Foxconn is setting foot further into Vietnam with a huge $551 million investment (roughly 4.013 billion Yuan) in two new projects situated in Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam. These projects are slated for completion in July 2026 and will focus on smart technology production.

The company’s facilities will manufacture smart entertainment products and system equipment

The first project, located in Song Khoai Amata Industrial Park, will see an investment of US$263.7 million (approximately 1.92 billion Yuan). This facility will churn out smart entertainment products, aiming for an annual production capacity of 4.18 million units.

The second project is situated in Bac Tien Phong Industrial Park and boasts an investment of US$287.2 million (approximately RMB 2.092 billion). Spanning 12.4 hectares, this location will concentrate on producing intelligent system equipment. Following a period dedicated to installing machinery and testing everything out, official production is expected to kick off in May 2027.

(Via)

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Nvidia, a leading name in the semiconductor industry, has set its sights on Vietnam, aiming to establish a significant presence in this rapidly growing market. The CEO of Nvidia, Jensen Huang, recently announced plans to set up a base in Vietnam, clearly depicting the country’s increasing importance in the global tech landscape.

The Vietnam centre is expected to attract global experts

This strategic move by Nvidia is not just about expanding its geographical footprint. It represents a deeper commitment to nurturing local talent and fostering an ecosystem that supports semiconductor development and digitalization. By establishing a centre in Vietnam, Nvidia is positioning itself to attract experts from around the world, boosting the local semiconductor industry.

This initiative comes at a time when Vietnam is already playing a pivotal role in the global chip assembly sector, housing Intel’s largest factory. The country is now looking to broaden its capabilities, venturing into chip design and potentially manufacturing, amidst shifting trade dynamics between the United States and China.

Nvidia’s investment in Vietnam, which currently stands at $250 million, is expected to bring about collaborations with Vietnamese tech firms and authorities. These partnerships aim to advance semiconductor technology in various domains, including cloud computing, automotive, and healthcare, leveraging artificial intelligence.

The choice of Vietnam as a hub for Nvidia’s expansion is a testament to the nation’s growing prominence in the tech world. It not only offers a strategic location but also a pool of talent and an environment conducive to technological advancements. For Nvidia, this move is not just a business expansion; it’s an investment in the future of the semiconductor industry and a nod to Vietnam’s potential as a key player in this field.

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Apple is one of the world’s most valuable companies. However, it does not officially operate in every country. In some countries, it only has digital stores, while in others, it does not have a presence at all. Nevertheless, the company is doing its best to change this and is continuing its efforts. A while ago, Apple took a critical step in this regard by opening its first physical stores in India. Now, Apple is expanding its online store to Vietnam. Here are the details…

Apple expanding its online store to Vietnam on Thursday, May 18th

Apple fans in Vietnam have been eagerly waiting for the company to actively operate in their country. The tech giant has finally announced the official launch date. Accordingly, the Apple Store will officially launch online in Vietnam next week on Thursday, May 18th. Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Retail, expressed her excitement and pride in the expansion, stating:

““We’re proud to be expanding in Vietnam, and excited to bring our exceptional care and support to customers with the launch of the Apple Store online,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail. “With the online store, customers in Vietnam will now be able to explore our incredible lineup of products and services, connect with our knowledgeable experts, and experience the best of Apple like never before.”

The company’s official statement on the matter is as follows:

“The Apple Store online will provide customers with the exceptional service and personalized support offered in Apple Store locations around the world, delivered by specialists who are ready to share their expertise in Vietnamese. The Apple Store online offers a seamless experience for customers to shop for Apple products in both Vietnamese and English. Customers can shop with a Specialist, browse the latest products, explore new features, and learn about switching to iOS”

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Samsung, the world’s leading smartphone manufacturer, has reportedly cut down production of its devices at the massive plant in Vietnam due to the global fall in consumer spending

The report, coming from Reuters, cites employees as the source. The scale back of production comes as the retailers and warehouses deal with a rising inventory.

As per the report, America’s largest warehouse market is full and the major retailers in the United States have warned of slowing sales given that shoppers are not spending as much as they used to before and during the early era of the pandemic.

One of the workers at the plant told Reuters, “We are going to work just three days per week, some lines are adjusting to a four-day workweek instead of six before, and of course, no overtime is needed.”

The manufacturing plant in Vietnam’s northern province of Thai Nguyen has been the most affected. It is one of the two mobile manufacturing bases in the country where Samsung produces half of its smartphones.

While Samsung says that it has not discussed reducing its annual production target in Vietnam, the South Korean giant is optimistic about smartphone demand in the second half of the year as it said during its earnings call last week that supply disruptions had mostly been resolved and that demand would either stay flat or see single-digit growth.

