Korean furniture giant invests billions of dollars in Vietnam

The company is expanding its integrated manufacturing and research and development operations to supply both domestic and international markets.

In late November, Fursys opened its first showroom in Ho Chi Minh City. Designed to resemble a modern workplace, the space showcases ergonomic desks and chairs, modular office systems, sofas, and other furniture solutions.

Speaking to VnExpressKim Il Hwan, CEO of Fursys Vietnam, said the showroom marks a strategic first step in the company’s long-term plan for the Vietnamese market, allowing customers to experience interior solutions before deployment.

Fursys considers Vietnam a priority market outside South Korea, where the company has operated for more than four decades and holds roughly 67% of the office furniture market. Kim said Vietnam’s sustained economic growth, youthful workforce, expanding foreign-invested business sector, and rising demand for upgraded work environments are driving a new development cycle for the country’s office furniture industry.

He noted that younger enterprises increasingly require modern workplace solutions to attract talent, while multinational corporations seek consistent office quality across regions.

In mature markets such as South Korea and the United States, businesses typically select office furniture based on ergonomic performance, material safety, and durability. In Vietnam, however, office interior decisions are still largely driven by design-and-build contractors, resulting in widespread use of low-cost products with limited lifespans and unclear quality standards.

Fursys views this structural gap as an opportunity to introduce higher ergonomic standards, safer materials, and more standardized production practices to the local market.

Fursys furniture products. Photo courtesy of Fursys

Alongside the showroom launch, the company is scaling up manufacturing operations in Vietnam.

Phase one of its Nhon Trach facility in Dong Nai Province is already operational, employing around 450 workers with an annual capacity of approximately one million sofas, chairs, and wooden products.

Phase two, scheduled to break ground in December, will add an 80,000-square-meter facility and lift capacity to two million units per year. Phase three is planned to begin in 2028.

Once fully completed, the factory is expected to employ about 1,000 workers and operate with a high level of automation. Fursys said its assembly lines will meet quality control standards equivalent to those in South Korea and comply with international certifications, including BIFMA, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and E0 material safety standards. Products manufactured in Vietnam will be supplied to both domestic and overseas markets.

Fursys’s primary objective in establishing the Vietnam plant is to optimize costs while building regional manufacturing capabilities. The company plans to develop local product design and engineering teams tailored to Vietnamese users and gradually increase the localization rate of materials. Several product lines will be researched, designed, and tested in Vietnam before being exported, rather than fully imported from South Korea.

Ergonomic desks and chairs. Photo courtesy of Fursys

Kim said revenue from Vietnam operations could account for 20–30% of Fursys’s global sales within the next five years.

Despite these ambitions, the company is adopting a cautious market-entry strategy. Lee Neung Ki, Business Development Manager at Fursys Vietnam, said the company’s biggest challenge is not competition but market perception. While Fursys dominates the South Korean furniture market and has supplied interiors for major global events such as APEC and the G20, it remains relatively unfamiliar to Vietnamese customers.

As a result, the company needs time to bridge the gap between product quality and brand recognition, particularly in the high-end office segment, where clients place greater emphasis on technical standards and after-sales support.

Beyond expanding its showroom network, Fursys is strengthening its consulting teams and on-site service capabilities, offering a 10-year warranty and 48-hour technical support.

Kim emphasized that Vietnam was selected not as a trial market but as a long-term strategic partner. The company sees strong potential in a market entering a phase of quality upgrading and believes Vietnam is well positioned to become a manufacturing hub for the Asian region.

“We aim to expand access to modern office furniture for domestic enterprises, create new manufacturing capacity, and raise industry standards over the long term,” he said.