HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam on Friday officially launched construction of its first semiconductor chip manufacturing facility, a landmark step towards building domestic chipmaking capacity, with Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính attending the groundbreaking ceremony in Hà Nội.

The project is undertaken by the military-run Viettel Group under a Government resolution and marks a pivotal moment as Việt Nam develops chip fabrication capabilities for the first time. The facility is intended to lay the foundation for mastering core technologies and building a domestic semiconductor ecosystem.

Located in Hòa Lạc High-Tech Park on a 27-hectare site, the plant will function as national infrastructure for semiconductor research, design, testing and production. Once operational, it will supply chips for multiple industries, including aerospace, telecommunications, Internet of Things, automotive, medical equipment and automation.

A complete semiconductor chip requires six main stages: product definition, system design, detailed design, chip fabrication, packaging and testing and integration and verification.

Việt Nam has gradually participated in five of these stages. Chip fabrication, the most complex and critical step, has so far remained beyond domestic reach. The new facility is expected to complete the entire production chain.

Chipmaking is among the most sophisticated technological processes. Starting from ultra-pure silicon wafers, chips are produced through around 1,000 consecutive manufacturing steps over three months. A single deviation at any stage can disrupt the entire production line, demanding exceptional organisational capacity and technological mastery.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính underscored the strategic importance of the facility.

“This is a crucial step toward realising our national semiconductor industry development strategy,” he said. “It creates a foundation for Việt Nam to integrate deeper into the global value chain through science, technology and innovation.”

The plant will help complete the domestic semiconductor ecosystem, enabling chip design companies, tech startups and research institutions to shorten testing cycles and accelerate product development. It will also serve as a training hub for semiconductor talent, supporting Việt Nam’s goal of training 50,000 chip design engineers by 2030 and building a semiconductor workforce of 100,000 by 2040.

Viettel has laid the groundwork through specialised training, international partnerships and technology transfers, while accumulating experience in chip research, design and application.

Lieutenant General Tào Đức Thắng, Viettel’s chairman and CEO, confirmed the timeline, saying the group will complete construction, receive technology transfers and begin trial production by the end of 2027. The 2028–30 period will focus on optimising processes and improving production efficiency to international standards.

The Hòa Lạc facility is also planned for future expansion, positioning Việt Nam to gradually access more advanced semiconductor technologies. The project contributes to the country’s goal of technology self-reliance for a sustainable future. — BIZHUB/VNS