China is dominant in magnets and the rare earth metals they are made from. Magnet makers are also drawn to Vietnam by low labour costs and market access afforded by multiple free-trade deals. It said it sources most of its rare earths from China but is seeking alternative sources in Vietnam and Australia and plans to develop a processing facility in Vietnam. A similar request from clients prompted another Chinese magnet maker, Magsound, to decide to open a factory in Vietnam in the first half of next year, the two people said. In April, Australia's Strategic Materials (ASM.AX) signed a deal with a Vietnamese refiner that committed to supplying rare earths for export to South Korea.

---

Persons: David Merriman, China's Luxshare, Taiwan's Foxconn, Magsound, Japan's Shin, Obayashi, Francesco Guarascio, Khanh Vu, Mai Nguyen, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Apple, Sino, Korea's Star, Industrial, SGI, U.S . Department of Energy, South, Reuters, VinFast, Hyundai, China's, Luxshare, Thomson Locations: China, HANOI, SEOUL, Vietnam, U.S, South Korea, Washington, Beijing, Australia, Hanoi