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Xiaomi has just recently started production of its smartphones in Vietnam. The company has began making its devices in the country, which will then be exported to other Southeast Asian markets.

According to a NikkeiAsia report, the Chinese tech giant has started its smartphone production in the northern province of Taiyuan from a Hong Kong based foundry. Furthermore, the handsets made in Vietnam will be exported to other nations like Malaysia and Thailand. This moves arrives as the country sees a growth in population and its economy, which signals a rise in demand as well.

Thus, Xiaomi hopes to establish a foothold in the market, which is expected to see growth as well. It also aims on catching up to its rival Samsung Electronics. The South Korean brand is currently the most popular brand in Vietnam in terms of sales market share. As per local media reports, the Chinese company has trusted production to Hong Kong based DBG Technology. This factory covers an area of around 200,000 square meters and has an investment of about 80 million US Dollars.

Apart from smartphones, this site will also be responsible for the production of data transmission equipment and circuit boards. As of right now, Xiaomi mainly made its smartphones in China and India. However, the global pandemic in 2020 lead to the supply chain being severely disrupted, which in turn affected sales as well. So, the company plans on diversifying and spreading its supply chain.

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Counterpoint Research has released a new report on the Vietnamese smartphone market. The research firm says that the market grew 104% QoQ and 15% YoY in the last quarter of 2021. Samsung retained the top position. On the other hand, Xiaomi was pushed to the fifth position by Apple due to strong iPhone 13 sales.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, macroeconomic worries, and supply chain issues, the smartphone market in Vietnam, which is dominated by offline channels, went through difficulties throughout 2021. However, it sprang back to growth in Q4.

Both Samsung and Apple witnessed their highest ever shipments in the country last year. The South Koran tech giant led the market, followed by OPPO (including OnePlus), Xiaomi (including Redmi and POCO), vivo, Apple, and realme.

However, in the final quarter of the year, Xiaomi actually came fourth. It was not only beaten by OPPO and vivo but also Apple. Enhanced distributions strategy by Apple boosted the sales of iPhones in Q4.

The only brand that showed a decline in 2021 was OPPO though it held the second position overall by growing 88% QoQ in Q4. Being an offline-centric brand, the company’s growth decremented by 6% YoY due to lockdowns in Q2 and Q3 as well as a shortage of 4G SoCs.

Lastly, Vietnam has never been an online-first smartphone market, however, it did account for 15% of shipments in 2021 by growing 8% YoY.

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Samsung has a budget smartphone lineup in the form of the Galaxy A-series and one of the cheapest devices in the series is Samsung Galaxy A10s. Now, the South Korean giant has started rolling out a new Android update for the smartphone.

The Samsung Galaxy A10s is getting the Android 11 update. This is the second major update for the device which was launched with Android 9 out-of-the-box and received an Android 10 update in April last year.

Given the software update policy of Samsung, it’s likely that this Android 11 update is the last major operating system update for the Galaxy A10s smartphone. Samsung usually offers two years of a major software update with newer Android versions to its phones.

The new update comes with the A107FXXU8CUG1 build number and brings July 2021 Android security patch. Users in Malaysia and Vietnam have reported the update to be available on their devices. Other regions should be getting the update pretty soon, maybe within a couple of weeks.

It brings a refreshed UI design, improved stock apps such as Samsung Internet and Samsung Keyboard, one-time permissions, auto permissions reset, redesigned Device Care menu, the ability to remove GPS location data from images, easier access to smart home controls, more lock screen options, etc.

If you using Samsung Galaxy A10s in Malaysia or Vietnam, you can check for the latest software update manually by navigating to Settings » Software update and tapping on Download and install.

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Realme has a lineup of entry-level smartphones under its C-series and now the company has launched a new device under the same, dubbed Realme C21Y. The phone has made its global debut in Vietnam and could soon launch in other regions.

The smartphone features a 6.5-inch HD+ LCD display that offers a screen resolution of 1600 × 720 pixels and 400nits peak brightness. It features a waterdrop notch that houses a front selfie shooter.

Under the hood, the handset is powered by a Unisoc T610 octa-core processor which is built using a 12nm fabrication process. The graphics on the handset are handled by an integrated Mali G52 GPU.

The device comes packed with 4GB LPDDRX RAM and 64GB internal storage. In the camera department, there’s a triple-camera setup on the back that includes a 13-megapixel primary sensor, a 2-megapixel macro lens, and a 2-megapixel monochrome lens.

On the front side, the smartphone features a 5-megapixel snapper for taking selfies and video calling. Connectivity options include 4G, Dual Sim, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, AGPS, Beidou, and Glonass.

There’s also a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. It runs the Android 10 operating system out-of-the-box which is now a bit old given that Android 12 has been officially announced. It would have been good if the company opted for the Android 11 OS. The phone has a Realme UI on top and is powered by a 5,000mAh battery.

