Digital platforms are booming, e-commerce is thriving, artificial intelligence and blockchain are creating countless new opportunities
Most recently, on July 22, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a meeting to give opinions on the Project to build a startup nation in preparation for submission to competent authorities for promulgation.
Why must Vietnam become a startup nation?
Over the past decades, Vietnam has achieved remarkable socio -economic development achievements, with rapid growth, strong integration, and constantly improving people's lives.
However, the growth model based on resource exploitation, cheap labor and public investment is gradually showing its limits. Labor productivity remains low. International competition is increasingly fierce. The pressure to overcome the "middle-income trap" and the aging population requires a new push - and that push is the wave of startups. That is the truth we have to face ...
In this context, Vietnam possesses a rare "heavenly" factor: a young, dynamic population that loves technology and is ready to integrate. Digital platforms are booming, e-commerce is thriving, artificial intelligence and blockchain are creating countless new opportunities. If inspired and guided in the right direction, the young generation of Vietnam can absolutely become the central driving force of a strategic breakthrough - where startups not only create economic value, but also symbolize national character.
Therefore, at many major forums, senior leaders of Vietnam have expressed a strong vision for this mission. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh once emphasized that: "Startups and innovation are a driving force and an important resource in the development of each country" , and at the same time required "creating an unlimited start-up - innovation - digital transformation movement under the leadership of the Party and the participation of the whole society" .
General Secretary To Lam spoke at the National Forum on Digital Technology Enterprises: "We are entering an era of national development, in which science, technology and innovation will be the inevitable choice."
Startup Nation – a definition that leads to action
The concept of a startup nation is not simply understood as a country with many startups operating. It is a new model of national development, where startups are no longer a personal choice, but become a strategic driving force of the entire economy and society.
1. Every citizen has the opportunity, confidence, and tools to start their entrepreneurial journey, regardless of where they come from, what their education is, or where they live.
2. The State creates a synchronous ecosystem – including flexible institutions, liberal education, venture finance and modern technological infrastructure – to provide maximum support for the formation, development and growth of new businesses.
3. A culture of entrepreneurship permeates throughout society: where creativity is encouraged, differences are respected, risks are accepted and failure is seen as an inevitable part of the journey to success.
Above all, a startup nation is a place where a small idea from an ordinary individual can become a global enterprise, fueled by a fair legal system, friendly administrative institutions, supportive communities and social belief in human potential.
As General Secretary To Lam said at the National Forum on Digital Technology Enterprises: "We are entering an era of national development, in which science, technology and innovation will be the inevitable choice." That message is the clearest affirmation of the national startup model.
A start-up nation is a form of development where faith in people replaces faith in resources, innovation replaces imitation, and commitment replaces complacency. It is the motto for countries that aspire to rise up by their own strength. Vietnam can absolutely become such a country – if we dare to believe, dare to empower, and dare to act.
On July 22, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a meeting to give opinions on the Project to build a startup nation - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac
Entrepreneurship must become a national value and strength.
Throughout the history of the nation, the spirit of entrepreneurship has never been lacking. From farmers who innovate plowing, to traders who trade across borders, from young people who start businesses in remote areas to intellectuals who invent many products – all are the seeds of a start-up nation. But now, Vietnam needs to elevate that spirit from the individual level to the national strategic level.
We need to awaken entrepreneurship as a new cultural value – where young people dare to think big, dare to do differently, dare to pursue their passion and create sustainable values. Just as South Korea once turned the dream of industrialization into a national mission, Vietnam can turn entrepreneurship into the "Vietnamese dream" of the 21st century – a dream of creativity, freedom and courage.
Startups cannot become a pillar of development if they stop at a movement or a few individual examples. For startups to truly become a national strength, Vietnam needs to carry out profound and systematic changes – starting with institutions and education, the two fundamental foundations of any major transformation.
First of all, institutions need to be strongly reformed to unleash creativity and remove bottlenecks that are holding back entrepreneurial aspirations. No startup can grow if it is stifled by cumbersome administrative procedures, unclear laws, or invisible barriers to market access and resources. Ideas can only flourish and grow when they are planted in a free and fair land and nurtured by a legal system that encourages commitment.
