HD Hyundai CEO visits shipyard in Vietnam

HD Hyundai CEO Chung Ki-sun, back row fifth from left, poses with workers at Hyundai Vietnam Shipbuilding in Khanh Hoa, Vietnam, Thursday. Courtesy of HD Hyundai

By Lee Kyung-min

HD Hyundai CEO Chung Ki-sun visited Hyundai Vietnam Shipbuilding, a regional affiliate of the shipbuilder, according to the firm, Thursday.

Chung visited the Vietnamese entity's shipyard in Khanh Hoa to examine the shipbuilding progress and boost the morale of executives and employees.

This came shortly before President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to the country.

Chung is a member of the president-led economic delegation, comprising heads of local conglomerates.

He said the firm was able to achieve excellent results in Vietnam thanks to the hard work of its executives and employees despite unfavorable circumstances

“I will continue to work harder for Hyundai Vietnam Shipbuilding to write a model success story representing the Korean shipbuilding industry,” he said during the visit.

Hyundai Vietnam Shipbuilding is the first and only successful case of overseas expansion of Korea's shipbuilding industry.

It was founded in 1996 as a joint venture of Hyundai Mipo Dockyard and Vietnam's state-run shipbuilding entity, providing mostly maintenance and remodeling work.

But it entered the shipbuilding business in the late 2000s and has since established itself as Southeast Asia's largest shipyard.

It has won over 200 vessel orders.

On the same day as Chung's visit, HD Hyundai has also introduced green ship technology and various solutions under the theme of “Clean Future Staring at the Sea," during an event held at the Korea-Vietnam Partnership Fair at the National Convention Center in Hanoi.

State-of-the-art wind- and solar-powered hydrogen carriers drew positive reviews from Vietnamese industry players. Also demonstrated were green technologies for future ships.