The Realme C21Y comes in two color options — Black and Blue. The 3GB RAM with 32GB internal storage model is priced at 3,490,000 Vietnamese dongs (approx. $151) while the 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage variant costs 3,990,000 Vietnamese dongs (~$173).

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The supply chain for Apple and Samsung could face troubles as Vietnam is struggling to combat the recent outbreak of Coronavirus. The rapid spread of COVID-19 has caused factory operations to run below capacity in the country.

According to a Reuters report, the rapid spread of the virus has impacted production capacity in Vietnam’s industrial northern provinces. These regions are responsible for supplying the Cupertino based giant and the South Korean smartphone maker, along with other global tech firms as well. Sources close to the matter added that this news arrives after the nation had successfully contained the new coronavirus for most of last year.

At the moment, Vietnam is combatting the outbreak, which is spreading quickly and has already infected more than 3,000 people in 30 of the 63 cities and provinces since late April 2021. Furthermore, this has also prompted the government to shut down restaurants and ban public gatherings in the capital Hanoi, and the southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh City. The report stated that a few business sources from the country said that their operations have been affected as some regions are under lockdown.

A source working at one of the Apple suppliers said that the company had split its workforce over two shifts, calling this a “temporary solution, for maybe two weeks.” The person close to the matter added that this was being done to avoid the supply chain being further disrupted. Similarly, even Samsung has notable operations in Vietnam, with the imposed curfew impacting its supply. Notably, Vietnam alone accounts for half of the smartphone and tablet production of the company.

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SK Group, the third-largest conglomerate from South Korea, has announced that the company has agreed to acquire a 16.3 percent stake in VinCommerce for $410 million, reports Reuters. For those who are unaware, VinCommerce is one of the biggest retailers in Vietnam and is a part of Masan Group.

The transaction values the retailer at $2.5 billion. Along with SK Inc (formerly known as SK Holdings Co Ltd), battery maker SK Innovation, SK Telecom, SK Hynix, and SK E&S are also participating in this deal through an investment unit focused in Southeast Asia.

VinCommerce is operating about 2,300 convenience stores and supermarkets in Vietnam and holds about 50 percent of the market share in the country’s consumer retailer sector. With the new investment, the company plans to accelerate online and offline distribution, logistics, and online payments.

Woncheol Park, representative director of SK South East Asia Investment, the SK Group arm that made the investment, said in a statement: “Our investment in VinCommerce is part of SK’s broader strategy of investing in Vietnam’s fast-growing sectors.”

VinCommerce achieved an EBITDA breakeven in the fourth quarter of 2020 and delivered positive EBITDA in the first quarter of 2021. The management is now expected to achieve positive EBIT in the second half of this year.

The SK Group had earlier invested about $1 billion in Vingroup and $470 million in the diversified company Masan Group.

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Samsung Electronics has just unveiled a new monitor in Vietnam. The company’s S34A650 is a new 34 inch curved monitor, which arrives with 1440p resolution along with support for 100Hz refresh rate.

According to a NoteBookCheck report, the new curved monitor is only available in Vietnam but it is unknown whether the South Korean tech giant will launch the monitor in other markets. Although, it is expected that the company will be launching the new product in Europe. The model number of S34A650 is also known as LS34A650. It features a VA panel, which has a 21:9 aspect ratio, with a 3440 x 1440px resolution and a 1000R curvature.

Furthermore, the company claims that the monitor offers a high refresh rate of 100Hz and a contrast ratio of 4000:1. Samsung also added that the S34A650 has a 10 bit color depth and AMD FreeSync support as well. The brand has also equipped the S34A650 with a wide variety of ports. This includes ports like an HDMI 2.0 port, a DisplayPort 1.2 connection and an Ethernet port.

Additionally, the company also features three USB 3.0 Type A ports along with a USB Type C connection that supports up to 90W USB Power Delivery. At the moment, it is unknown how much will the S34A650 cost in Vietnam. The same can also be said for its possible pricing in other western markets as well. So stay tuned for more updates regarding the upcoming curved monitor.

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The export of smartphones and their components from Vietnam have apparently crossed 50 billion US Dollars last year. The news arrives from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, which found that the export declined for the first time in 11 years.

According to a DigiTimes report, the export fell by just 0.4 percent in 2020, reaching 51.18 billion US Dollars in 2020. Notably, the proportion of smartphones and the related components’ proportion within the nation’s total exports also declined last year, down to 18 percent in 2020 from 30 percent just a year prior. For those unaware, Vietnam is also a notable export hub, with its shipments reaching over 50 countries last year.