Therefore, the State needs to proactively play the role of "institutional midwife" with practical actions: thoroughly reforming procedures related to the establishment, operation and dissolution of enterprises; promulgating the Law on Innovative Startups with regulations to protect intellectual property rights, supporting the sandbox model for new technologies; and at the same time establishing a system of tax, credit and financial incentives specifically for startups, especially in the fields of high technology, digital transformation and social innovation.
Along with institutional reform, education needs to be reshaped to cultivate entrepreneurship in schools. No one is born an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship, in essence, is the result of a process of cultivating character, nurturing a spirit of commitment, and training problem-solving skills – all of which can be learned, if education knows how to inspire and unlock individual potential.
This requires a profound transformation from knowledge-based education to comprehensive education. Schools must be places to practice creative thinking, critical thinking, teamwork, and learning through practical experience. The curriculum needs to be closely linked to businesses, so that students not only learn knowledge but also test ideas, build business models, and get acquainted with the market. Startup clubs, innovation competitions, real-life projects, etc. need to be promoted and supported as part of the comprehensive growth process.
An education system that sows the seeds of entrepreneurship early will create a generation of entrepreneurial citizens who do not just find jobs, but create them; who do not just adapt to change, but lead it. That is the sustainable driving force for a country that dares to rise up by its own strength.
Proposal to pilot "startup special zones" in Ho Chi Minh CityPiloting "startup special zones" in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hai Phong and Da Nang
Some breakthrough solutions
In fact, the Party and the State have been implementing a series of strategic breakthrough policies to unlock resources and promote innovative startups. Of these, the four "four-pillar" Resolutions of the Politburo are of particular importance, namely resolutions on science and technology, innovation, digital transformation; on law making and enforcement; on private economic development; and on international integration. Other resolutions on education, health, culture, and state economic development are also of similar strategic and breakthrough importance.
To realize the aspiration of becoming a startup nation, Vietnam needs to move more quickly from awareness to action, from orientation to creating specific policies.
Accordingly, it is proposed that agencies consider issuing a National Strategy on startups until 2035. This strategy needs to clearly define the vision, goals and implementation roadmap - from the quantity and quality of startups, innovation index, to the development of the startup ecosystem and human resources. The strategy not only plays an orientation role, but also represents a high-level political commitment to using innovation as a growth driver in the new era.
Along with that, establish a National Investment Fund for startups according to the public-private partnership model. Startups cannot grow without seed capital, while domestic venture capital funds are limited. The State needs to proactively contribute to creating a market by contributing capital with businesses, supporting angel investment funds (Investors supporting startups in the gestation stage - angel investors), and guaranteeing credit for innovative models. The Fund not only provides financial resources, but also sends a strong signal of the State's support and trust.
Another breakthrough solution that can be considered is to pilot "startup special zones" in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hai Phong and Da Nang . These will be pioneering "institutional laboratories" where preferential policies on taxes, administrative procedures, technology sandboxes and investment connections are flexibly and strongly tested. Special zones not only create a favorable environment for startups to develop, but also serve as models for replication nationwide.
Along with that, connecting the global Vietnamese startup network . Vietnam needs to proactively mobilize the intelligence and resources of the overseas intellectual community, Vietnamese technology entrepreneurs abroad, and at the same time learn from successful models from advanced startup ecosystems such as Israel, Singapore, Korea or Estonia. From there, create a cross-border innovation network - where Vietnamese people anywhere can start a business for Vietnam.
We have talked a lot about the aspiration of Vietnam becoming a developed, high-income country by 2045. In the century of intelligence and creativity, entrepreneurship is not a slogan - but the most practical way to unlock national capacity. Let's turn Vietnam into a country that dares to believe, dares to invest, and dares to give opportunities to the young generation. Because in every Vietnamese's entrepreneurial dream, there is hidden the dream of the entire nation's rise.
Dr. Nguyen Si Dung
Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/xay-dung-quoc-gia-khoi-nghiep-nghi-ve-khat-vong-the-che-va-he-sinh-thai-102250801065858387.htm
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