Samsung wants to make its Vietnam R&D center global hub

"The first mission is to expand its research activities and enhance expertise," the head of Samsung Vietnam Complex said at a conference on Sunday.

The conglomerate opened the US$220-million research center in Hanoi last December.

It would take Vietnam from being a global production hub for Samsung to a strategic base for major research and development, the company had said at the opening ceremony.

Choi said the second mission is to help develop technology talent and industry in Vietnam.

For this, Samsung plans to step up training through scholarships and internships for promising tech students and cooperation with universities, he said.

"We wish to strengthen our partnership with Vietnamese businesses to help them develop and become part of Samsung's global value chain."

By the end of last year the number of Vietnamese tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers in Samsung's global supply chain had increased to 257, 10 times the number in 2014.

Since 2015 experts from Samsung Korea have worked with some 400 Vietnamese companies to improve their product quality.

Samsung established its first smartphone factory in Vietnam in 2008 and has invested $18.2 billion so far. The figure could rise to $20 billion by the end of this year.

The company makes around half of all its smartphones in the country.