Vietnam Maps Out Roadmap For Dedicated Startup Stock Exchange
Vietnam is moving forward with plans to establish a dedicated stock exchange for startups under Resolution 86/NQ-CP, in a bid to expand early stage access to capital and diversify fundraising channels for innovative businesses. The initiative reflects a broader effort to build a more complete startup ecosystem, extending from idea generation and company formation to capital market access and liquidity opportunities.
At the center of the strategy is a strong push to cultivate a nationwide startup culture, with policymakers emphasizing risk taking, innovation driven thinking, and broader participation in entrepreneurship. The approach aims to encourage startup activity across different segments of society while creating conditions for more individuals and businesses to engage in innovation based economic growth.
The rise of technology driven entrepreneurship is also reshaping how startups are formed and operated. Advances in digital tools and artificial intelligence are making it increasingly feasible for individuals to build and manage lean companies independently, contributing to the emergence of “one person startups” with lower operational barriers and greater scalability potential.
To support this transition, ecosystem infrastructure has been identified as a core priority. Development efforts are focused on building digital platforms, establishing shared laboratories, and strengthening collaboration between universities, research institutes, and startups. These linkages are intended to improve the commercialization pipeline from research and innovation to market ready businesses.
At the same time, Vietnam is seeking to broaden the capital ecosystem supporting startups. Alongside the expansion of domestic and international venture capital funds, authorities are promoting the development of new financing mechanisms, including intellectual property backed financing. Legal reforms are being introduced to allow intellectual property assets to be valued, contributed as capital, or used as collateral, creating additional pathways for startups to access funding beyond traditional financing structures.
The planned startup focused exchange also signals a shift toward enabling earlier liquidity and wider capital access, rather than relying primarily on private funding channels. However, the effectiveness of the model is expected to depend heavily on execution, particularly in areas such as regulatory design, investor readiness, and the overall quality of startups entering the system.
Vietnam has also outlined ambitious long term targets for the sector, including the establishment of 10,000 startups by 2030, attracting 1.5 billion USD in venture capital funding, and achieving a ratio of one business for approximately every 35 people by 2045.
Vietnam’s Digital Tech Revenue Reaches $23.6 Billion In April 2026
Vietnam’s digital technology sector continued to post strong growth in April 2026, with total revenue reaching approximately $23.6 billion, up around 38% year on year. The performance underscores the sector’s increasingly important role within the broader economy, as Vietnam continues to deepen the integration of digital industries into its long term growth model.
Export activity remained a major growth driver during the period. Exports of digital technology products rose nearly 39.6% year on year, reinforcing Vietnam’s position within global technology supply chains and highlighting the sector’s growing contribution to international trade.
At the same time, the country’s digital infrastructure continued to expand. Vietnam recorded approximately 110.5 million mobile broadband subscribers, while fiber optic coverage reached around 85.8%. Adoption of IPv6 also continued to rise, reaching roughly 65%, reflecting ongoing efforts to modernize network infrastructure and improve connectivity standards.
The expansion of connectivity is expected to accelerate further through the government’s long term telecommunications strategy. Authorities are moving ahead with plans to deploy nationwide 5G coverage by 2030, alongside efforts to eliminate remaining connectivity gaps across the country. These initiatives are intended to strengthen the technological foundation supporting both businesses and consumers within the digital economy.
The scale of the domestic digital ecosystem is also continuing to grow. Vietnam currently has around 80,000 active digital technology enterprises, indicating broader participation across the sector and increasing operational capacity within the industry. This expansion reflects the transition of the digital economy from a phase of rapid growth toward a more mature and interconnected ecosystem.
Financial performance across the sector and related industries also remained stable. After tax profit reached approximately VND44.5 trillion, while supporting sectors such as postal services and intellectual property related activities maintained steady growth, contributing to the broader development of the digital economy.
At the innovation level, Vietnam is also strengthening its long term competitiveness through research and scientific output. More than 2,700 international publications were recorded in key science and technology fields, highlighting stronger linkages between digital sector growth, research capability, and innovation development.
As the sector continues to expand in scale, the broader challenge will be ensuring that growth translates into higher value creation alongside rising output. The combination of export growth, infrastructure development, enterprise expansion, and increasing innovation capacity reflects a digital economy that is becoming more integrated and structurally mature.
Vietnam, Japan Expand Tech And Infrastructure Cooperation During Takaichi Visit
Vietnam and Japan have moved to deepen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the high level visit of Japanese politician Sanae Takaichi, reinforcing long term cooperation across economic, political, and technological domains. The visit highlighted the growing strategic alignment between the two countries as bilateral relations expand beyond traditional trade and development assistance into advanced technology collaboration and economic security.
Economic ties between the two countries continue to strengthen. Japan remains one of Vietnam’s most important international partners, serving as the country’s largest provider of official development assistance and a major foreign investor. Bilateral trade has already surpassed 50 billion USD, with both sides targeting 60 billion USD by 2030, reflecting continued momentum in economic integration.
