HANOI, Aug 27 (Reuters) – Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung has called on Chinese businesses investing in Vietnam to shift toward higher quality, technology-driven ventures including artificial intelligence, 5G and semiconductors.
• Hung urged businesses to turn high-level agreements into concrete projects, especially in rail links, logistics, clean energy and advanced technology including AI, semiconductors, 5G and big data, according to a government statement on Thursday.
• China’s involvement in 5G and AI in Vietnam is controversial as the U.S. and Vietnam’s Western partners have repeatedly urged the country to shun Chinese technology over security concerns.
• Hanoi recently shifted its approach to China’s 5G, sealing deals for the network rollout with Huawei and ZTE. In 2020 Vietnam had joined the U.S. government’s “Clean Network” initiative committing not to using 5G equipment from the two Chinese companies.
• The U.S. is also planning to tell partners that they should pick a side in the AI race with China.
• Hung told Chinese investors in Hanoi that the next phase of cooperation should not be about the amount of investment, but its quality and impact.
• “Chinese companies should treat Vietnam as a long-term investment, production and business base, while bringing more advanced technology,” the statement cited Hung as saying on Wednesday.
• Chinese investors have launched more than 7,100 projects in Vietnam with combined registered capital of $37 billion, mainly in manufacturing, infrastructure, energy, electronics and technology, making Beijing the sixth-largest foreign investor in Vietnam, official data showed.
• The investment has risen in recent years and in the first seven months of 2026, newly pledged Chinese investment grew 31.5% from a year earlier.
(Reporting by Phuong Nguyen; Editing by Martin Petty)