Furthermore, China is its largest outlet, which takes in nearly 25 percent of its total export shipments. This is followed by the EU with a 19 percent share, which is trailed by other regions like the US, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. Samsung Electronics also accounted for nearly 100 percent of Vietnam’s entire smartphone shipments and exports. The South Korean tech giant has invested heavily in the region and also runs two industrial complexes in the nation at the moment.

With its investment reaching 17 billion US Dollars, the company also employees over 110,000 people and has even plans to invest an additional 220 million US Dollars to build a dedicated research and development center in the region, which is expected to be finished in 2022. This new research and development center will house over 2,200 to 2,300 employees and will focus on developing AI, IoT, and 5G solutions for the company.

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Vietnam has recently awarded a license to LG Display that would enable it to raise the investment for the factory that it has set up in the nation’s northern port city of Haiphong. The company aims on raising investment from 750 million US Dollars to 3.25 billion US Dollars.

According to a Reuters report, local media outlets reported on this news and even added that the additional investment will help the South Korean tech giant in expanding its production capacity. This would help bump production units in the city, with the plans of expansion slated to be completed by May 2021. Furthermore, the rise in investment will also allow for the creation of 5,000 new jobs, as per Vietnam Finance.

This sizeable expenditure will allow LG Display to boost its project in the Vietnamese port city, allowing it to set up more OLED production facilities in the region by the next month at the earliest. The company had began its Vietnamese OLED module plant in 2016, so it expanding on its prior investment understandable, especially considering it is the world’s largest OLED TV panel maker.

At the moment, LG has yet to respond or comment on the matter. Unfortunately, this is all the information we have to go for now. So stay tuned for more, as we will be providing updates when additional information is available.

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Apple is raising the production output of its iPhones, iPad, Macs, and other electronic products outside of China. The company will be ramping its efforts to diversify its supply chain to other nations.

According to a NikkeiAsia report, the push towards raising output for its product in countries apart from China arrives despite the hopes of easing US-China tensions after the arrival of the new US President, Joe Biden. As per sources close to the matter, the production of iPads will begin in Vietnam sometime by the middle of this year. This marks the first Apple is building a number of its devices outside of China. Similarly, the Cupertino based giant is also raising production in India as well, which is currently its second largest production base for iPhones.

At the moment, the company also plans on producing its latest 5G enabled iPhone 12 series in India within this quarter, as per sources. Furthermore, the company is also planning on increasing the production capacity for its smart speakers, earphones, and computers as well in the Southeast Asian region, which is a part of its ongoing diversification strategy. Similarly, Apple is also asking its suppliers to expand production capacity for the latest HomePod mini smart speakers.

According to a supply chain manager, “Apple and many other tech companies all want out-of-China production capacities, and that has not slowed even though the U.S. has a new president. And they are studying not only peripheral products. Apple, for example, aims to build capacity in new locations — mostly Southeast Asia nations — for multiple core products, such as iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, AirPods, and others. It was hard to imagine that two years ago, but now, nothing is impossible to shift.”

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We recently reported that the South Korea-based LG could soon exit the smartphone business. LG CEO has sent an internal memo to employees confirming that the company is looking for options and is open to all possibilities.

Now, it is being reported that the company is already in talks with potential buyers for its smartphone business unit. As per the latest information, Vietnamese conglomerate VinGroup is likely to be the buyer of the LG smartphone business.

The report mentions that VinGroup has put forward an attractive offer to acquire the smartphone business unit of LG. It is the third-largest phone maker in Vietnam after Samsung and OPPO. This is the same company that makes LG’s mobile phones as an Original Design Manufacturer (ODM).

LG tried several different things to revive its smartphone business but every effort from the company seems to be in vain. It has been suffering losses for 23 quarters straight, reporting over $4.2 billion in operating losses over that period.

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The company has now opted to differentiate itself by offering unique devices. It recently launched LG Wing, which comes with a secondary display that can be stacked horizontally on the primary display for easier multitasking. The company also has another unique device in the making — LG Rollable.

If the deal materializes, then LG will join the lists of fallen smartphone brands such as BlackBerry and HTC. Sony has also been struggling in this space for the past few years but new data reveals that the business has been stable in the last quarter and the Japanese company is expected to post a profit for the first time in four years.

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Earlier today (18th January 2021), the Vietnamese government has just given Foxconn the license to set up its plant worth 270 million US Dollars. The new site will produce laptops and tablets, as per a new report.

According to a Reuters report, the new plant will be developed by Fukang Technology and is situated in the northern province of Bac Giang. It will be responsible for producing up to eight million units each year as per a statement by the local government. Foxconn Technology, the known Apple supplier, has already invested about 1.5 billion US Dollars in Vietnam and aims to recruit over 10,000 additional local workers within this year.

