S. Korean firms donate to Vietnam’s vaccine fund

South Korean firms operating large-scale factories in Vietnam have forked out tens of billions of won for the Southeast Asian country’s COVID-19 vaccines procurement plan, Korean media outlets reported said Sunday.

To date, Samsung Electronics has offered 2 billion won ($1.7 million) to Vietnam’s central government and 770 million won to local governments. The amount is the largest donation made by a multinational company operating in Vietnam to the country’s vaccine supply program.

The electronics giant was the first South Korean company to make a contribution to the COVID-19 vaccine fund launched by Hanoi, the reports said.

Samsung currently operates two plants in northern Vietnam, which together produce more than half of the company’s global smartphone output.

SK also made a donation of $1 million to the Vietnamese government, the reports added.

Nguyen Thanh Long, the Minister of Health of Vietnam, on Friday met with officials from SK Group and Samsung Electronics to thank them for their support.

LG Electronics donated 1.55 billion won to the local government of Haiphong in northern Vietnam, where the company operates a home appliance manufacturing facility.

Other South Korean firms that have made donations to Vietnam’s COVID-19 vaccine fund include food and entertainment giant CJ Group and Shinhan Bank. CJ Group donated 320 million won, and Shinhan Bank provided 290 million won.

The Vietnamese government last month announced the launch of the state-led vaccine fund as the country fights the resurgence of coronavirus infections. Multinational manufacturers from South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, which operate in Vietnam, have been asked by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to contribute.

Japanese car maker Toyota and Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn have also donated 500 million won each to the Vietnamese government.

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)