Why do FIEs find it difficult to transfer technology to Vietnamese workers? South Korean-invested enterprises have found it difficult to transfer technology to Vietnamese workers because the employees often leave for cities to look for jobs, according to Ruy Hang Ha, chair of KoCham.   Ha spoke at a meeting with the local press on the occasion of the 2016 Vietnam Business Forum (VBF). One of the important issues on the agenda of this year’s working session was how to strengthen cooperation between Vietnamese and foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) for sustainable economic development. Ruy Hang Ha and Vu Tien Loc, the co-chairs of VBF, said that FIEs have played an important role in Vietnam’s economy, but there were challenges. Experts have expressed their disappointment about technology transfer that foreign investors have promised. Some of them say that foreign investors deliberately delayed technology transfer. Samsung from South Korea is one of the largest foreign investors in Vietnam. Samsung Electronics has set up at least five legal entities in Vietnam, namely Samsung Electronics Vietnam (SEV), Samsung Electronics Vietnam Thai Nguyen (SEVT), Samsung Display Vietnam (SDV), Samsung CE Complex and Samsung Vina Electronics, which trades Samsung’s products in the domestic market. Ryu Hang Ha said that foreign-invested enterprises want to cooperate with Vietnamese companies but there exists a gap between willingness and implementation, especially in technology transfer. He said technology transfer depends heavily on the Vietnamese side. If Vietnamese enterprises have weak capability, tech transfer will fail despite the willingness and readiness of FIEs. He said that it was not difficult to find suitable workers for enterprises in Hanoi, HCM City or Hai Phong. However, it is difficult to find skilled workers in other localities. “Many engineers, after being trained at our enterprise for two to three years, quit and left for large cities,” he said, referring to the last five years in Quang Ngai province. His enterprise trains about 100 engineers a year, but many of them leave the enterprise and head for big cities. Loc, who is chair of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) said that it was necessary to enhance connections among the government, FIEs and local enterprises, and that each party must fulfill its tasks well. Of these, the government has to improve the business environment, while FIEs must play a central role and Vietnamese small- and medium-sized enterprises the role of satellite enterprises. Dau Anh Tuan from the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) cited a Fulbright report as saying, of the four engines of Vietnam’s economy, FDI is the only strong engine. Samsung from South Korea is one of the largest foreign investors in Vietnam. Samsung Electronics has set up at least five legal entities in Vietnam, namely Samsung Electronics Vietnam (SEV), Samsung Electronics Vietnam Thai Nguyen (SEVT), Samsung Display Vietnam (SDV), Samsung CE Complex and Samsung Vina Electronics, which trades Samsung’s products in the domestic market. Nam Chi, VNN