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Furthermore, local reports have also indicated that Foxconn is planning to invest an additional 1.3 billion US Dollars in the Thanh Hoa province, which is south of Hanoi. Through the new site, the company is aiming to shift the assembly of some iPad and MacBooks, as per a person close to the matter. The move also arrives after Apple decided to diversify its supply chain to minimize the impacts faced by straining US-China relations.

Apart from raising its workforce in the region, the Taiwanese firm is also aiming on raising its investment in the region by another 700 million US Dollars as well. The investment would again be towards its local plants in Vietnam, as per the government. In other words, we can soon see Apple MacBook and iPads that were made in Vietnam be in circulation across the globe.

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The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is the company’s successor to its first foldable smartphone. It was launched earlier this year and now, the company has announced a new Galaxy Z Fold 2 Limited Edition Collection is arriving for its customers in Vietnam.

According to a SamMobile report, the new Limited Edition Collection for Spring 2021 will not be sold along with the vase Galaxy Z Fold 2 variant. Apparently, the South Korean tech giant was taken by surprise by the foldable smartphone’s success in the region. So, Samsung decided to not just replenish the stocks, but also make the fresh batch a bit special as well. The official name of the device is the Galaxy Z Fold 2 Limited Edition Collection – Spring 2021, which essentially is the same as the regular version but its retail box arrives with a handful of goodies and incentives.

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Looking into these special offerings, customers in Vietnam are given the Galaxy Z Elite Privilege card, which was previously only reserved for customers that had placed pre orders in the country. This card is valid till 25th September 2021 and will have holders enjoy benefits like receiving discounts up to 35 percent on non foldable Galaxy handsets, and up to 45 percent off on consumer electronics, excluding the 8K TVs.

Furthermore, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 Limited Edition Collection also arrives with a Premium Leather Case, Samsung Care+ extended warranty, and even allows users to choose the color of the hinge. All of this would be stores in the special edition retail box adorned with Lotus flowers. For those unaware, Lotus is Vietnam’s national flower and is considered a symbol of purity, commitment, and more. The device will be available for pre orders starting from January 7 from the company’s official Vietnamese website.

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A couple of weeks ago, OPPO launched its next-generation Reno5 series smartphones in the Chinese market, which includes three models — Reno5 5G, Reno5 Pro 5G, and Reno5 Pro+ 5G. Now, the company has officially launched a 4G model in the lineup.

The company has today launched the OPPO Reno5 4G in Vietnam for the price of 8,690,000 Vietnamese Dong which is approximately $377. Now, the company is also set to launch the same smartphone in Indonesia on 12th January.

The smartphone features a 6.4-inch AMOLED display that offers a Full HD+ screen resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels and a refresh rate of 90Hz. The phone also comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor for added security.

Under the hood, the device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset given that is limited to 4G LTE connectivity. It packs 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot for expanding the storage capacity.

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In the camera department, the phone comes with a quad-camera setup on the back, featuring a 44-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel superwide lens, as 2-megapixel macro lens and a 2-megapixel monochrome sensor. On the front side, there’s a 44-megapixel selfie snapper.

Similar to the 5G model, the OPPO Reno5 4G runs the latest Android 11 operating system out-of-the-box with the company’s own ColorOS 11.1 on top. The phone is powered by a 4,310mAh battery which comes with support for the first-gen 50W SuperVOOC fast charging technology.

Meanwhile, OPPO is also expected to launch the Reno5 5G series smartphones globally in the coming weeks. While the Reno5 Pro 5G packs MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ SoC in China, it is expected to be powered by the SD765G SoC for the global markets.

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Ever since the US-China trade war escalated last year, Apple has been trying to reduce its dependence on China for manufacturing its products. As a result, iPhone contract manufacturers have now shifted significant production to other countries like India.

Now, as per the latest report, Foxconn is shifting the assembly of some iPad and MacBooks to Vietnam from China after getting requests to do so from Apple. It is believed that this is because Apple wants to reduce the impact of the US-China trade war.

The United States, under the presidency of Donald Trump, has targeted Chinese companies by imposing several trade restrictions and banning some of the companies by categorizing them as a national security risk, without providing any proofs for the claim.

As a result, Taiwanese manufacturers started moving some of the production away from China to other countries like India, Vietnam, and Mexico as they anticipated similar actions for their production lines.

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With the latest development, Foxconn is now building assembly lines for iPad and MacBook devices at its Vietnam plan located in northeastern Bac Giang province. It is expected to be ready in the first half of 2021.

It is not clear how much of the production will shift from China but persons aware of the matter have confirmed to Reuters that the move was requested by Apple as the company wants to diversify production. This would mark the first time that the production of iPad moving to Vietnam as all the iPad models are currently being manufactured in China.

Recently, Foxconn announced a $270 million investment for setting up a new subsidiary named FuKang Technology Co Ltd, which could be to support the Vietnam expansion. It is also being reported that the Vietnam facility will also make TVs for Sony.

