Da Nang leads the country in the development speed of the startup ecosystem.

In recent times, Da Nang City has created great conditions for developing a creative startup ecosystem. Photo: VINH LOC

Da Nang is one of 12 outstanding global ecosystems selected to present at the Global Launch Webinar of the “Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2025”, and is also one of the “hottest” global startup ecosystems in 2025.

According to the Danang Center for Supporting Innovative Startups, to be included in the global startup ecosystem index in 2025, the city must meet criteria such as the number and quality of startups, access to capital, human resources, infrastructure, support policies, market size, community connections and digital presence...

“It can be seen that Da Nang's international recognition is not only the result of its rising rankings, but also a clear demonstration of its strategy to build a synchronous innovation ecosystem, taking pioneering technology as the foundation: from artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, blockchain, biotechnology to new fields such as quantum computing or renewable energy…” - a representative of the Da Nang Center for Supporting Innovation and Startups analyzed.

Along with expanding international cooperation, Da Nang is gradually affirming its position as an economic and technological center of the Central region, aiming to become a national innovation and startup center and by 2045 becoming the leading innovation and startup center in Asia.

Many innovative start-up models have developed strongly, especially among young people and students. Photo: VINH LOC

In recent years, Da Nang has issued nearly 30 policies to support innovative startups, including many breakthrough and pioneering policies nationwide such as controlled testing of new technology solutions; tax exemption for innovative startup activities, activities to support innovative startups; support for the use of scientific and technological infrastructure assets; non-refundable support from the state budget to develop innovative startup projects; support for information infrastructure assets to develop the semiconductor and artificial intelligence sectors.

In addition, the city also issued policies to support intellectual property development, support enterprises in technological innovation; deploy a series of strategic infrastructure projects such as the Innovation Startup Space (VND 500 billion), Software Park No. 2 (capable of accommodating 6,000 technology workers) and a modern digital infrastructure system that meets international standards.

In particular, the Da Nang startup ecosystem is increasingly diverse and dynamic with more than 50 large and small events each year, such as SURF, DAVAS, Hackathon, Startup runway, Light Up Your Creativity, DevDay, Web3 Builders Summit, Solana Summit APAC, DevFest GDG... attracting thousands of domestic and foreign participants. Many co-working spaces, incubators, and startup support centers have been established, creating conditions for the young entrepreneur community to develop strongly.

High-quality human resources are also a strength. Currently, the city has 18 universities, 15 colleges, 44 vocational training institutions, in addition to research institutes, training institutions, and training partnerships with universities outside the city. The annual training scale is over 100,000 students. The team of 251 professors, associate professors, research experts, and a large number of intellectuals and scientific and technological human resources at universities is a solid foundation for innovation.

From innovative startup models, many outstanding scientific research products have emerged. Photo: VINH LOC

An open, friendly environment for creative startups and strong connections to domestic and international startup networks are favorable factors for the city's startup ecosystem to develop.

To date, Da Nang City has received the title of “Attractive City for Innovative Startups” four times in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 by the Vietnam Software and Information Technology Services Association. Da Nang is the only locality in Vietnam to receive the Outstanding Smart City award for five consecutive years.

Da Nang was awarded the title of "Outstanding locality in building a startup ecosystem" by the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry; and was assessed by the Ministry of Science and Technology as a locality with outstanding contributions to the national innovative startup ecosystem.

Da Nang City ranked 5th out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide in terms of the 2024 Local Innovation Index (PII) assessed by the Ministry of Science and Technology. It is one of 6 organizations/localities honored to receive the award in the category of "Top typical organizations/localities proactively implementing the 4.0 industrial revolution and digital transformation".

The Global Startup Ecosystem Index is analyzed, evaluated and published annually by Startup Blink, starting in 2017. In 2024, Da Nang city entered the top 1,000 cities with the highest startup ecosystem index globally for the first time, ranked 896th, along with Ho Chi Minh City (ranked 111th) and Hanoi (ranked 157th). This year, Startup Blink analyzed more than 1,400 global startup ecosystems, of which Vietnam has 3 typical representatives appearing on the ranking map including Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/da-nang-dan-dau-ve-toc-do-phat-trien-he-sinh-thai-khoi-nghiep-ca-nuoc-3155176.html