Cheolhwa Jung (1st, R) of Samsung Heavy Industries answers questions from reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with Vietnamese enterprises – Photo: Hung Le
According to Cheolhwa Jung at Samsung Heavy Industries, Vietnam has a potential for shipbuilding, manufacturing of oil-gas equipment and supporting industries, and thus the visit of South Korean enterprises to Vietnam aims to seek cooperation opportunities and exchange technology with Vietnamese partners.
The meeting between enterprises of the two countries is held via Sopas Co., an agent of Samsung Heavy Industries in Vietnam.
Jung said at the meeting that the delegation’s Vietnam trip was meant to sound out business opportunities only, but Vu Hai Ha, director of Sopas Co., said the Korean enterprises aimed high from the visit.
They came to introduce technologies for building ships and oilrigs and other supporting equipments, and to look into related products in Vietnam because they wanted to outsource production of certain equipment here, Ha said.
The Korean delegation will also have a meeting with PetroVietnam and Vinashin in Hanoi this week.
In late September, the Ministry of Planning and Investment had signed a memorandum of understanding with Samsung C&T to boost cooperation in infrastructure. This shows Samsung Group wanted to expand its business in Vietnam beyond electronics, which was very successful for the Korean conglomerate.
According to the MOU, focal areas for cooperation would include shipbuilding, power generation, airport construction, petrochemical complexes, and information technology among others.
According to the Energy Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Samsung has conducted surveys of power plants in the central and southern regions to look for a potential project to invest in.
VIETNAM SHIPBUILDING NEWS 