Ho Chi Minh City will be the "home" of international technology unicorns.

On the afternoon of December 11th, the Ho Chi Minh City Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (SIHUB) - under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology - and Canva, a global technology unicorn and design platform from New South Wales, Australia, signed a strategic cooperation agreement.

Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology, Lam Dinh Thang, converses with Sarah Hooper, Consul General of Australia in Ho Chi Minh City (center), at the signing ceremony. Photo: QUANG HUY

Speaking at the ceremony, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology, Lam Dinh Thang, said that Ho Chi Minh City is entering a new phase of development with the aspiration to become a leading innovation and technology center in the region. Science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation are identified as important and overarching growth drivers in the city's strategy for developing a digital government, digital economy , and digital society. The announcement of the cooperation program between the department and the technology unicorn Canva is a concrete milestone, contributing to realizing that aspiration.

Ms. Sarah Hooper, Australian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City (second from the left), witnesses the signing ceremony between SIHUB and Canva. Photo: QUANG HUY

According to the Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology, the strategic cooperation between the department and Canva will help strengthen the ecosystem, creating conditions for Ho Chi Minh City to make faster and deeper breakthroughs in the digital age. The goal is to give all stakeholders in the ecosystem the opportunity to access world-class tools and competency standards right in the city.

Furthermore, this cooperation program is also part of the multilateral partnership between Ho Chi Minh City and the state of New South Wales, with the active support of Investment NSW (the leading investment and trade promotion agency of the New South Wales Government) and the Australian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City – concrete evidence of the two sides' shared vision: using technology, innovation, and digital transformation as the foundation to promote trade, investment, education , and the development of high-quality human resources.

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Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology, Lam Dinh Thang, speaks at the cooperation signing ceremony. Photo: QUANG HUY

Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology, Lam Dinh Thang, affirmed that the city is committed to collaborating with global technology companies, including Canva, to jointly create new solutions and products that effectively and sustainably serve the people, businesses, and the community.

The Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology expects that in the near future, when mentioning Ho Chi Minh City, international friends will immediately think of an open, dynamic city, the "home" of Vietnamese technology unicorns and also a destination for international technology unicorns seeking strategic partners in the region.

Elle Liu, Country Director of Canva Vietnam, giving a speech. Photo: QUANG HUY

Ms. Elle Liu, Country Director of Canva Vietnam, shared that Canva chose Ho Chi Minh City because of its dynamic innovation ecosystem and the crucial connecting role of the City's Department of Science and Technology and SIHUB. Canva will implement a project to train and promote creative capacity for three key communities: education, SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), and startups, along with a group of designers and content creators, with activities such as digital design skills training, organizing creative playgrounds and competitions, and building a community geared towards international market integration.

Delegates at the ceremony. Photo: QUANG HUY

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Canva is a leading global online design platform, originating in Australia and expanding throughout Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, Canva is committed to long-term investment and fostering the digital innovation ecosystem through its 2026 strategic program with five key areas of focus. These include collaborating with the government to promote national digital goals, supporting digital innovation skills training for young entrepreneurs and educators, fostering partnerships in education and digital technology, developing diverse "Made-in-Vietnam" content, and establishing a dedicated team and official office in Vietnam.

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Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tphcm-se-la-ngoi-nha-cua-cac-ky-lan-cong-nghe-quoc-te-post828165.html