A major focus of the partnership is the acceleration of cooperation in next generation industries. Vietnam and Japan are stepping up collaboration in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, green energy, and space technology, signaling a broader shift toward co-developing strategic industries and strengthening long term industrial capabilities.
During the visit, the two sides signed six agreements covering areas including space technology, information and communications technology, irrigation systems, climate resilience, and low carbon growth. These agreements reflect efforts to broaden cooperation across sectors that are increasingly tied to both economic development and sustainability objectives.
The semiconductor sector and research collaboration also received significant attention. The two countries launched 15 joint research projects under the NEXUS program, alongside broader initiatives aimed at developing high quality technology talent. These efforts are expected to support Vietnam’s ability to absorb advanced technologies and strengthen domestic research and development capacity over the long term.
Infrastructure development and energy security remain central pillars of the partnership. Japan is expected to continue expanding official development assistance to support resilient infrastructure, supply chain diversification, and Vietnam’s energy transition efforts, as both countries seek to strengthen economic resilience amid shifting global conditions.
Beyond economics and technology, cooperation is also expanding into strategic and regional issues, including economic security, maritime security, and broader regional stability initiatives such as the Free and Open Indo Pacific strategy and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership. These developments underscore the increasingly multidimensional nature of the Vietnam Japan relationship as both countries deepen coordination across a wider range of strategic priorities.
Ho Chi Minh City Secures $1.23 Billion In New High Tech Investments
Ho Chi Minh City has attracted 1.23 billion USD in new high tech investments through four newly licensed projects at Saigon High Tech Park, reinforcing its position as an emerging regional hub for digital infrastructure and advanced manufacturing. The projects span sectors including digital infrastructure, biotechnology, smart electronics, and IoT enabled lithium battery manufacturing, reflecting growing diversification within the city’s technology ecosystem.
A significant share of the newly committed capital is concentrated in digital infrastructure, particularly hyperscale data centers. Two data center projects with capacities of approximately 52MW and 60MW account for the majority of the investment value, highlighting rapidly rising demand for digital capacity as Vietnam expands its digital economy. The concentration of investment in large scale data infrastructure also signals a broader structural shift toward supporting artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital services at scale.
Alongside data infrastructure, the investment portfolio includes projects in biomedical technology, smart electronics, and lithium battery manufacturing integrated with Internet of Things capabilities. The presence of multiple high tech segments within the same investment wave reflects efforts to strengthen industrial depth while expanding into higher value manufacturing and technology driven production.
The newly licensed projects also demonstrate continued confidence from foreign investors in Vietnam’s technology sector. Participation from Singapore backed investors and other global players underscores growing international interest in the country’s expanding digital and high tech ecosystem.
High technology and sustainability related industries are becoming increasingly important drivers of foreign direct investment inflows into the city. Nearly half of Ho Chi Minh City’s 2.9 billion USD in foreign direct investment during the first quarter of 2026 was directed toward high tech and green economy sectors, reflecting shifting investor priorities toward digital transformation and sustainable growth industries.
Local authorities have also emphasized their commitment to supporting project implementation beyond the licensing stage. The city has pledged to streamline administrative procedures and facilitate project execution, as attention increasingly turns toward ensuring that large scale investments move efficiently from approval to operational deployment and generate tangible economic value.
Citi Deploys $100 Million To Expand MSME Financing In Vietnam
Citi has deployed 100 million USD in social trade finance in Vietnam through a structure designed as sustainable trade advances to support local financial institutions. The initiative reflects a broader push toward inclusive and sustainability linked financing models aimed at expanding capital access for micro, small, and medium sized enterprises (MSME) across the country.
The funds are being channeled through major domestic banks, including BIDV and MB Bank, which will use the capital to expand lending activities targeting MSMEs. By working through established local financial institutions, the program is intended to broaden financing reach while strengthening support for businesses operating across different sectors of the economy.
The initiative places strong emphasis on MSMEs, which play a central role in Vietnam’s economic structure. The segment contributes more than 45% of the country’s GDP and accounts for over 60% of total employment, making access to financing a critical factor in sustaining economic activity and labor market growth.
The financing is primarily aimed at supporting working capital needs and broader business expansion activities. Through this structure, the capital is expected to support income generating operations, facilitate job creation, and contribute to local economic development, particularly among businesses that may face constraints in accessing traditional sources of funding.
The transactions are also aligned with Citi’s sustainable finance strategy through clearly defined use of proceeds frameworks. This approach links the financing to environmental, social, and governance related objectives while reinforcing broader goals tied to inclusive growth and responsible capital deployment.
Citi is also positioning the structure as a scalable financing model within the Vietnamese market. Following the initial deployment through BIDV and MB Bank, the bank aims to replicate similar arrangements with additional financial institutions in Vietnam, potentially expanding the reach of social trade finance solutions across the country’s banking system.
Genesia Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm operating in Japan and Southeast Asia, with a strong belief in the long-term potential of Vietnam’s digital economy. Beyond providing capital, the fund actively supports startups through strategic guidance and connections to a broader regional network.