This was affirmed by Vice Chairwoman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Tran Thi Dieu Thuy at the opening ceremony of Ho Chi Minh City Week of Innovation, Science and Technology and Creative Startups 2025 (WISE HCMC⁺ 2025) on the morning of November 26.

Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Tran Thi Dieu Thuy said that in 2025, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) published the Global Innovation Index Report 2025, according to which Vietnam was ranked 44/139 countries and economies, ranked 2nd out of 38 economies in the lower middle-income group, ranked 10th out of 17 economies in Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania.

According to Startup Blink, Ho Chi Minh City’s innovative startup ecosystem continues to grow, ranking 110/1,000 global cities and third in Southeast Asia. These figures affirm the attractiveness of the startup ecosystem in the City, which constantly nurtures breakthrough ideas and promotes innovative startups to develop internationally.

As the economic locomotive of the country, Ho Chi Minh City has been proactively innovating its thinking, building forward-looking institutions, creating an environment that encourages creativity, testing new models and strongly promoting human resources.

The city also proactively sets a goal of becoming an international innovation center by 2025-2030, with the digital economy accounting for 30-40% of GRDP and total social expenditure on research and development (R&D) reaching 2-3% of GRDP, allocating at least 4-5% of total annual budget expenditure for science, technology, and digital transformation.

The city currently attracts nearly 50% of the total number of startups in the country and is home to three of Vietnam’s four technology unicorns, including VNG, MoMo and Sky Mavis, affirming its position as both an “economic locomotive” and a “creative startup center” of the country.

According to Vice Chairwoman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Tran Thi Dieu Thuy, the City also proactively set a goal to become an international innovation center by 2025-2030.

With the determination to make science and technology, innovation and digital transformation the core foundation for socio-economic development, Ho Chi Minh City identifies 2025 as the year of action and determination.

The Ho Chi Minh City government is committed to always accompanying the innovation community in every stage of development; at the same time, maximizing the role of orientation, leadership, connection, cooperation and sharing. This is not only a task but also a strategic vision to promote innovation, contributing to positioning Ho Chi Minh City as the leading innovation center of the region and the world.

Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Ho Chi Minh City Tran Trong Tuyen said that WISE HCMC⁺ 2025 will only be truly meaningful if after this event, we bring with us a creative idea that dares to experiment, a connection to cooperate, a project to realize, or simply, a belief that: Ho Chi Minh City deserves to become the destination of the biggest technological and creative dreams in Vietnam”, Mr. Tran Trong Tuyen emphasized.

The Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology called on the community to spread knowledge and transfer technology into life. Entrepreneurs should invest in innovation as they invest in their own future. Startups should not only look to the Vietnamese market, but also look to the region and the world. Young people should not only participate, but also be pioneers and take action.

Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology, Mr. Tran Trong Tuyen

In addition to 200 technology exhibition booths, this year’s WISE HCMC⁺ 2025 activities show a large-scale and in-depth week, revolving around three pillars: technology, international connection and innovation. The opening is a series of events focusing on global expertise and cooperation, highlighted by the final round of the startup competition in the field of high-tech agriculture, the ESG – Green Finance workshop, along with the Korea Networking, KoretoViet Networking and Showcase programs at GBNS… to expand the network of foreign partners.

In addition, the Investor Meetup, Pitching S.Venture and Founder Meetup spaces will be where capital flows, technology trends and startup stories are discussed directly and in substance. The next series of activities will be marked by the AI ​​Challenge awards ceremony, the “Technology Breakthrough and Innovation” conference, a strategic discussion session on Fintech for international financial centers, and workshops on logistics digital transformation, sales transformation and tax compliance for SMEs…

With the theme “Innovation and Technology – The Future of Our City”, WISE HCMC+ 2025 attracts the participation of hundreds of experts, investors and leading technology corporations at home and abroad.