Vietnam PM seeks higher quality tech investments from Chinese firms

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)