An attractive destination for foreign investors.
Within the framework of TECHFEST Vietnam 2025, on the morning of December 12th in Hanoi, the National Agency for Market Development and Science and Technology Enterprises (NATEC), in collaboration with the National Center for Innovation and Startup Support (NSSC) and Korean partners including the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Startups (MSS), the Korea Small and Medium Enterprises and Startup Support Agency (KOSME), and K-Startup Center (KSC) Hanoi, organized the "K-Startup Demo Day and Announcement of the Overview Report on the Innovation and Startup Ecosystem".
At the event, Mr. Le Toan Thang - Director of NSSC, said that with the theme "Creative Entrepreneurship for All - A New Driving Force for Growth," this year's TECHFEST emphasizes a clear direction: Vietnam aims to strengthen innovation capacity across all regions and places entrepreneurship as a practical force for transforming ideas into jobs, value, and sustainable growth.
With that in mind, the "K-Startup Demo Day and Announcement of the Comprehensive Report on the Innovative Startup Ecosystem" initiative is designed to help international innovation initiatives, particularly exemplary startups from South Korea, get closer to the real needs of the Vietnamese market.
"By connecting these startups with local investors, businesses, and experts, we create opportunities for new solutions to be tested, refined, and scaled up nationwide. This makes the program a tangible embodiment of TECHFEST's mission: to expand innovation beyond borders and translate it into growth for the entire country," Mr. Thang shared.
Presenting a comprehensive report on the innovative startup ecosystem, Mr. Luong Van Thuong, Head of the Startup Department, National Agency for Startups and Technology Enterprises (NATEC), stated that Vietnam is experiencing impressive growth thanks to an increasingly open legal framework. Policies such as the amended Capital City Law, the Investment Law, the Intellectual Property Law, and especially Decree 94 on the controlled testing mechanism (Sandbox) have created favorable conditions for innovation.
Notably, investment flows in Vietnam are undergoing a significant shift. Instead of focusing on e-commerce as before, capital is now flowing strongly into deep technology sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductor technology, and biotechnology.
"By 2025, Vietnam is projected to have around 4,000 startups. Currently, we rank third in Southeast Asia in terms of the number of startups, after Indonesia and Singapore. We are very close to catching up with Singapore," Mr. Thuong emphasized.
According to Mr. Thuong, while the government focused on community development and policy support before 2024, from 2025 onwards, state resources will be invested more heavily in infrastructure, laboratories, and national innovation centers such as NIC Hoa Lac, as well as local startup support centers.
The report indicates that in 2024, the total amount of venture capital invested in Vietnam is estimated at approximately $800 million. Although slightly lower than the peak in 2021, this is still a positive figure in the context of the global "fundraising winter." This shows that Vietnam remains an attractive destination for foreign investors. Vietnam's position on the global startup map has also risen to 56th place.
Shifting capital flows towards advanced technologies.
In terms of technology trends, AI is emerging strongly with numerous applications ranging from chatbots and image processing to data analysis. The Fintech, Edtech, and Medtech sectors continue to maintain stable growth.
Notably, this year's report includes, for the first time, an analysis of "Social Listening." The results show that the keywords "entrepreneurship" and "startup" are mentioned frequently during major holidays and at the beginning of the year, reflecting the vibrant entrepreneurial spirit within the community.
However, Mr. Thuong also pointed out the major challenges facing the ecosystem. These include a shortage of high-quality personnel in emerging technology fields such as AI and Blockchain. In addition, Vietnamese startups still face difficulties in raising capital in later rounds (Series B, C) due to insufficient market size or the inability to demonstrate the ability to expand regionally.
"The advice from experts in the report is that startups need to focus on core value and solve real market problems instead of chasing trends," Mr. Thuong concluded.
The event brought together 10 experts in the startup ecosystem and representatives from leading venture capital funds in Vietnam to participate as judges, along with 10 venture capital funds seeking investment and collaboration opportunities with Korean startups. Eight South Korean startups seeking business expansion opportunities in the Vietnamese market gave presentations and participated in a Q&A session with the judging panel.  The organizers presented awards to outstanding startups. Korean startups showcased the technologies and business models they hope to implement in Vietnam. These solutions not only have the potential for business growth but can also address specific challenges in Vietnamese industries and communities – aligning with the goal of making entrepreneurship a new driver of growth. The organizers also awarded prizes to outstanding teams, implementing a 1:1 matchmaking program between startups, judges, and investors, where many lively discussions about collaboration took place right on-site. |
Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/cong-nghe/dau-tu-startup-chuyen-dich-sang-cong-nghe-sau/20251212125615888
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