Vietnam – Korea: Promote cooperation in robotics industry and automation

The Government of Vietnam places the highest priority on the robotics and automation industry through the Science and Industry Development Strategy for the period of 2011-2020. Meanwhile, South Korea is the leading country in the world with the high ratio of robot use in industries. This is an opportunity for Vietnamese and Korean businesses to find and create practical business cooperation in this field.

That is the judgment of experts as well as enterprises at the Vietnam – Korea Investment Promotion Conference in the robotics and automation industry, which is coordinated by the Foreign Investment Agency (Ministry of Planning and Investment) in cooperation with Vietnam Association of Supporting Industries (VASI) and ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Center (AKC) held on April 26.

Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Vu Dai Thang said that Vietnam has been implementing the Science and Technology Development Strategy for the 2011-2020 period and giving top priority to the 4.0 revolution. Accordingly, the demand for robots and automation is increasing in Vietnam, as businesses are aware of the importance of using advanced technology to increase competitiveness and integration with the international economy.

As a result, the adoption of robots in Vietnam’s industrial environment has recently grown rapidly. According to the International Federation of Robotics Studies, in 2017, 8,252 robot products were sold in Vietnam, surpassing Singapore (4,500 robots), Thailand (3,400 robots) and becoming the 7th largest robot market in the world.

On the other hand, Korea is also a country possessing global competitiveness and practical experience in the field of robotics and automation industry. In particular, South Korea is a world leader with the proportion of robot use in industries. Specifically, in 2017, South Korea used 710 robots for every 10,000 employees, surpassing Singapore and reaching the highest density of robot use in the world.

“Hope Korean businesses are not only investors seeking partners but will be practical investors in provinces and cities across Vietnam” – Deputy Minister Vu Dai Thang emphasized.

Mr. Lee Hyuk – General Secretary of ASEAN Center – Korea – also expected, Korea’s rich technological capacity and experience if connected in the industrial environment of Vietnam will surely contribute a lot in improve the competitiveness of Vietnam’s manufacturing industry.

However, the cooperation in the field of robotics industry and automation between the two countries still faces some difficulties and problems related to financial plans or development of supporting industries, etc. Mr. Kim Do – huyn – Korean Ambassador to Vietnam – said, currently, there are many financial institutions in Vietnam, however, there is no financial institution specializing in supporting small and medium enterprises. In Korea, meanwhile, IBK Industrial Bank is a companion of small and medium enterprises.

In addition, despite recent developments, the localization of production materials and components/components that underpins Vietnam’s industrial development has remained. quite low compared to other Southeast Asian countries. Therefore, every year, Vietnam has to import a large amount of production materials, components and spare parts from abroad. In fact, most of Korea’s export surplus to Vietnam also originated from here.

“Hopefully, Korean businesses attending the seminar will find new investment opportunities in Vietnam. This will become a platform to seek and create practical business opportunities between Vietnam and Korea,” The Korean Ambassador to Vietnam emphasized.

Productivity and Quality Office