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Vingroup has partnered with Qualcomm to launch an ultra-affordable 4G smartphone in Vietnam. This phone called Vsmart Bee Lite is priced at only VND 600,000 ($26) and is only available for existing 2G and 3G customers of state-run carrier Viettel.

The Vsmart Bee Lite is just another entry-level smartphone, as per its specifications and features. But its price tag makes it stand out from the crowd.

Talking about specs, this device sports a 5.45-inch FWVGA+ (480 x 960 pixels) 18:9 display (LCD) on the front with a 2MP selfie camera above it. Whereas, the back of the phone houses a 5MP primary camera.

Further, the handset is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 chipset paired with 1GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. If needed, users can expand the storage using a microSD card (up to 64GB).

Other features of this phone include single-band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, accelerometer, proximity sensor, light sensor, 3.5mm headphone jack, and MicroUSB port.

That said, due to lower hardware, the device runs Android 10 Go Edition and is backed by a 2,550mAh battery. Last but not least, it will be available in two colors – Black & Green and will come with 18 months warranty

Most importantly, this affordable 4G smartphone will be only available under Viettel’s ‘1 for 1 upgrade’ and ‘switch for 101 days’ programs to push 4G among 2G and 3G handset users in Vietnam

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Thanks, Chun for sharing more details.

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The Vietnamese information minister has accused foreign streaming companies like Netflix and Apple of avoiding their tax responsibilities in the region that may create unfair competition for domestic firms, earlier this week.

According to the information and communications ministry, both Apple and Netflix have never paid tax in Vietnam, despite having a combined revenue of nearly 1 trillion dongs (roughly 43.15 million US Dollars) from over a million subscribers. Minister Nguyen Manh Hung stated that “Domestic companies have to abide by tax and content regulations while foreign firms do not, which is unfair competition.”

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He further added that “Some content on Netflix has flouted regulations related to the history and sovereignty of the country, violence, drug use, and sex.” Back in 2018, Vietnam had adopted a new cybersecurity law, which required foreign companies to earn income from online activities to store their data within the country. However, Netflix said it had no plans of opening an office in the region or even having servers placed locally, as per a CNBC report.

A Netflix spokesperson responded that “We are supportive of the implementation of a mechanism that will make it possible for foreign service providers like Netflix to collect and remit taxes in Vietnam. However today such a mechanism does not exist.” Hung stated that the information ministry, finance ministry, and tax department are also working to facilitate tax collection by calculating the revenue of these major streaming firms since their entry into Vietnam.

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As global telecom equipment makers like Ericsson and Nokia shift downscale their production in China, their South Korean suppliers are also following suit. Ace Technologies and KMW, the suppliers of the two telecom equipment giants are shifting their production to Vietnam.

According to TheElec report, the move from Ericsson and Nokia has become an opportunity for its South Korean components and materials providers that have facilities in Vietnam, as per a source close to the matter. KMW and Ace Technologies supply their goods to Nokia and Ericsson respectively and are downsizing their productions in China, and now focusing more on Vietnam.

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Similarly, Samsung has also moved its Networking division from Gumi to Suwon back in 2019, and had begun mass production in the country within the same year. Notably, Many South Korean suppliers have already built a good foundation in Vietnam, as they followed the tech giant, Samsung, who had been investing heavily in the Southeast Asian country.

At the moment, Vietnam is offering cheaper labor costs in comparison to China and is more suitable for mid sized supplier firms. Ace Technologies had completed its new factory in the region back in March, which has tripled its production capacity of radio systems and antenna filter units. It is now also planning on producing over 100,000 units of 4G and 5G remote radio heads as well.

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Earlier in September, OPPO F17 Pro made its initial debut in India. A few days later, this very same phone was rebadged to OPPO Reno4 Lite and OPPO Reno4 F with some minor changes. Now, once again the company has rebranded it into OPPO A93 for Vietnam for VND 7,490,000 ($324) before launching this handset in Malaysia on October 6.

OPPO A93 Specifications

The OPPO A93 flaunts a 6.43-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels) AMOLED display with 409 ppi, 96% NTSC color gamut, 60Hz refresh rate, 180Hz touch sampling rate, 90.67% screen-to-body ratio, and a peak brightness of 800 nits.

This panel also includes a dual punch-hole cutout at the top left corner for a 16MP IMX471 selfie camera and a 2MP GC02M1B depth sensor. A fingerprint sensor also resides underneath this screen.

Under the hood, the device features a MediaTek helio P95 paired with 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB UFS 2.1 internal storage. It also comes with a microSD card slot so that users can expand the storage if required.

