Vietnam pins semiconductor ambition on robust workforce training

[HO CHI MINH CITY] Vietnam, the third-largest Asian exporter of semiconductors to the US, after Malaysia and Taiwan, is betting big on its sector ambitions by focusing on its most valuable yet currently scarce asset – a skilled workforce of engineers, designers and technicians.

Vietnam is forging partnerships with global chip powerhouses and enhancing workforce quality, aiming to send about 1,500 engineers abroad for chip design roles and another 5,000 for other chipmaking jobs within the next six years, according to a document from the country’s investment ministry reviewed by The Business Times.

This effort is part of Vietnam’s broader goal to groom 50,000 semiconductor professionals by the decade’s end. Central to this strategy is becoming a global workforce hub, with 6,500 Vietnamese engineers expected to be working overseas by 2030.