Viet Nam to export 5,000 drones to South Korea
VGP - A Vietnamese company has secured its first-ever export order for 5,000 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to South Korea, marking a significant milestone in the nation’s UAV industry.
A made-in-Viet Nam drone - Source: CT Group
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between Viet Nam's CT Group and an emerging South Korean drone technology company at the Viet Nam-South Korea Economic Forum held in Seoul, South Korea on August 12 in the presence of General Secretary To Lam and South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min Seok.
This landmark agreement affirms Viet Nam's mastery of core UAV technologies and strengthens its position on the global technology map.
CT UAV—a subsidiary of CT Group—produces heavy-duty cargo drones capable of carrying loads from 60 to 300 kg, with a localization rate of up to 85 percent. Powered by proprietary Vietnamese technology, these UAVs have earned high praise from international partners, including South Korea. The company's self-sufficiency in designing semiconductor chips for UAVs provides a competitive edge, demonstrating Viet Nam's readiness to compete in advanced technology sectors while boosting both its economy and global reputation.
Viet Nam's UAV capabilities signal its entry into an era of spatial automation, where flying robots can enhance productivity across economic, social, and defense spheres. Countries with more advanced UAV specializations are set to gain strategic advantages in multiple domains.
Alongside the UAV order, CT Group also signed an agreement to export 100 million semiconductor chips to a South Korean partner. Entering the semiconductor sector—long dominated by a few developed nations—highlights Viet Nam's ambition and capacity to succeed in complex, high-tech industries.
Earlier, Viet Nam started with small-scale drone assembly and agricultural spraying models in the 2010s. By the early 2020s, companies began developing proprietary designs and shifting focus to cargo, surveillance, mapping, and defense drones. 2025 marks a turning point with CT Group’s 5,000-UAV export order to South Korea, signaling Viet Nam’s ability to mass-produce and export heavy-duty UAVs.
The 2024 Law on Science, Technology and Innovation outlines a range of incentives to promote workforce development in these high-tech industries. The legal framework reflects the Party’s strategic priorities on innovation and national competitiveness. It is expected to accelerate the implementation of Viet Nam’s Semiconductor Industry Development Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2050, and the Human Resource Development Programme for the Semiconductor Industry to 2030, approved in September 2024.
Viet Nam also set a target to train at least 50,000 high-quality workers for the semiconductor and AI industries by 2030. This includes 42,000 engineers, 7,500 master's degree holders, 500 doctoral researchers and 5,000 AI specialists.
Other Vietnamese tech firms are also advancing in UAV and semiconductor production. Viettel is developing dual-use drones for a "low-altitude economic ecosystem" integrating both unmanned and manned aerial vehicles for civilian and defense applications. FPT Semiconductor has secured international orders for 70 million chips, mainly PMICs and IoT chips for medical devices and electronics. Designed in Viet Nam, these chips are manufactured in South Korea and packaged in Taiwan./.
