CEO Tim Cook just made a surprise visit to Vietnam to connect with students, creators and customers, to better understand the diversity of how they use Apple products to do extraordinary things..
He shared, “Apple is always working to build deep connections and bring more benefits to the people where we operate. From partnering with local suppliers, to supporting clean water projects and educational opportunities, we are committed to continuing to strengthen connections in Vietnam.”
Since operating in Vietnam more than a decade ago, up to now, Apple is supporting more than 200.000 direct and indirect jobs, through the supply chain and iOS ecosystem. Vietnam is among the top 5 countries in the world in the field of mobile game production.
On the official website, Apple announced that it will increase payments to suppliers in Vietnam. The company has spent nearly VND 400.000 billion since 2019 through the local supply chain and more than doubled its annual spending to Vietnam in the same period.
In addition, the iPhone manufacturer also cooperated with global clean water organization Gravity Water to install advanced rainwater storage systems at schools in Hoa Binh province. With Apple's support, the organization is on track to reach its goal of reaching 131 schools by the end of April, providing safe, reliable water year-round to more than 4 students as well as teachers and families children.
In addition to clean water, Apple's Power for Impact initiative also strives to bring clean energy to schools in rural areas. Apple is partnering with the TRE Foundation to install solar battery systems at 20 schools in rural Vietnam, while also supporting a curriculum for children about sustainable development and STEM.
This year, Apple will expand its Disability Vocational Training program to promote inclusion and provide greater opportunities for people with disabilities in the supply chain. Apple also supports students and teachers in STEM education with programming and application development resources in Vietnamese, including Apple's Swift Playgrounds application and the Everyone Can Program project.
Before this surprise visit, Apple CEO mentioned Vietnam many times. During the meeting to report business results for the second quarter of 2021, when sharing that he had just set a record revenue of 81,4 billion USD, Tim Cook said “The majority of markets we track are growing double-digits and are particularly strong in emerging markets, including India, Latin America and Vietnam.”
According to research firm Counterpoint's first quarter 2023 report, demand for Apple iPhones in Vietnam is still growing, despite a sharp decline in imported smartphones. It is not difficult to understand that "defective apples" are increasingly increasing their presence in Vietnam. On May 18, the iPhone manufacturer opened an online store to provide genuine products directly to Vietnamese users.
At the end of 2023, CEO Tim Cook also confirmed that Vietnam is a country in Apple's special business strategy. Currently, some of the company's products are manufactured in Vietnam such as MacBook, iPad and Apple Watch. The head of Apple also assessed that Vietnam's digital economy is growing strongly.
