National Startup Summit: “Artificial Intelligence Technology and Cross-Border Innovation” (VINEN) – From December 8-10, at the National Convention Center (Hanoi), following the success of the National Startup Summit series since 2017, the National Association of Entrepreneurship, in collaboration with domestic and international agencies, provinces, cities, and organizations, has organized the 5th National Startup Summit under the theme: “Artificial Intelligence Technology and Cross-Border Innovation.” In his opening remarks, Dr. Dinh Viet Hoa, Chairman of the National Association of Entrepreneurship, stated that in 2016, the government designated it as the Year of National Entrepreneurship. Since then, the entrepreneurial spirit has spread, the investment and business environment has improved, and enterprises have embraced innovation to thrive.
The summit serves as a platform to share vision, knowledge, and experiences with Vietnam’s startup and entrepreneurial community. It is the origin of practical strategies and initiatives aimed at shaping development, applying science and technology, advancing the digital economy, driving digital transformation, and fostering robust innovation to enhance Vietnam’s global standing. Notably, the summit also hosts bilateral networking programs connecting investors with localities.
From local practical experience, Mr. Phan Thai Binh, Permanent Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Quang Nam Province, stated that during the last term, the Party Committee and government of Quang Nam identified innovative entrepreneurship as one of the three breakthroughs for provincial development. Embracing new opportunities where science, technology, and innovation shape the future, Quang Nam focuses on building a startup ecosystem by maximizing scientific research outcomes, local comparative advantages, and national products to foster dynamic innovative startups. Quang Nam will continue to cooperate and collaborate with the National Association of Entrepreneurship to research, establish, and operate the Central-Highlands Innovation Startup Center in Quang Nam, serving as a foundation for operating and advancing the regional startup ecosystem.
From a regulatory perspective, Mr. Nguyen Mai Duong, Director General of the State Agency for Technology and Innovation (under the Ministry of Science and Technology), stated that the Government and the Prime Minister have prioritized and directed the development and issuance of numerous mechanisms and policies to promote the application, transfer of technology, and innovation. As a result, a favorable framework for developing the national innovation system has been established, including policies ensuring intellectual property rights, reforming science and technology activities, simplifying administrative procedures, and developing funds to support science, technology, and innovation. These efforts have strengthened the integration of scientific research with business production. Mr. Nguyen Mai Duong praised the National Association of Entrepreneurship for aligning proactively with the country’s development direction and taking responsible and effective actions to fulfill its mission of supporting startups, promoting sustainable enterprise development, and contributing to the nation’s socio-economic growth. Over its journey of establishment and development, the association has successfully implemented numerous programs, initiatives, and events. Since 2017, the National Startup Summit has been held regularly, delivering significant value to its members and the broader community.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced 5.0 technology are creating opportunities for countries like Vietnam to compete with leading nations worldwide. Promoting entrepreneurship has been highlighted as one of the most significant achievements of economic reforms in Vietnam, emphasized in Party Congress documents since the 6th Party Congress (1986). These reforms have focused on encouraging robust growth in the household and private economic sectors. In 2016, the government declared it the Year of National Entrepreneurship, spreading entrepreneurial spirit, improving the investment and business environment, and fostering innovation-driven enterprises, which have contributed and will continue to contribute to propelling the nation into a “New Era – the Era of National Advancement.” In this “New Era – the Era of National Advancement,” as emphasized by General Secretary To Lam, Vietnam has both the opportunity and responsibility to rise, ready to compete and collaborate on the global stage. The 5th National Startup Summit serves as a practical step to realize the Party and State’s commitment to elevating the nation’s stature, inspiring ambition, and driving motivation among young entrepreneurs, the startup community, and Vietnamese enterprises as a whole. The summit holds special significance as it focuses on a strategic area that has been prioritized by the Party Central Committee for development, aiming to foster sustainable economic and social growth while enhancing Vietnam’s reputation and position globally.
Dr. Dinh Viet Hoa, President of the National Association of Entrepreneurship, shared: “As a professional social organization, the National Association of Entrepreneurship is committed to promoting the entrepreneurial spirit and fostering Vietnamese business founders. The association has organized and co-organized numerous impactful activities for the Vietnamese startup community, such as the National Startup Summit, the National Tourism Industry Summit, the National Aesthetic Industry Summit, and 181 weekly professional workshops, including ‘Thursday Coffee’ sessions, which have attracted tens of thousands of entrepreneurs and business leaders to participate and share. Building on this success, the association continues to collaborate with organizations and People’s Committees of various provinces and cities (Hanoi, Quang Nam, Nghe An, Can Tho, Nam Dinh, among others) to organize the 5th National Startup Summit in 2024, taking place from December 8 to 10, 2024, at the National Convention Center, under the theme: ‘Artificial Intelligence Technology and Cross-Border Innovation.’ This is a crucial networking event where agencies, businesses, leading experts, and technology corporations come together to share their vision, knowledge, and experiences with the Vietnamese startup community and entrepreneurs.”
The summit focuses on building Incubation Centers and Innovation Centers at local levels and within universities, as well as discussing the model of the Startup University. This is a valuable opportunity for stakeholders to share knowledge, experiences, and expand their collaborative networks. This includes building and developing foundations for establishing Incubation Centers and Innovation Centers within universities, to provide students and startup teams with the best conditions to develop their ideas and projects. It also involves discussing the Startup University model, exploring and promoting the concept of a Startup University where entrepreneurship and innovation are integrated into the curriculum and activities of the university. The summit fosters connections and collaborations, creating opportunities for universities, businesses, and startup support organizations to network, thereby driving collaboration and the development of the creative startup ecosystem in Vietnam.
