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In a significant stride towards the advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, Vietnamese and South Korean partners have sealed five cooperative agreements. These pacts encompass the development of AI technology in fields such as medicine, healthcare, smart city initiatives, and automation within the central city of Vietnam, Da Nang, with the aim of establishing it as a global hub for AI innovation.
This promising development marks swift and positive progress between South Korea and Central Vietnam since the inception of the Vietnam Innovation Network in Korea (VINK). This initiative unveiled the Da Nang-Seoul Start-up Innovation Centre and the Vietnam-Korea AI (VKAI) Hub in Da Nang City in early October.
Nguyen Quang Phuoc, Chairman of VINK, expressed his conviction that these recent accords between Korean and local partners serve as a cornerstone for enhancing and deepening collaboration between South Korea and Central Vietnam, with potential ramifications on a national scale.
The VKAI Hub, headquartered in Da Nang, has entered into agreements with various organisations including the Korea Artificial Intelligence Association (KORAIA), S-LAB (a VINK member), the research centre of Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, OTOM company (specialising in portable X-ray manufacturing), Jayroun Soft Corp., ONYCOM Inc, LBS Tech, and Polaris Consulting Group. These agreements aim to boost and foster connectivity within the global AI ecosystem, public healthcare, and innovation, encompassing Vietnam, South Korea, and the wider world.
Among these collaborative endeavors, Hospital No 199, and Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, are joining forces to develop a global AI healthcare system. This initiative is a promising step towards delivering healthcare services to a broad spectrum of individuals, including residents, tourists, and foreign visitors within Central Vietnam and beyond.
Chairman Phuoc emphasised the concerted efforts of the Global Startup Immigration Centre and VINK in constructing a workspace and hub for innovative startup projects and investors, not only from South Korea but from across the global landscape.
Prior to these developments, EM&AI company, along with two partners, AI20X Vietnam and WeNet, signed strategic agreements pertaining to generative AI Vagent (voice bot), a solution for automatic calls and messages in Vietnamese and English, as well as AI systems for marketing and customer care.
Notably, Da Nang Hi-Tech Park saw the commencement of the first surface-mount technology (SMT) factory dedicated to manufacturing printed circuit boards and electronic components for export in early 2021. A Korean tech conglomerate embarked on establishing its Innovation Campus at Duy Tan Private University in the city and extended support to two local businesses, Trung Nam Group and Tan Long Paper and Package Company, in constructing the city’s inaugural smart factories.
In addition, LG Electronics from South Korea established its R&D centre, the second in Vietnam, in Da Nang, while Taiwan’s Foxlink International initiated a substantial $135 million electronics factory investment project at the city’s Hi-Tech Park.
The Vietnam-Korea Friendship Information Technology University embarked on training the first batch of 500 semiconductor and chip design engineers in Central Vietnam within the 2024-2027 timeframe.
Da Nang’s digital economy, comprising 900 IT businesses and a workforce of 115,000 individuals, made a notable contribution, constituting a 19.7% share of the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) in 2022. These developments signify the city’s role at the forefront of technological and AI innovation, poised to play a significant role in the global AI landscape.
OpenGov Asia reported that Vietnam and the Republic of Korea have committed to reciprocal assistance in the field of science and technology, sharing substantial policies, and engaging in discussions about innovation, AI, and research centres, thus establishing the groundwork for forthcoming collaborative endeavours in emerging sectors. This collaboration unfolded during the 9th session of the Joint Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation in Seoul, co-chaired by Vietnam’s Minister of Science and Technology, Huynh Thanh Dat, and his counterpart from South Korea, Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong-ho.
