Young entrepreneurs have been building their empires.
Amidst the global artificial intelligence (AI) craze, the team behind the AI startup Hay made a significant impact in mid-2025 by successfully raising $10 million in its Series A funding round. Dubbed a "next-generation Google Search specifically for Vietnamese users," AI Hay doesn't just return links; it directly aggregates and summarizes information from the internet (newspapers, websites, social media) into concise, natural answers. Unlike international AI models, AI Hay is a question-answering and information-searching application optimized specifically for the language, culture, and lifestyle of Vietnamese people. This deal affirms the capabilities of Vietnamese engineers in mastering core technologies, demonstrating their readiness to conquer a niche market of over 100 million people.
Similarly, earlier this year, the artificial intelligence startup Nami Technology (NamiTech) successfully raised $4 million in a new funding round with participation from Toho Gas, one of Japan 's major gas and energy corporations, and existing investor Thien Viet Securities Company. NamiTech develops core technologies such as neural signal processing, voice technology, biometrics, and natural language processing. According to the company, NamiTech's products have already been deployed to customers in Vietnam, Japan, and the US, serving various sectors such as finance, banking, insurance, retail, and telecommunications. Early access to these demanding markets is considered a crucial step in this AI startup's international expansion strategy.
These are just a few examples of young startups that have earned the trust of international investment funds.
The Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association awarded the title of Outstanding Young Entrepreneur in Startup 2026.
PHOTO: VNA
Data from the General Statistics Office ( Ministry of Finance ) shows that in the first five months of this year, more than 142,600 businesses registered for new establishment or resumed operations nationwide, an increase of 27.6% compared to the same period last year, averaging 28,500 new businesses established or resuming operations per month. It is evident that the number of newly established businesses continues to increase.
According to the Central Committee of the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association, the Top 100 outstanding young entrepreneurs in 2026 and the Top 10 most outstanding individuals generated revenue of VND 4,453 billion, profit of VND 95.8 billion, contributed VND 48.34 billion to the state budget, and created jobs for 3,726 employees in 2025. The Top 10 alone achieved revenue of VND 1,886 billion, profit of VND 37.31 billion, and created jobs for 729 employees. According to the Central Committee of the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association, these entrepreneurs, under 35 years old, have built remarkable achievements. They have collectively answered the question: What value have they created for the economy ?
Data on outstanding young entrepreneurs in 2026 also shows that the startup sector is not limited to digital technology. They are entering many areas of the economy such as manufacturing, supply chains, transportation, trade, local services, healthcare, and agriculture. These young entrepreneurs have applied technology to improve production methods, inventory management, sales, distribution, customer service, and data utilization. This is noteworthy in the context of the Politburo's Resolution 57, which focuses on science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation, and the Politburo's Resolution 68, which expands the development space for the private economy. Young entrepreneurs are gradually turning global challenges into opportunities, affirming the position of Vietnam's startup ecosystem on the world technology map.
A generation of innovative startups with regional and international competitiveness.
Associate Professor Dr. Do Phu Tran Tinh, Director of the Institute for Policy Development at the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, believes that the environment for entrepreneurship and innovation in Vietnam is currently very favorable, especially due to the strong changes in development thinking and the system of policies and guidelines of the Party and State. First of all, entrepreneurship and innovation have been placed at the center of the national development strategy. Previously, Vietnam's economic growth mainly relied on capital, labor, resources, and low-cost advantages. Entrepreneurship was often simply understood as creating jobs, establishing small businesses, or developing household businesses. However, this thinking has changed significantly in recent years. Particularly since the 13th National Congress of the Party and more recently with major policies on science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation, Vietnam has identified these as the main drivers for improving productivity, the quality of growth, and national competitiveness. This has huge implications for the startup community.
The second advantage is that Vietnam is shifting from an approach of supporting individual businesses to building an innovation ecosystem. This is a crucial point. In many developing countries, startup policies often stop at providing capital support, tax incentives, or organizing incubation programs. These policies are necessary, but without a connected ecosystem, it is difficult to create truly competitive innovative businesses. In Vietnam, current policies are gradually moving towards forming a more complete ecosystem, including a network of innovation centers, business incubators, a national innovation startup support program, venture capital funds, mechanisms to promote digital transformation, commercialization of research results, and linkages between the State - universities - businesses - investors. This helps reduce transaction costs in innovation, because the biggest barrier for startups is not only a lack of capital, but also a lack of technology, expertise, markets, data, partners, and investment networks.
Favorable policies provide a strong impetus for young people to start businesses. In the photo: Battery and electric motorcycle production at the electric vehicle startup Selex Motors.
PHOTO: DAU TIEN DAT
Favorable policies provide a strong impetus for young people to start businesses. In the photo: Battery and electric motorcycle production at the electric vehicle startup Selex Motors.
PHOTO: DAU TIEN DAT
Associate Professor Dr. Do Phu Tran Tinh emphasized: Vietnam's current innovation and startup environment is more favorable than before, not only because of more support programs, but more importantly because of changes in development thinking, institutions, and the organization of the ecosystem. If mechanisms such as venture capital funds, policy sandboxes, intellectual property protection, technology ordering, and commercialization of research results are further improved, Vietnam has every opportunity to form a generation of innovative startups with regional and international competitiveness.