Promote creative entrepreneurship, contributing to building a solid foundation for creative startups in the fields of technology and cross-border innovation. Enhance the quality of education by integrating entrepreneurship and innovation into the curriculum, helping students develop skills and creative thinking from their time in school. Strengthen competitiveness by supporting universities and businesses in improving their competitive capacity through the application of technology and innovation in practice.
The forum will be attended by representatives from government agencies, local authorities, associations, businesses, experts, and both domestic and international organizations, as well as creative entrepreneurs. The forum will bring together delegates from institutes, universities, and organizations in Vietnam and abroad that support innovative startups, business leaders, experts, and managers in the field of artificial intelligence technology, including: Mr. Ruan Xiaobo, General Director of the Shenzhen Innovation Center; Prof. Dr. Nguyen Luan, Senior AI Expert from the United States; Mr. Le Dang Ngoc, Director of Viettel AI Platform; Mr. Michael, Director of Boeing Vietnam; Dr. Xie Feng, CEO of Kun Teng Smart Technology Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen); Mr. Liu Yongkai, Superstar Oversea Group, a leading Chinese consulting organization providing cross-border training and a certified organization for Tiktok’s foreign short video certification. He won the Tiktok Cross-Border Innovation Expert Award 2022-2023; Mr. Pony Zou Gany, a leading Chinese technology group specializing in AI applications for cross-border e-commerce sales, developing software for live streaming without the need for a host, and designing hundreds of automated AI sales robots to reduce personnel costs. Hundreds of tech companies from both China and Vietnam will attend the exhibition and forum.
At the forum, there will be top experts in technology and entrepreneurs, such as: Mr. Michael – Director of Boeing Vietnam; Mr. Xie Feng, Fu Yang, An Hui – Doctor of Xi’an University of Transport, Founder and CEO of Kun Teng Smart Technology Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen), Founder and CEO of Namu Smart Technology Co., Ltd. Shenzhen. He has worked for many leading domestic AI smart IoT companies and has been deeply involved in the field of mobile communication smart terminal devices for many years. He has led some of the best-selling AI smart terminal products, holds several related patents, and holds the Guinness record for the thinnest smartphone.
Mr. Kanat, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Vietnam, shared about the speed of development and innovation investment in Kazakhstan: As part of the new policy, targeted funding for priority technology sectors in the country’s development process has been approved, including MedTech, AgriTech, GreenTech, artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0, GovTech, and MetallurgyTech. The implementation of state support measures for innovation, such as innovation funding, business incubation, and technology transfer, has also been strengthened in the 2023-2024 period. For example, by the end of 2023, 31 projects had been supported under three funding programs, totaling approximately 1.2 billion tenge (equivalent to about 2.5 million USD).
Mr. Ruan Xiaobo, Director of the Li Huo Innovation Center – Nanning, a branch of the Shenzhen Innovation Center, shared: “I hope that through this Vietnam Artificial Intelligence Forum held in Vietnam, the technology innovation experience of China and Shenzhen tech companies will be brought to Vietnam, so that Chinese tech companies and Vietnamese tech companies can exchange deeply, gaining a better understanding of Shenzhen’s technology and the arrangements of companies in Vietnam and Vietnamese tech companies. It creates a good bridge for transformation and upgrading…”
The 5th National Startup Summit – Artificial Intelligence Technology and Cross-Border Innovation will be energized and inspired on the entrepreneurial journey by connecting with thousands of participants at Vietnam STARTUP 4.0 across borders. The summit will bring many business ideas, international connections, updates on new policies, export trends, and opportunities to meet international speakers and KOLs while accessing the AI cross-border intellectual energy market at Vietnam STARTUP 4.0. The summit will be a platform for networking and experiencing live-streamed sales technology, applying AI to boost e-commerce, with leading tech groups from the Shenzhen elite. It will involve network participation from departments and sectors across all 63 provinces and 20 countries worldwide. Vietnam STARTUP 4.0 will feature participants from the United States, South Korea, China, and successful entrepreneurs from Vietnam. The event is expected to attract 1,500 CEOs and business owners who have succeeded in their startup journey, along with thousands of businesses from IT, real estate, finance, HR, services, training, and more.
Mr. Pham Ngoc Sinh, Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Quang Nam, shared: “The more we integrate, the more we realize that: Local resources and the value of each country are comparative advantages. Promoting the spirit of local entrepreneurship is about enhancing these comparative advantages. This 5th National Innovation and Startup Conference aims to connect and expand international cooperation so that the local ecosystem can aspire to grow and integrate meaningfully in the new era: Innovating for development.”
Mr. Pham Ngoc Sinh stated that Quang Nam has organized 8 TechFest events at the regional and national levels, including 5 times in the province and 3 times in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Notably, in 2023, Quang Nam was the first locality to initiate the “Year of Entrepreneurship” with a series of international, national, and local activities throughout the year, which inspired and sparked the spirit of entrepreneurship and creativity across society. Many innovative startup ideas and projects from Quang Nam won high awards in Vietnam’s talent search competitions, including the grand prize. The Quang Nam TechFest event has been consecutively selected by the province as one of the 10 most significant socio-economic events in Quang Nam.
The 5th National Startup Summit, with the theme: “Artificial Intelligence Technology and Cross-Border Innovation”, is not only a celebration for entrepreneurs in the tech field, but also a gathering for entrepreneurs in related technology sectors. The forum will feature various in-depth workshops where technology and business experts will share the latest knowledge, technologies, techniques, business strategies, marketing, investment, and trade promotion. In addition to the forum event, the exhibition fair will provide opportunities for domestic and international investment roundtables, with hundreds of brands and labels showcasing their products. Entrepreneurship in the tech industry and technology transfer will help develop Vietnamese businesses in the tech sector and attract foreign investment in this field in Vietnam, promoting creativity and the growth of startups in Vietnam.
