Held within the framework of the state visit to Vietnam by President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae Myung from April 21 to 24, this year’s Vietnam – Korea Roundtable and Vietnam – Korea Business Forum continued the strong momentum of bilateral relations after nearly 35 years since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1992.

Since the milestone of upgrading ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in December 2022, Vietnam – Korea cooperation has continued to deepen, expanding beyond trade and investment into science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and supply chains. The two countries are now among each other’s top three trading partners, while Korea is Vietnam’s largest foreign investor, with more than 10,000 Korean enterprises operating in the country.

In that context, CMC Corporation put forward a number of initiatives at the Vietnam – Korea Roundtable and the Vietnam – Korea Business Forum, emphasizing the need to expand cooperation between businesses of the two countries in a more substantive direction, moving from trade and investment toward jointly developing strategic technologies, co-creating markets, and building new value chains in the AI era. On April 23 in Hanoi, CMC was one of only a few Vietnamese enterprises to participate in both the speaking session at the roundtable and the presentation and discussion session at the forum.

Photo 1: President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae Myung and Prime Minister of Vietnam Le Minh Hung, together with representatives of enterprises from both countries, attend the Vietnam – Korea Roundtable

Expanding Cooperation From Market Ties To Strategic Technology Partnership

At the Vietnam – Korea Roundtable, Nguyen Trung Chinh, Chairman of CMC Corporation, affirmed that Korea has been one of CMC’s key markets for more than 20 years. Built on a long-standing foundation of cooperation with major Korean partners and clients, he said Vietnam – Korea business relations have reached the point where they can enter a new phase, in which enterprises from the two countries should move beyond being trade partners to becoming strategic technology partners.

According to Mr. Chinh, future cooperation needs to go beyond trade, investment, and service delivery, toward jointly transferring, developing, and mastering strategic technologies such as AI, semiconductors, and cybersecurity. Enterprises from both countries should play a central role in the cooperation ecosystem, driving innovation and connecting the entire value chain from research and technology development to commercialization. This approach is also consistent with the broader shift in Vietnam – Korea relations from extensive cooperation to deeper cooperation, with technology and innovation serving as new engines of growth.

Placing Enterprises At The Center Of New Value Chains

That spirit was further underscored at the Vietnam – Korea Business Forum. In his remarks at the forum, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung said that amid the restructuring of global supply chains, intensifying technology competition, and the growing imperative of green development, Vietnam – Korea economic cooperation needs to move into a new phase with a higher level of quality. Accordingly, the two countries should not stop at conventional trade and investment, but work together to build the industrial and technological ecosystems of the future.

From that perspective, the Prime Minister proposed three directions for future cooperation: jointly building a new-generation industrial and technology ecosystem; restructuring supply chains toward greater flexibility, sustainability, and higher value; and promoting knowledge linkages and innovation through closer connections among enterprises, researchers, and educational institutions in both countries. In his address at the forum, President Lee Jae Myung also proposed expanding cooperation in future industries such as AI, semiconductors, and digital technology; strengthening cooperation in energy and supply chains; and advancing science and technology collaboration through joint research, talent exchange, and long-term planning connectivity between the two countries.

Photo 2: An view of the Vietnam – Korea Business Forum in Hanoi on April 23

In his presentation at the forum, Nguyen Trung Chinh outlined the need to develop a new cooperation space centered on AI infrastructure and computing capacity, the data economy, AI platforms and models, AI applications in governance, and AI applications across industries. Accompanying these are three foundational conditions: human resources, AI governance based on trust and ethics, and an appropriate financial and institutional framework. From CMC’s perspective, these are essential conditions for Vietnam – Korea technology cooperation to move beyond opportunity-sharing toward substantive programs with scale, depth, and practical effectiveness.

Linking Cooperation With CMC’s Accelerate Your AI-X Strategy And Go Global Direction

CMC’s proposals at the forum are also closely tied to the group’s long-term development orientation. Nguyen Trung Chinh said CMC is accelerating the realization of its ‘Accelerate Your AI-X’ strategy, with the ambition of becoming a global AI transformation company, built on three technological pillars: AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, and AI solutions. Alongside this is its ‘Go Global’ direction, expanding international presence and bringing “Made by CMC” capabilities, products, and services to the global market.

Within this broader picture, Korea is not only an important market but also a strategic foothold in CMC’s journey to expand technology cooperation, service delivery, and international business. At the forum, Mr. Chinh also introduced CMC’s plan to develop a hyperscale data center in Ho Chi Minh City with capacity of up to 150 MW and total projected investment of USD 1-2 billion, while continuing to strengthen its core capabilities in AI, semiconductors, and cybersecurity.

Photo 3: Mr. Nguyen Trung Chinh presents his remarks at the Vietnam – Korea Business Forum

The MOU With FuriosaAI Extends CMC’s Strategic Cooperation With Korean Enterprises

CMC’s proposals at the forum did not stop at vision alone. Within the framework of the event, CMC Global signed a strategic cooperation agreement with FuriosaAI Company Limited to jointly develop AI application software, promote shared business opportunities, and expand the market in Vietnam and Korea.

The agreement with FuriosaAI marks a new step built on the cooperation foundation CMC has developed over many years with major Korean clients and partners such as Samsung SDS, LGU+, SK Telink, Korea Telecom, LG, CJ, Naver, SK Broadband, and Amkor Technology. Working alongside these leading corporations has not only helped CMC expand its presence in the Korean market but also enabled it to accumulate delivery capability, standardize its services, and build credibility for moving toward deeper models of technology cooperation.

The memorandum of understanding with FuriosaAI was a noteworthy highlight at the forum, showing that discussions on technology cooperation are no longer confined to orientation alone, but are beginning to take shape through concrete steps between enterprises of the two countries. This also reflects how CMC is gradually expanding cooperation from service provision to solution development partnerships, ecosystem expansion, and the creation of new growth opportunities in both the Vietnamese and Korean markets.

As Vietnam – Korea relations continue to deepen across both economic and technological dimensions, the proposals put forward by CMC at the Vietnam – Korea Roundtable and the Vietnam – Korea Business Forum not only demonstrate the role of a Vietnamese technology enterprise but also reflect expectations for a new phase of cooperation in which enterprises from both countries jointly build technological capability, expand markets, and create long-term value for the future.