Ho Chi Minh City promotes innovation to improve global competitiveness

To realize that ambition, the city has proposed a series of solutions to support start-up businesses, improve infrastructure, policies and develop human resources.

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has just approved Plan 177/KH-UBND for the period 2026 - 2030 to systematically develop the innovation system and creative startup ecosystem. This is considered a step to realize a strategic policy, in the spirit of Resolution 57-NQ/TW, affirming the role of science - technology, innovation and digital transformation - the pillars of rapid and sustainable growth.

Ho Chi Minh City accelerates the development of an innovation ecosystem in the 2026 period - 2030.

The city has set an ambitious goal: to become a regional innovation hub and be among the top 100 global startup ecosystems by 2030. To achieve this goal, the main directions proposed include: forming at least one international innovation center, developing two highly interactive creative urban areas, as well as developing about 5,000 innovative startups. In addition, Ho Chi Minh City also strives to maintain its top 3 position nationwide in terms of the Provincial Innovation Index (PII).

In terms of policy and support, the city commits to allocate an annual budget to support at least 300 “pre-incubation” projects, 200 incubation projects and 50 acceleration projects. Special mechanisms are also being reviewed and piloted to remove obstacles in land, administrative procedures, intellectual property, tax and credit. At the same time, the government will perfect policies to encourage businesses to invest in research and development (R&D), digital technology and innovation; at the same time, expand experimental models (sandboxes) for new technology fields such as fintech, AI, digital services, etc.

Regarding infrastructure and resources, the plan emphasizes developing infrastructure to serve research, incubation and product commercialization. Specifically, Ho Chi Minh City will invest in a synchronous broadband telecommunications system, 5G network, data center, high-performance computing facility serving AI and big data; upgrade laboratories, research centers and incubators in high-tech zones, software parks, and universities. In particular, the city plans to build a national-level semiconductor laboratory at Ho Chi Minh City National University and upgrade the high-tech business incubator into an international-standard innovation center.

In the human resource development section, Ho Chi Minh City aims to attract and train high-quality workforce in the fields of science - technology, semiconductors, digital transformation. Training programs on digital skills, intellectual property management, innovative thinking, capital calling skills, business models... are regularly planned, coordinated between institutes and schools to develop STEM/STEAM human resources. At the same time, the city also focuses on spreading the culture of innovation through incubation, acceleration, market connection and product commercialization promotion activities.

According to Mr. Lam Dinh Thang, Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Ho Chi Minh City, innovation should not be limited to research institutes but should spread to every business, community, and individual - every entrepreneur, every startup, every scientist, every civil servant innovates a part of their thinking and working methods; all of which form a continuous flow of innovation. “Innovation is not only in research institutes but must penetrate every business, every community, and every individual,” Mr. Thang emphasized.

The city’s announcement of its 2026-2030 plan, setting ambitious goals and implementing a variety of support solutions, shows its great determination to bring Ho Chi Minh City closer to the “peak” of global startup ecosystems. However, the path towards the top 100 also requires continuous and consistent efforts in policy, infrastructure and resource development – the decisive factors to turn ambition into reality.

Comment (0)