Samsung Vietnam: Where young dreams come true

Classes inside the manufactory

After starting university in 2008, Nguyen Thi Lan (Yen Phong, Bac Ninh) decided to apply fo a job at Samsung, then settle down and get married. It seemed like the door to university had been permanently closed, but 10 years later, she finally has a long-awaited college degree in South Korean.

Lan is one of many Samsung Vietnam employees who have benefited from the corporation’s policy to develop and improve its human resources.

Over 10 years ago, at the time Samsung Vietnam’s first infrastructure was being put in place, Lan received a notice of matriculation. But her joy was cut short, as she considered her family’s financial situation. Her old mother was still working relentlessly on the rice field, an image that often grieves her.

If she had chosen to advance her studies, Lan would haveincreased the burden on her mother. After sleepless nights, the18-year-old girl decided to apply to work at Samsung, a decision she kept from her family.

As life went on, Lan began to familiarize herself with the assembly lines and factory works. After 2 years, Lan got married and was blessed with two children. Time passed until 2016, when Lan decided to participate in the Internal Collegiate Course standardized by the Ministry of Education, which is a collaboration between Samsung and Bac Ha Technology College with classes organized at right on the manufactory’s premises. Lan’s education dream of 8 years ago once again sparked like ember.

After doing the houshold chores and leaving her two boys in the care of her mother, Lan decided to enroll in her second major. Having passed the entrance exam, Samsung arranged classes for inside the manufactory (lecturers and tutors were sent to the manufactory) after her shift, and she received a study fee discount as well.

Similar to Lan, 24-year-old Dang Van Diep (My Duc, Ha Noi) also chose to continue his studies at Samsung. Diep said that at first, he felt quite reluctant as he had not studied for a while. But as soon as he saw his peers achieving their college degrees, along with the chance of being promoted to a higher position with a better wage, his interest was aroused.

Since then, he has been determined to resume his studies for a better future. Every day, as soon as his shift is over, Diep goes to class instead of returning to his dorm. The meeting rooms and training rooms are converted into classrooms.

Mildly smiled, Diep continued: “At first, I did not tell my parents about my studies at work, because I feared that people would worry for my health due to the busy schedule.”

“Without this program, I would have never been able to get a college degree”, said Diep.

After 3 years of a work-study combination, Diep finally graduated in 2018 and decided to apply for the position of internal technician t Samsung. He was successful and earned a pay rise and a transfer to Thai Nguyen.

“Our employees enjoy a 15 – 25% discount for the courses, along with the free infrastructure provided by Samsung. The location is ideal for the them, as the classes are organized inside the manufactory’s premises. Samsung also assign buses to help them travel to class,” said the representative.

According to a Samsung Vietnam representative, the company has cooperated with Bac Ha Technology College, Bac Ninh to organize classes since 2013, and with Thai Nguyen Economic & Technology College since 2015. So far, there are a total of 11 courses with around 1,200 employees studying different majors, such as electronics, accounting, South Korean, nursing and healthcare.

Samsung does not require any commitment from employees, and they even have the chance to get a better job upon graduation.

New lives begin

Pham Thi Hang from Bac Giang was one of the first workers of Samsung Vietnam in Bac Ninh. 10 years ago, when SEV began operation, Hang decided to leave her hometown to apply.

Coming from a humble, agriculture-oriented beginning, Hang’s knowledge or skills required for an employee at a high-tech manufactory such as SEV were “0”.

To be able to be eligible to join the production line as a Samsung employee, Hang went through a discipline training course to help her have a better understanding of safety rules, discipline, and the standard qualifications of an industrial environment.

The rough beginning quickly past, and a new life opened for Hang with a stable job and growing income along with unique welfare policies that could not be found anywhere else. This combination has kept Hang at Samsung for 10 years.

In 2018, Hang went to Barcelona, Spain to attend the launch of the Galaxy S9/S9+ , a product made by the joint-efforts of her and her colleagues. This was a fitting reward for the hardworking and loyal Samsung employee.

Hang shares the same mindset as her 100,000 Samsung co-workers. Many people with humble beginnings changed their lives the day they set foot in the manufactory, becoming a part of a grand investment plan for Samsung in Vietnam.

Accompanying young talents

For the past 10 years in Vietnam, Samsung has focused on developing young talents with numerous “open” policies.

For the last 2 years, young student Ngo Trong Duc (Tu Son, Bac Ninh) has worked as a programming engineer at Samsung Vietnam’s R&D center thanks to the Samsung Talent Scholarship program. In 2018, when he was still a senior doing a biomedical electronics major (Hanoi University of Science & Technology), Duc was uncertain about his future.

“At that time, most of my classmates had decided to steer their career paths towards the medical equipment field after graduation. I tried it myself, but it was not for me”, said Duc.

This “uncertain” period was when Duc found out about Samsung’s scholarship program. He became really interested and asked about other people’s experience.

“This scholarship is for students who have a talent for programming. The candidate can intern at Samsung and earn a chance to work there for the next 2 years”, Duc shared.

Without hesitation, Duc decided to enroll, and has passed 2 examinations to become one of the final 50 eligible for the scholarship. This was when his dream became a reality. He was taught many lessons in programming and gained experience by working in a professional environment.

The 24 year-old said despite having only 1 year left on the scholarship program, he still wants to commit to be with Samsung for the long term, since “there is much more to learn”. Unlike Duc, programming engineer Nguyen Duy Thanh came to Samsung on a “tougher” path.

Born in 1993 in Ben Tre, Thanh was an IT student at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry. During his third year, Thanh registered for a contest and was selected by the university to compete.

After winning first prize at a national competition, Thanh was recruited to South Korea to attend a training course for the 2015 World Skills Contest. Here, the Vietnamese student receive full support from Samsung for his travel expenses and accommodation for the duration his stay.

Everything feels like a dream to the young student. It was also Thanh’s first time abroad, meeting international friends working in the same field.

“Students had only 1 hour to have lunch and rest. In the evening, we mostly focused on revision, and working until 11pm was common.”

During this period, Thanh was fortunate to receive absolute support from Samsung, from every meal to suit his taste, to being tutored by foreign experts.

The closer the exam day got, the more intense the pressure became. Thanh remembers that two weeks before he flew to Brazil, he was forced to isolate himself in a private room with a personal computer. Even Thanh had to change his routine to fit the time zone in Brazil.

In August 2015, at the 4-day international competition, Thanh won a bronze medal. It was the first time Vietnam has won a medal at the competition. Thanh was also awarded the best member of the Vietnamese delegation by the organizers.

Thanh called the contest a turning point that completely changed his life. Afterwards, Thanh was transferred to Hanoi and entered the Samsung R&D center to work as a programmer until this day.

Coming from many different localities across the country, people like Lan, Diep, Hang Thanh and Duc all have one thing in common: linking their personal growth to the common development of Samsung Vietnam. They are among the many people who have benefited from the policy of training, fostering and improving local human resources for the groupo from the land of “kimchi”.