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Further, the smartphone draws power from a 4,000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging (Quick Charge 3.0) compared to 4,015mAh battery and 30W VOOC 4.0 fast charging found in the original OPPO F17 Pro.

On the back, it sports a quad-camera setup consisting of a 48MP GM1ST primary sensor (wide), an 8MP Hynix Hi846 secondary sensor with an ultra-wide lens, and two 2MP GalaxyCore GC02M1B monochrome sensors accompanied by an LED flash.

Other features of this phone include dual-SIM, 4G, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.1, GNSS (GPS, Beido, Glonass, GALILEO, QZSS), USB Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack, and ColorOS 7.2 based on Android 10.

Last but not least, the OPPO A93 measures 160.14  x 73.77 x 7.48mm in dimensions, weighs only 164g, and comes in two colors namely Black and Magical White respectively.

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(Source / Via)

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Apple might be considering to bring the assembly of its iPhones to Vietnam. A new report has suggested that the company recently visited a factory run by Luxshare, an assembly partner, to check on the living conditions of the workers and the facility.

According to Apple Insider, Apple representatives visited Luxshare’s facility to check the viability of iPhone production in the region. Tang Due Bang, Luxshare Foreign Affairs Manager, apparently said to local media that the factory in Van Trung Industrial Park was scouted to see if it was the right scale, had the proper facilities, and if it had investment capital to start assembling iPhones.

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“The Apple side continually surveyed the workshop of Luxshare in Bac Giang on iPhone production conditions. Apple Corporation is impressed by the speed at which our fast facility is built here. At the same time, through practical research, Apple highly appreciates the potential in Bac Giang province and hard-working workers.” For those unaware, Luxshare is one of the Vietnamese firms that also assembles the Cupertino based giant’s AirPods.

Recently, the company sought financial support to expand the AirPods production, and has reportedly received it. Furthermore, the 30 hectare factory was finished in 5 months, according to Bang, after Apple requested to expand production. At the moment, Luxshare employs around 28,000 workers, which could easily rise to 50,000 to even 60,000 if it gains approval for iPhone assembly.

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For the past few years, companies have been shifting some of their manufacturing facilities from China to alternate countries. They are doing this to expand their supply chain so that in times of difficulties like pandemic their supplies remain unaffected. Samsung is known for moving most of its factories from China. Earlier today, it even officially announced to relocate its computer monitor operation to Vietnam.

Samsung Electronics Vietnam announced that Samsung Display will transfer most of its monitor manufacturing plants from China to Samsung HCMC CE Complex (SEHC) factory in Vietnam.

At present, Samsung is the single largest foreign investor in Vietnam totalling $17 billion in investments. The shifting of PC monitor factories will make this country the world’s largest Samsung monitor supplier.

According to Tuoi Tre, the state-run newspaper, “Samsung sees Vietnam as an important gateway to other Southeast Asian countries and a link in its global supply chain”.

Samsung led the Vietnamese 24-inch and above-sized monitor segment in Q1 2020 with a 34% market share as per IDC. As demand for larger screen size is increasing, the region will benefit from getting the latest displays with them being manufactured locally.

Samsung is expected to relocate the monitor production line by the end of 2020.

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(Via)

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Vietnam has ratified a new trade deal with the European Union which is expected to significantly boost the country’s manufacturing sector as well as exports. It comes at a time when the country is looking to recover from a dip caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This new free trade agreement between Vietnam and Europe will eliminate about 99 percent of tariffs on goods traded between the Southeast Asian country and the bloc. Along with this, the European Union-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement has also been passed.

As per the reports, the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement legislature was passed by 94.62 percent of votes while the European Union-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement was passed with 94.65 percent votes.

The deal also commits Vietnam to standards for sustainable development, including improving its human rights record, protecting labor rights, and upholding its pledges to deal with climate change under the Paris accord.

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The free-trade agreement took about eight years to negotiate and as a part of this, Vietnam will eliminate 99 percent of its import duties over 10 years while the European Union will do the same over seven years.

The agreement will also help Vietnam to attract investors given that the company is in a good position to win manufacturing contracts with many companies shiting from China, fuelled by US-China Trade War and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The European Union already has a free-trade agreement deal with Singapore and now Vietnam has become the second such country. The World Bank estimates that the deal will help Vietnam increase its GDP by 2.4 percent and exports by 12 percent.

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Realme entered the South East Asian markets in the last quarter of 2018. Since then, the brand has been growing in those regions steadily. The latest report by Counterpoint Research for Q1 2020 reveals an astonishing growth rate for the company. Realme is currently the fastest growing brand in South East Asia region with 173% YoY growth.

Realme initially debuted in India as a sub-brand of Oppo in early 2018. In the last quarter of the same year, the brand entered Sout East Asian countries like Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

Within a quarter in Q1 2019, Realme entered the top 10 brands in the above-mentioned countries except for the Philippines. In the same quarter, the brand debuted in Myanmar and also entered the top 10 brands at the same time.

