French software firm banks on Vietnam as new manufacturing hub

French software firm Dassault Systèmes has opened its Vietnam office to take advantage of opportunities as the country becomes a new global manufacturing hub, a company executive said.

“We have a long-established track record in Vietnam. This has seen us collaborate closely with some of the most prestigious universities nationwide and develop a solid network of partners and resellers,” Josephine Ong, managing director for Asia Pacific South, Dassault Systèmes, said at the office inauguration in Hanoi Wednesday.

“We also have a growing base of customers across Vietnam’s key growth sectors looking to deploy our 3DEXPERIENCE platform,” she said, adding that a post-pandemic Vietnam was a clear destination for production shift from China.

“In Vietnam, we are working with the country’s largest private conglomerate, Vingroup, to support their digital transformation, namely for their VinFast and Vinhomes businesses,” Ong said.

“We are active in the electric vehicle space globally and see this as a sector in which our 3DEXPERIENCE platform is ideally suited to optimize manufacturing processes and help propel the industry forward in Vietnam,” she added.

Samson Khaou, executive vice president, Asia Pacific, Dassault Systèmes, said: “Sustainability is at the heart of our corporate purpose. It is completely aligned with Vietnam’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 at the COP26 summit in 2021.

“The local presence that we are establishing here is an opportunity to support the country’s efforts to be a green manufacturing hub and facilitate the export of made-in-Vietnam products,” he added.

The company also has its sights set on Vietnam’s emerging smart-city developments, with Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang having announced the deployment of smart technologies in sectors ranging from traffic management to health and education.

“The pandemic clearly showed the need for public services to break silos, and act swiftly and decisively during times of crisis. By leveraging our 3DEXPERIENCE platform with virtual twin technologies, decision-makers will be better equipped to plan for unforeseen crises, as well as the impact of new urban projects here in Vietnam,” said Ong.