New National Center Backs Vietnam’s Semiconductor Push

Vietnam is taking significant steps to enhance its semiconductor industry by launching the Vietnam National Multi-Project Wafer Coordination Center, aimed at fostering innovation and supporting pilot chip production.

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Structuring compliant manufacturing expansion

Vietnam has made another stride toward accelerating its semiconductor industry by establishing the Vietnam National Multi-Project Wafer Coordination Center (VNMPW/CC) under the Department of Information Technology (DIT).

Promulgated by Decision No. 4386/QD-BKHCN (“Decision 4386”) on December 24, 2025, the VNMPW/CC will share responsibility with the DIT Director for overseeing Vietnam’s semiconductor industry and will support pilot chip production efforts to foster sector growth.

The decision defines the center’s mandate to support state management and provide public services for chip prototyping, strengthen industry linkages, and bolster Vietnam’s position in the global semiconductor value chain.

The center was created to address one of the main issues facing chip design entities: the need for extensive support throughout the entire pilot production process.

Institutional backing for Vietnam’s semiconductor industry

Under Decision 4386, the center will provide essential infrastructure and public services to enable semiconductor design and prototyping as part of Vietnam’s broader industrial strategy. These services include:

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• Granting access to specialized electronic design automation software;
• Sharing intellectual property libraries;
• Conducting technical design verification; and
• Measuring and evaluating chip performance and quality after pilot production.

The VNMPW/CC will also facilitate ecosystem development and international cooperation to nurture domestic semiconductor innovation. This aligns with the government’s efforts to foster technical capabilities within the sector and integrate Vietnam more deeply into global supply chains.

Decision 4386 specifies the center’s legal status, functions, governance structure, and authority to deliver services, training, and industry linkage support from its headquarters in Hanoi.

Workforce development as a strategic priority

Human capital plays a crucial role in Vietnam’s semiconductor ambitions, especially as the country shifts from traditional areas like assembly, packaging, and testing to more advanced segments of the semiconductor value chain.

Vietnam currently has over 7,000 integrated circuit design engineers skilled in packaging, testing, materials, and semiconductor equipment. Throughout 2025, the country has increased its number of semiconductor design engineers by nearly 1,000, mainly by upskilling engineers from related fields.

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However, challenges remain in scaling up training, expanding laboratory capacity, and increasing the number of qualified lecturers and experts.

In this context, building a strategic workforce for the semiconductor industry has become a key mission of the VNMPW/CC. To accomplish this, they will organize intensive hands-on courses and support universities in chip design activities, aiming to develop a highly skilled engineering workforce for this essential sector.

Additionally, Vietnam has launched two national strategies to broaden its talent pool and align curriculum development with industry needs, promoting long-term sector growth. These include Strategy 1018 for the development of Vietnam’s semiconductor industry through 2030, with a vision extending to 2050, and Program 1017 for developing human resources in the sector.

These initiatives reflect the government’s strategic goal of positioning semiconductors as a leading high-tech industry, with human resource development serving as a vital pillar.

Commercial milestones: First chip exports under a multi-year contract

Private sector progress in Vietnam’s semiconductor industry has begun to materialize. In late December 2025, Vietnam’s FPT Corporation exported its first batch of commercially produced semiconductor chips to a Japanese electronics distributor under a multi-year contract. This shipment marks a tangible milestone for Vietnamese chip design exports and positions domestically developed intellectual property for broader markets across the Asia-Pacific region.

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Locally designed power management chips demonstrate their ability to meet strict Japanese industrial standards for reliability, safety, and environmental compliance, which are among the most rigorous in the global electronics industry. It underscores Vietnam’s growing competence in design verification and quality assurance.

This capability is critical for Vietnam’s ambition to participate more deeply in advanced semiconductor value chains, where trust in design integrity and long-term reliability is a prerequisite for market entry.

Momentum and broader industrial vision

Vietnam’s semiconductor drive is gaining global momentum as policymakers and industry executives underscore the sector’s role in economic transformation.

The industry’s growth is supported by both institutional reform and commercial execution: from decisions that create enabling organizational frameworks, such as the VNMPW/CC, to concrete achievements in chip exports and workforce readiness initiatives. Stakeholders emphasize that semiconductor development is not just about manufacturing capacity but also ecosystem integration, research and development (R&D) strengths, and strategic international cooperation.

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