Samsung heir Jay Y. Lee visits plants in Vietnam

Samsung Electronics Co. Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee, currently in Vietnam, has toured its smartphone, TV and other electronics plants there, as the company  looks to strengthen business ties and enhance investments in the Southeast Asian nation.

The Samsung Group heir visited the South Korean tech giant’s TV and home appliances factories in Ho Chi Minh City on Oct. 22 to discuss the company’s mid- to long-term business strategy in the Vietnamese market.

Lee also traveled to Samsung’s smartphone and display panel plants during his stay. 

The de facto leader of Samsung group embarked on a four-day trip to Vietnam on Monday as the company seeks more business opportunities in Southeast Asia.

On Tuesday, he met with Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to discuss ways to cement bilateral ties. On the same day, the Samsung leader also visited its research and development center currently under construction in Hanoi. 

The R&D center, set to be the largest in Southeast Asia, will be completed by the end of 2022 and house some 3,000 smartphone and mobile-device researchers.

“We need to be vigilant to cope with any difficulties in the post-coronavirus era. We have to find opportunities disguised as risks,” Lee said during his tour of Samsung plants in Vietnam.

Samsung operates many production bases in Vietnam. It first entered the market in 1995 when Samsung began manufacturing and selling TVs in Ho Chi Minh City and has since expanded its business into smartphones, displays, network equipment, batteries and other electronics parts.

Lee's trip to Vietnam is being accompanied by Roh Tae-moon, head of Samsung's mobile communications business, and Lee Dong-hoon, chief executive officer of Samsung Display Co.

Write to Hyung-suk Song at click@hankyung.com

In-Soo Nam edited this article.