One Ecosystem, Shared Ambition: Six Collaborative Initiatives Advancing Vietnam’s Startup Ecosystem

Collaborative Design, Aligned Execution

The Summit agenda was shaped to highlight the Ecosystem Collaboration Sprint as its core activity, fostering action-oriented, multi-stakeholder engagement. It enabled participants to co-develop a shared understanding of key challenges, identify complementary capabilities, and translate insights into tangible commitments. Each resulting action plan moves beyond surface-level pledges, grounded instead in a clear roadmap, defined responsibilities, and a strong value proposition for the ecosystem.

Collectively, the six initiatives were developed in response to 18 critical gaps identified across six key domains of the ecosystem: Funding & Investment; Startup & Scale-up Support; Global Market Access & Exports; Corporate and International Engagement; R&D and Deep Tech Capacity; and Government and Policy Support. These areas represent structural bottlenecks that hinder the growth and global competitiveness of Vietnamese startups. By aligning multi-stakeholder commitments around these categories, the initiatives aim to unlock system-level improvements rather than isolated interventions.

To bridge these gaps, the first initiative—“Quality Program”—is advancing a decentralized incubation model through a venture studio framework, aiming to boost R&D investment, enable financial sustainability, and create network synergy (10 universities, 12 CVCs, 20 VCs) to enhance incubation quality across regions. In parallel, a second group is "Enhancing the Ho Chi Minh Open Innovation Platform (H.O.I.P.)", leveraging a government-backed infrastructure to support 5,000 verified startups by 2027 through joint commitments in onboarding, marketing, and technical support. A third initiative—“Global InnoEx”—is a multi-partner program that incubates startups to achieve product–market fit in Vietnam before scaling internationally. The program is anchored in five strategic pillars—Exchange, Expert, Expand, Expertise, and Export—with a target of enabling 900 globally competitive startups by 2027.

Similarly forward-looking, a fourth team is developing Vietnam’s first Startup Exchange—an interface that connects startups with capital, public policy, and cross-sector support, aiming to list 100 qualified ventures by 2027. A fifth initiative— “Corporate Innovation Program”—focuses on improving incubation quality nationwide through a joint national program that brings together corporations, local incubators, government agencies, and mentors to co-develop scalable support models. Finally, a sixth group— “GOV.LAB”—is piloting a model in which government agencies act as early adopters of startup-driven solutions, emphasizing cross-sector collaboration and institutional engagement to accelerate tech adoption in the public sector while creating early market opportunities for startups.

Enabling Ecosystem Transformation Through Alignment and Collaboration

The Summit reinforced a collective aspiration for a more vibrant and interconnected ecosystem—one marked by faster execution, richer engagement, and higher-quality initiatives. A consistent theme was the need for deeper collaboration among academia, industry, government, and associations, enabling not just more activity but the right activity. True transformation hinges on creating a coherent ecosystem where every stakeholder understands who’s involved, what roles they play, and how to work together effectively.

Across all six groups, certain needs consistently re-emerged: adequate financial resources, robust technological infrastructure, and mechanisms for sustained collaboration. Swiss EP and its Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) network remain committed to a facilitative role—providing expertise, fostering connections, and aligning efforts with the ecosystem’s strategic direction.

Early Progress and Long-Term Ambition

The momentum has already begun. Several teams have initiated follow-up meetings, stakeholder engagements, and pilot planning since the Summit. Some initiatives aim for implementation within the next 12 months, targeting quick wins to build early traction. Others set more ambitious three-year milestones—illustrating both the urgency and the endurance required to shift the ecosystem’s trajectory.

What unites these efforts is not only their relevance but also their realism: each initiative responds to real gaps, involves the right actors, and benefits from a shared commitment to move beyond conversation into coordinated action.

Looking Ahead

Vietnam’s startup ecosystem stands at a pivotal moment. With rising talent, increasing investor interest, and growing institutional support, the foundation for inclusive, innovation-led growth is already in place. What remains is collective execution.
Swiss EP will continue to stand alongside key ecosystem players—as a convener and connector—enabling the flow of expertise and capacity, fostering trust, and supporting Vietnam’s ambition to build a globally connected and resilient startup environment.