Viettel, Qualcomm seek to turn Vietnam into world's major tech hub

Vietnam's military-run telecom giant Viettel and California-based Qualcomm on Thursday signed a strategic cooperation agreement, aiming to turn Vietnam into a major technology R&D center in the world.

Accordingly, Viettel and Qualcomm will continue to launch R&D projects with the goal of Viettel mastering strategic technologies, including 5G/6G infrastructure, AI-based smart network management system, AI processing infrastructure, data center infrastructure, AI solutions for governments and businesses, and 5G/6G smart terminals such as AI cameras, phones, tablets, computers, and AIoT, Viettel said in a release.

These are all technologies and products in the group of 11 strategic technologies announced by the Vietnamese Government, contributing to realizing the goal of making the digital economy contribute 30% of Vietnam's GDP by 2030.

In the context of the constantly changing technology market, the time to research products and bring them to markets needs to be shortened. The long-term cooperation and successes of the two corporations are a launching pad for Viettel and Qualcomm to go hand in hand with the world's technological development, towards a "Make in Vietnam" product ecosystem capable of serving both domestic and exporting markets, Viettel stated.

After 16 years of cooperation, the duo have successfully deployed many products belonging to the 3G, 4G, and 5G technology generations.

Notably, in 2022, the two groups joined hands to research and produce 5G Open RAN broadcasting stations. Only two years later, Viettel became the first partner in the world to deploy a 5G Open RAN broadcasting station using Qualcomm chipsets for testing.

It is expected that in 2025, more than 2,000 5G Open RAN stations will be deployed by Viettel on a large scale, affirming the Vietnamese heavyweight's ability to master 5G technology.

The product has been exported by Viettel to the Middle East market. This is a step forward to make Vietnam one of the six countries in the world with the capacity to produce 5G network equipment.

This project has just been nominated in the "Open RAN Excellence" category at the Network X Awards 2025 taking place in Paris this coming October.

In addition, Viettel and Qualcomm successfully developed the world's first 5G AI Camera for smart traffic, which has been widely deployed in the field of smart traffic in Vietnam and is being exported to a number of international markets.

The meeting between the two top leaders of Qualcomm and Viettel took place in the context of Vietnam's drastic implementation of national strategies on science and technology development, innovation, and digital transformation, in which technology corporations such as Viettel play a pioneering and leading role.

Qualcomm president and CEO Cristiano Amon commented that what makes the relationship between Viettel and Qualcomm special is that the two corporations have a long history of cooperation, with the same desire to develop breakthrough solutions that bring value to customers.

Viettel is different from many other businesses in that it has a strong R&D team, especially the spirit of dedication, ready to solve difficult problems with Qualcomm. That spirit is the reason why Qualcomm wants to accompany Viettel, the Vietnamese giant quoted Amon as saying in the release.

Lieutenant General Tao Duc Thang. chairman and general director of Viettel Group said: "The CEO of Qualcomm came to Vietnam and Viettel at the right time, when the Government has given the Vietnamese technology business community a great mission: researching and applying technology to develop the country.

"Deeper cooperation between the two groups in the next phase will certainly open up historic opportunities, making Vietnam a leading technology center in the region."

State-owned VNPT and Qualcomm on August 12 signed a strategic cooperation agreement to set up an excellence center, scheduled to open in October.

The deal, part of Qualcomm president and CEO Cristiano Amon’s visit to Vietnam, will see the launch of the VNPT-Qualcomm Excellence Center (VQEC) - the first facility in the country to operate under an original design co-development model using Qualcomm’s core technologies.

The VQEC will focus on research, product development, technology transfer, training high-quality talent, and promoting the commercialization of solutions based on Qualcomm’s technology platforms.

Under the agreement, the two companies will cooperate in artificial intelligence (AI), next-generation mobile networks (5G/6G), the Internet of Things (IoT), AI computing devices, and advanced networking equipment.

On the same day, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Amon in Hanoi. At the meeting, the Vietnamese leader asked Qualcomm to expand its investment in Vietnam, especially in core technologies which have higher values in the semiconductor industry value chain.