Then, in Q2 2019. Realme became one of the top 5 brands in Vietnam and Indonesia, followed by top 10 in the Philippines in the third quarter of 2019.

Later in Q4 2019, the brand entered the top 5 in  Phillippines, Myanmar and even Cambodia where it made its entrance for the first time. Lastly, it took Realme more than a year to step into the top 5 brands in Thailand, compared to other nations.

The global smartphone market declined by 13% in Q1 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic. The South-East Asian smartphone market also witnessed an 11% decline in the same period.

However, Realme was the fastest growing brand globally as well as in Sout East Asia with 157% and 173% YoY growths respectively in the first quarter of 2020.

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(Source)

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According to industry sources, Samsung and LG will send a total of 430 engineers to Vietnam to continue production in their respective manufacturing plants in the country. These workers will be exempted from Vietnam’s quarantine policy.

Since the whole world is going through the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the companies have halted producing goods in their manufacturing plants. Some have followed this suit as a precaution, while others were compelled to carry out due to government orders. Despite this situation, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics have planned to send 430 engineers from their home country South Korea to their manufacturing plants in Vietnam with special permission from the government.

Since February 22, the Vietnamese government has been banning foreigners from entering the country. Additionally, from February 29th, the government has also suspended visa-free travel for South Koreans and it has even stopped issuing new work visas to control the coronavirus outbreak. However, the government will exempt Korea’s top two electronics giants in this regard by allowing them to send a certain number of their citizens to their manufacturing hubs to maintain production lines.

As per industry sources, Samsung will be dispatching 180 engineers to work at its OLED plant, whereas LG will be sending 250 workers to support the production of smartphones, automotive parts, and home appliances. These people will be traveling on a separate chartered Asiana Airlines flight.

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(Source)

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Coronavirus outbreak has affected operations and sales of several tech companies around the world, including Samsung. The virus, which began spreading from China, has now affected people in more than 50 countries.

Amid all this, Samsung Electronics, the leading smartphone maker in the world, is trying hard to diversify its production to minimise the fallout. As per the report, the company is now shutting down its production facility in South Korea.

As per the report, after reporting six confirmed COVID-19 infections at its smartphone plant in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, Samsung has decided to temporarily scale back operations on the Gumi line and shift the same to Vietnam.

The South Korean giant has been producing its latest flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S20 lineup as well as the foldable Galaxy Z Flip, in Gumi, for domestic consumers. Samsung said the decision to shift to Vietnam was made to ensure “stable production” of its high-end smartphones.

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With more than 6,500 reported cases of coronavirus infections so far, South Korean is the worst-hit country outside of China. Samsung’s Gumi plant, which has about 10,000 workers, has been frequently shut down in the past weeks because many workers were quarantined amid increasing infections.

Because of the coronavirus, the world’s smartphone market is forecast to dip. Counterpoint Research reports that the global handset market is estimated to shrink 5 percent in the first quarter alone while Strategy Analytics says that the volume of phone shipments would decline 10 percent from its initial forecast, largely due to the COVID-19 scare.

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(Via)

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Apple is contemplating on shifting between 15% and 30% of its manufacturing outside of China. According to Nikkei, the fruit company has been going around asking prominent players and key suppliers like Foxconn, Pegatron, and Wistron for insight about opening a factory in another country.

The catalyst for the shift is the ongoing trade war between China and the US, which is expected to intensify at the end of this month with the introduction of 25 percent tariffs on devices including phones, laptops, and tablets. However, Apple reportedly wants to shift production regardless of whether the trade dispute gets resolved.

“A lower birthrate, higher labor costs and the risk of overly centralizing its production in one country. These adverse factors are not going anywhere,” said one executive with knowledge of the situation. “With or without the final round of the $300 billion tariff, Apple is following the big trend [to diversify production],” giving itself more flexibility, the person added.

Outside of China, Apple is almost undoubtedly spoilt for choice. We’ve got a couple of Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, as well as Mexico and India. However, according to executives who are part of the talks, Apple has seemingly marked both India and Vietnam as potential favourites.

News of Apple’s plans come just weeks after Foxconn said that it has enough capacity outside China to make enough iPhones for the US market if required. It also follows the announcement from Google’s Nest division and Nintendo that their products will no longer be produced in China. Instead, production will be shifted to Thailand and Vietnam.

At this stage, Apple still hasn’t set a deadline for the big move, as it’s still waiting on its suppliers’ advise over which country would be most ideal for its shift. Sadly, the brand also failed to specify how many jobs in its China outlet would be affected by the 15% to 30% shift.

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(Source | Via)

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