Sharing the same viewpoint, Mr. Tran Anh Tung, M.Sc., from the University of Economics and Finance Ho Chi Minh City, assessed: The current generation of young Vietnamese people possesses a very different spirit compared to previous generations. While in the past, most young people prioritized finding a stable job, now more and more young people are choosing to create new value, build their own businesses, or participate in innovative projects even while still in school. Many young people are approaching entrepreneurship using technology, data, AI, e-commerce, green economy, and digital business models. The aspiration to succeed is very clear among today's youth. Many are willing to accept risks and failures to learn and try again. This is very important, because no nation can prosper without a generation that dares to think big, dares to act, and dares to take responsibility for its choices.
"That ambition, that daring spirit, is nurtured by the solid support from the environment and policies," Mr. Tran Anh Tung emphasized, adding that this could be the most favorable period in the last 20 years. While the previous generation lacked capital, technology, and markets, the current generation is benefiting from all three simultaneously. The size of Vietnam's economy has exceeded $500 billion, and the middle class is expected to reach approximately 50 million people by 2030, creating a sufficiently large consumer market for new ideas. In particular, the internet penetration rate is over 80% of the population, and more than 75 million social media users allow startups to reach millions of customers at a much lower cost than before. More importantly, the ecosystem supporting startups is rapidly improving. Project 844 on supporting the national innovation and startup ecosystem, the National Innovation Center (NIC), domestic and foreign venture capital funds, and policies promoting digital transformation have created a very good "runway" for young entrepreneurs.
"Previously, a business needed billions of dong to open a store and rent premises, but today a group of young people can build a digital product, sell it on an e-commerce platform, and reach customers nationwide at a much lower cost," Master's student Tran Anh Tung cited as an example.
Young people will be the "masters" in the age of technology and the digital economy.
According to Associate Professor Dr. Do Phu Tran Tinh, the greatest advantage of Vietnamese youth today is not only their better use of technology, but also their high level of compatibility with the country's new growth model, in which science, technology, innovation, the digital economy, and the green economy are identified as key drivers. First and foremost, fields such as AI, big data, e-commerce, financial technology, digital education, green technology, and the platform economy are all sectors that rely heavily on knowledge, digital skills, and creative capacity rather than physical capital. This presents a huge opportunity for young people.
In the digital economy, a young engineer, content creator, programmer, or data specialist can access tools, learning platforms, and markets almost on par with their international peers. As a generation that grew up in the digital environment, young people are able to quickly adopt technology, adapt well to change, and readily experiment with new things. In many current technology fields, competitive advantage no longer lies solely in years of experience, but in the speed of learning, the ability to innovate, and creative thinking. These are the natural strengths of young people. At the same time, the digital economy opens opportunities for Vietnamese youth to directly participate in the global market from within the country. A young person can create digital products, provide technology services, design, program, analyze data, or develop applications for international clients without necessarily having to go abroad.
"It can be said that Vietnamese youth are facing a very special opportunity. On the one hand, the country is strongly shifting towards a development model based on science, technology, innovation, and the digital economy. On the other hand, the global technological revolution is changing the way wealth is created and opportunities for development are generated. If well-equipped with knowledge, digital skills, foreign languages, innovative thinking, and an entrepreneurial spirit, young people can absolutely become a pioneering force, not only mastering new trends but also making a significant contribution to enhancing national competitiveness," said Associate Professor Dr. Do Phu Tran Tinh.
MSc. Tran Anh Tung also affirmed that the greatest advantage of today's young generation is not their ability to use technology, but their ability to create value from technology. In the context of AI potentially replacing many repetitive jobs, the "winner" will not be someone who knows how to use the tools, but someone who knows how to design systems, solve problems, and create new products. To fully leverage the launching pads from the policy environment to propel their aspirations to new heights, Vietnamese youth need to equip themselves with three core competency groups: Firstly, quantitative thinking and data-driven thinking. In the age of AI, every decision, from marketing and finance to management, must be based on data rather than emotion. Secondly, interdisciplinary thinking, that is, the ability to combine technology with business, finance, environment, education, or healthcare to create new value. Most billion-dollar businesses today are born from the intersection of multiple fields, not from a single specialization. Thirdly, there's the ability to learn continuously, because the current technology cycle changes very rapidly. A skill may be valuable for a few years but will quickly become obsolete if it's not updated.
An environment that fosters confidence in young entrepreneurs.
When the Party and State identified the private sector, science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation as crucial drivers of national development, it created new confidence among young people. Young people see that their creative ideas have the opportunity to be tested, supported, and can directly contribute to national development. More importantly, the current environment is contributing to the formation of a culture of daring to think, daring to act, daring to experiment, and accepting failure. When entrepreneurship is seen as a process of learning, creating, and generating value, young people will be more confident in transforming ideas into new products, services, and business models.
Associate Professor Dr. Do Phu Tran Tinh , Director of the Institute for Policy Development, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City.
Opening up great opportunities for young people.
This is the first period where the Party and State not only talk about development but also proactively build institutions, experimental mechanisms, and infrastructure to support innovation. The State is playing the role of a "pioneer," creating conditions for young people to dare to think big and dare to take risks. Specifically, regarding the digital economy, Resolution 57, the National Digital Transformation Program, and the Strategy for the Development of the Digital Economy and Digital Society have created a very clear framework. Currently, the digital economy contributes about 18-20% of GDP, and the goal is to reach 30% of GDP by 2030. This opens up huge opportunities for young people in the fields of AI, big data, e-commerce, fintech, digital logistics, and educational technology.
MSc. Tran Anh Tung , University of Economics and Finance Ho Chi Minh City
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/co-che-mo-duong-bang-cho-khat-vong-tre-185260624172836096.htm
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