper electronics divisions into the cellular expertise (MX) division in December. The final time the corporate‘s machine enterprise chief formally visited the Southeast Asian nation was in October 2020. At the moment he accompanied Lee Jae-yong, Samsung’s de-facto chief, for a enterprise journey.

Relating to Han’s Vietnam go to, Samsung Electronics stated that the manager’s schedule is confidential.

Vietnam is Samsung Electronics’ largest smartphone manufacturing base. The nation manufactured 61 p.c of the agency’s smartphones in 2020. Factories are positioned in Bac Ninh Province and Thai Nguyen Province, positioned proper subsequent to Hanoi.

Samsung Electronics’ smartphone manufacturing confronted problems final 12 months after Vietnam initiated a lockdown on industrial complexes close to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh from Could to September, limiting the journey of employees. Some Samsung Electronics distributors had their employees sleep at factories to keep up manufacturing.

In response, Samsung Electronics on Dec. 5 created an emergency fund and gave out zero-interest loans price 220 billion received ($183.6 million) to native suppliers to assist them address restrictions. Han is predicted to conduct a last-minute verify on whether or not smartphone manufacturing is again on monitor forward of the discharge of the Galaxy 22 collection.

Only one week after the emergency mortgage, Vietnam‘s Nationwide Meeting Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue paid a go to to Han in Seoul on Dec. 13. The 2 mentioned Samsung Electronics’ enterprise and funding in Vietnam, and measures in opposition to the extended COVID-19.

Samsung is at the moment Vietnam‘s largest international direct funding (FDI) contributor, and accounts for greater than 25 p.c of its exports. Due to Samsung, Vietnam has grow to be the second-largest exporter of smartphones on the planet.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)