Vietnam pledges more energy security as chip race heats up

HO CHI MINH CITY -- Vietnam plans to secure sufficient energy supplies for chip and other technology companies, a state official told Nikkei Asia, acknowledging the difficult competition with neighbors like Malaysia for semiconductor investments.

Hanoi will attract chip investors through tax breaks, research spending and investments in infrastructure like power generation, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Duy Dong said in an interview, declining to give figures. He said he knows the fast-growing country will have to hustle as international competition ratchets up and electricity shortages become a top business worry.