The South Korean software industry is accelerating its expansion into Vietnam, a key market in Southeast Asia. The strategic partnership between Shinhan DS, the ICT specialist of Shinhan Financial Group, and TmaxSoft, an enterprise software expert, is seen as a significant signal for the global spread of K-Software.

Shinhan DS officially announced its entry into the Vietnamese market by signing a strategic partnership agreement with TmaxSoft for software distribution in Vietnam on June 23rd in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Through this agreement, Shinhan DS will supply TmaxSoft's flagship products, including the Application Server (WAS) 'JEUS' and the Web Server 'WebtoB,' to the Vietnamese market. Furthermore, they plan to actively pursue the Vietnamese market by establishing a comprehensive cooperation system for solution implementation and technical support through collaborations with local partners.

 
Vietnam: A New Land of Opportunity for K-Software

Vietnam is currently emerging as a key market in Southeast Asia, with rapid digital transformation (DX) and IT infrastructure modernization progressing, particularly in the public, finance, and manufacturing sectors. There's an explosive increase in demand for stable and scalable enterprise software, leading to the analysis that Vietnam offers an optimal environment for South Korea's proven ICT solutions to enter.

The Vietnamese government has demonstrated a strong commitment to digital transformation, setting targets in its '2030 Digital Economy Goals' for the digital economy to account for 20% of GDP and 80% of the population to use digital payments. Beyond such governmental policy support, the young and dynamic population structure and rapidly growing economy are key factors driving the growth of the IT infrastructure and software market. Indeed, the Vietnamese IT service market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of over 10%, reaching an estimated $5 billion by 2025.

In this market environment, companies are actively adopting stable and high-performance software solutions to enhance efficient business operations and competitiveness. Financial institutions, in particular, are pursuing the modernization of their core business systems, and manufacturing companies are accelerating the adoption of solutions for smart factory construction. The public sector is also promoting various IT projects for digital government implementation, increasing the demand for enterprise software.

 
Shinhan DS and TmaxSoft: Synergistic Strategy for Vietnam Market Penetration

Shinhan DS anticipates that this partnership will be a crucial opportunity to preemptively respond to changes in the Vietnamese market and further strengthen Shinhan DS's global business strategy. As a financial ICT specialist, Shinhan DS plans to provide services optimized for the Vietnamese market based on its accumulated expertise in system building and operation. Notably, Shinhan DS's significant strength lies in its ability to leverage Shinhan Financial Group's local network in Vietnam for stable market entry and expansion.

TmaxSoft is a company with unparalleled technological prowess and market share in the domestic middleware market. 'JEUS' has established itself as an essential solution for the stable operation of core systems in numerous financial institutions, public organizations, and large enterprises both domestically and internationally. 'WebtoB' also boasts strengths in handling high-volume traffic and providing stable web services. Such proven technology and extensive domestic and international implementation experience will be key factors in enhancing the competitiveness of TmaxSoft's solutions in the Vietnamese market.

Min Bok-ki, CEO of Shinhan DS, emphasized that this agreement goes beyond mere product supply. He stated, "It's meaningful to become a reliable partner that transfers practical know-how to local partners in Vietnam, fostering mutual growth based on the technology accumulated in Korea and project experiences across various industries." This demonstrates Shinhan DS's commitment to acting as a strategic partner supporting the digital transformation of local Vietnamese companies, rather than just a supplier. He further expressed his ambition to "introduce Korea's verified ICT solutions to the Vietnamese market, provide localized technology and services, and lead the global expansion of K-Software," signifying their intent to further elevate the status of K-Software through this collaboration.

 
Global Expansion and Future of K-Software

Shinhan DS and TmaxSoft's entry into Vietnam is a testament to the global competitiveness of K-Software and will serve as an important stepping stone for expansion into the broader Southeast Asian market. Korean software companies possess sufficient competitiveness in the global market based on their outstanding technology and rich implementation experience. Starting with this entry into Vietnam, it is hoped that domestic software companies will actively pioneer overseas markets and make the excellence of K-Software known worldwide.

The demand for digital transformation is expected to continue to increase not only in the Vietnamese market but also across the rapidly growing Southeast Asian market. In this trend, the cooperation between Shinhan DS and TmaxSoft is projected to significantly contribute to K-Software securing new growth engines in the global market and enhancing Korea's ICT capabilities.