China's Mizu makes first batch of smartphones in Vietnam

A man walks past a logo of Xiaomi, a Chinese manufacturer of consumer electronics, outside a shop in Mumbai.

HANOI Reuters -- China's Mizu Corp has produced its first batch of smartphones in Vietnam, the company said on Thursday as it seeks to expand its foothold in Southeast Asia.

The company said in an emailed statement that the devices were produced at a factory in the province of Thai Nguyen, north of the capital Hanoi. The DBG Technology partner of Xiaomi is responsible for the operation of the plant.

Vietnam has become a regional manufacturing hub for global electronics makers in recent years. The export value of mobiles from the country, mostly produced by Samsung Electronics, went up 12.4% last year to $57.5 billion.

Xiaomi said that the first batch of its smartphones made in Vietnam had been sent to a local distributor, adding that it would soon export phones to other Southeast Asian markets, including Malaysia and Thailand.

The company didn't say anything about its production capacity in Vietnam.