FPT, Viettel team up to build strategic semiconductor capabilities

FPT Corp has established an advanced semiconductor testing and packaging plant, marking a strategic step with military-run telecoms group Viettel to strengthen the country’s position in the global chip supply chain and gain control of core technologies.

The corporation (HoSE: FPT) said the facility aims to link Vietnam’s semiconductor value chain and implement national strategies on mastering critical and sovereign technologies, as outlined in recent Government and Politburo resolutions. The move is intended to help Vietnam move deeper into global semiconductor supply chains.

The plant is Vietnam’s first advanced chip packaging and testing facility owned and operated by domestic firms, helping to complete a national semiconductor ecosystem covering research, design, manufacturing, training, testing, packaging and commercialization, FPT said.

The announcement underscores FPT’s commitment to national policies on science, technology, innovation and digital transformation, as well as Vietnam’s semiconductor industry strategy, which targets the development of 10 advanced packaging and testing plants by 2030.

FPT said the project is also designed to strengthen cooperation within Vietnam’s national semiconductor alliance, developing end-to-end capabilities from training and research to chip design, fabrication, testing, packaging and sales.

The plant will provide hands-on training opportunities for semiconductor students in Vietnam, supporting the government’s target of developing 50,000 semiconductor professionals by 2030, including at least 35,000 in manufacturing, packaging and testing.

“At today’s milestone, we have moved one step closer to completing Vietnam’s semiconductor ecosystem,” FPT chairman Truong Gia Binh said at the launch event. “To make chips a reality, products must be commercialized immediately. FPT will work closely with Viettel and domestic partners so that as chips are produced, FPT can handle testing and packaging, allowing Vietnamese technology chips to enter daily life.”

Lieutenant General Cao Duc Thang, a Party Central Committee member and chairman cum general director of Viettel, stated that FPT’s investment plays a strategic role in completing a “Make in Vietnam” semiconductor ecosystem, in line with the spirit of the Politburo's Resolution 57 on breakthroughs in the development of science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation.

He said the testing and packaging plant, together with Viettel’s chip manufacturing facility scheduled to break ground in January 2026, would serve as a “real-world training environment” to develop and retain domestic semiconductor engineers, helping curb brain drain and build a core workforce for the strategic industry.

Viettel’s approach emphasizes close coordination between state-owned and private enterprises in developing the semiconductor industry, Thang added.

Nguyen Bich Yen, honorary chair of the Institute of Semiconductor and Advanced Materials at Vietnam National University, said Vietnam is moving beyond rhetoric and taking concrete, coordinated actions to build a domestic semiconductor value chain.

She said key elements – from materials and design to packaging, testing, manufacturing, digital infrastructure and talent – are gradually taking shape, with FPT playing a central role in both technological development and ecosystem coordination.

In its first phase from 2026 to 2027, the FPT plant will be located at Yen Phong II-C Industrial Park in Bac Ninh province, covering 1,600 square meters. It will include six functional testing lines and a dedicated area for reliability and durability testing systems, including burn-in and failure analysis.

The facility will comply with international quality standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and IATF 16949, as well as semiconductor-specific standards including JEDEC, AEC-Q100 and AEC-Q101, FPT said.

In the second phase from 2028 to 2030, FPT plans to expand the plant to about 6,000 square meters, add 18 more testing lines, expand reliability testing capacity and invest in both traditional and advanced chip packaging lines. The expansion is expected to lift annual capacity to billions of units.

The company will also enhance testing capabilities for advanced chips used in Internet of Things applications, automotive electronics and edge AI systems-on-chip.

Bui Hoang Phuong, an alternate member of the Party Central Committee and Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, said Vietnam has a strong advantage in human resources and is attracting global chip design firms to employ Vietnamese engineers, laying the groundwork for domestic chip design companies.

While Vietnam has become an increasingly important player in testing and packaging within the global semiconductor supply chain, much of the activity has been led by foreign firms. FPT’s investment fills a critical gap and helps complete Vietnam’s semiconductor ecosystem, he said.

“FPT’s action demonstrates a concrete commitment through a real project, contributing to Vietnam’s ambition to bring its technological capabilities onto the global semiconductor map,” the deputy minister added.