Daewoo Engineering chief meets Vietnam's trade minister to pitch nuclear, energy projects

Only Korean construction company to meet visiting Vietnamese delegation

'Will share nuclear construction expertise to build local capacity'

Daewoo Engineering & Construction Chairman Jeong Won-ju (right) meets Le Manh Hung, Vietnam's Minister of Industry and Trade, at The Grand Lotte Seoul in Euljiro on Wednesday afternoon to convey the company's commitment to energy sector projects. [Daewoo Engineering & Construction]

Daewoo Engineering & Construction Chairman Jeong Won-ju has personally taken up the role of pitching the company's nuclear power capabilities to the Vietnamese market.

Daewoo Engineering & Construction said Thursday that Jeong met with Le Manh Hung, Vietnam's Minister of Industry and Trade, on Wednesday afternoon during the minister's visit to South Korea, conveying the company's intent to participate in energy projects including nuclear power plants and LNG terminals.

Officials from Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade and state-owned PetroVietnam are in South Korea for a two-night, three-day visit that began Wednesday to attend the Korea-Vietnam Joint Industrial Committee and hold meetings with relevant government agencies. Daewoo Engineering & Construction was the only South Korean construction company to secure a meeting with the visiting delegation.

"Daewoo Engineering & Construction has carried out diverse projects in Vietnam over the past 30-plus years, growing alongside the country's economic development," Jeong said. "Drawing on our deep understanding of Vietnam and our extensive local networks, we aim to make a tangible contribution to the expansion of Vietnam's nuclear power and energy infrastructure through localization."

Daewoo Engineering & Construction Chairman Jeong Won-ju (far right) and Le Manh Hung, Vietnam's Minister of Industry and Trade (far left), during their meeting. [Daewoo Engineering & Construction]

Jeong also highlighted the company's role as lead contractor in the Czech Dukovany nuclear power plant project, noting its efforts to expand the participation of local firms. "If we become involved in Vietnam's nuclear power project, we will go beyond construction work to share Daewoo Engineering & Construction's nuclear construction technology and experience, and actively support the improvement of local companies' technical and quality capabilities and competitiveness," he added.

The company is laying the groundwork for nuclear localization in Vietnam, drawing on its understanding of the country's industrial environment and business conditions. It is exploring cooperation across workforce development, technology transfer and local supply chain building, with the aim of helping Vietnamese workers develop expertise in the nuclear sector and strengthening the industry's overall competitiveness.

"We are actively preparing to participate in energy projects including not only nuclear power but also LNG terminals," a company official said. "We will continue to explore diverse avenues of cooperation with governments and companies to contribute to Vietnam's stable energy supply and the expansion of its power infrastructure."

Meanwhile, Daewoo Engineering & Construction is stepping up its push into Southeast Asia with Vietnam and Indonesia as its core bases. Last month, it proposed an integrated development project in Indonesia combining small modular reactors, LNG infrastructure and AI data centers. The company plans to build on its track record in urban development in Vietnam to expand into future growth industries in Indonesia as well, including nuclear power, railways and power generation infrastructure.

lucky@heraldcorp.com