Vietnam is one of the unfortunate countries that have experienced a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases this month, and the local government is now asking foreign companies, including Samsung Electronics, to secure vaccines for their workers.
Bui Hoang Mai, head of the industrial park management board in the province of Bac Ninh, told Bloomberg over the phone that ‘the government is encouraging companies to find COVID-19 vaccines for their workers.' A similar statement was made through the Vietnamese government's website.
The authorities want the situation to be kept under control and for the tech factories to remain operational while the involved parties do what they must to contain the virus. Among other procedures, Bac Ninh authorities have reportedly ordered factories to set up sleeping arrangements for workers on-site.
The health ministry is doing its part and has confirmed that it has sent 200,000 vaccine doses to Bac Ninh as well as Bac Giang workers. These vaccines are to be administrated within a week.
Vietnam is where the majority of Samsung's mobile products are made
Last week, Samsung announced that it began shipping 1 million Low Dead Space (LDS) syringes to India to increase the vaccine's distribution and reduce waste by roughly 20%. They got shipped from South Korea, where Samsung is involved with improving the manufacturing yield of syringes and surgical masks through smart factory technologies.
It's unclear how Samsung will want to tackle these challenges in Vietnam, or whether or not it has any plans for shipping LDS syringes to the country. More details should surface soon.
Samsung is the largest tech company in Vietnam, with its shipments of smartphones, displays, and other products accounting for roughly 25% of the country's total exports. Vietnam is where the majority of Samsung's mobile products are being made, with its factories in the Thai Nguyen province churning out smartphones, tablets, as well as wearable devices.
