On the morning of November 14, the Cultural Industry Startup Festival 2025 officially opened at the Ho Chi Minh City Innovation Startup Center (SIHUB), marking an important step in the city’s roadmap to develop its cultural industry ecosystem.

The event was chaired by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology, in collaboration with SIHUB and partners, attracting the attention of experts, artists, creators, startups, and the innovative business community.

Built on the foundation of connecting culture, technology, and entrepreneurial spirit, the Festival is not only an exhibition activity but also a strategic milestone in the effort to make the cultural industry a socio-economic pillar of the city.

A large number of guests attended the Opening Ceremony of the Cultural Industry Startup Festival 2025.

Culture – Technology – Creativity: Synergy for New Momentum

In her opening speech, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Hue, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology, emphasized that the Cultural Industry Startup Festival is one of the key activities of the Ho Chi Minh City Innovation Startup Center (SIHUB) in 2025, clearly reflecting the city’s spirit of creativity and aspiration for innovation.

According to her, the event not only creates a space for connection and exhibition of cultural startup products but also contributes to concretizing the Cultural Development Strategy to 2030 and the Cultural Industry Development Plan of Ho Chi Minh City.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Hue – Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology – delivered the opening speech at the event.

Ms. Hue also assessed that the cultural industry is opening new directions by strongly applying technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) to revive and spread cultural values, creating innovative products rich in identity. With more than 50 exhibition booths and investment networking activities, the Festival serves as a bridge for startup projects to continue participating in the city’s incubation programs. She expressed hope that Ho Chi Minh City’s spirit of “daring to think – daring to act” will continue to be promoted, making culture one of the city’s key strengths in the new stage of development, contributing to elevating the city’s position and promoting the unique values of Vietnamese culture to the world.

Multi-layered Creative Space: From Technology Exhibitions to Startup Playground

The Festival took place continuously from morning to evening on November 14, creating an immersive space of experiences ranging from exhibitions, performances, professional discussions, training, to artistic exchanges.

The first highlight was the exhibition area, with more than 50 booths showcasing creative products and models applying 3D, 360-degree, VR/AR, and AI technologies, along with solutions for fields such as gaming, fashion, handicrafts, architecture, design, cinema, fine arts, publishing, and photography. This space vividly illustrated how Vietnamese culture is being retold in a modern, visual language that is accessible and engaging for young audiences.

In addition to the exhibition, the startup pitching area brought a positive competitive atmosphere with the participation of 65 startups — 47 under the INNOCULTURE 2025 program and 18 in sustainable development under the GIC 2025 program. These projects not only presented ideas but also sought opportunities to enter intensive support processes under Resolution No. 20/2023/NQ-HĐND, ranging from pre-incubation to acceleration. This reflects efforts to build a sustainable ecosystem for cultural and creative enterprises.

Another important activity was the Vietnam–Japan M&A Matching, which connected 5 Vietnamese startups in the media and advertising sector with 5 Japanese investment funds

Here are some images that were captured at the Cultural Industry Startup Festival 2025 – int he morning of November 14th.

Professional Forum: Shaping the Future of Vietnam’s Cultural Industry

As part of the Opening Ceremony, a thematic seminar titled “Vietnam CultureTech 2025: Technology – New Momentum for Vietnam’s Cultural Industry” was also held, attracting strong interest from professionals.

Master Kieu Cong Thuoc delivered his speech at the event.

At the forum, experts analyzed technology trends that are reshaping the ways cultural products are preserved, created, and distributed: from AI in art to hologram performances, from virtual museums to multi-sensory spaces. Many notable projects — such as virtual character models, hologram-based performances, the “Tỏa” art space, and the “I Love Áo Bà Ba” initiative — demonstrated efforts to bring heritage closer to the public through modern approaches.

Alongside opportunities, speakers also frankly pointed out existing bottlenecks, such as the lack of ecosystem connectivity between businesses, investors, and regulators; limited funding; and shortages of human resources with combined expertise in both culture and technology. The establishment of the Vietnam Cultural Industry Development Association and support programs from SIHUB are expected to fill these missing links, creating a foundation for the long-term development of the industry.

The speakers participated in the panel discussion at the event.

Alongside professional activities, according to the organizers’ schedule, the Festival also created an evening space for artistic exchange with programs featuring traditional fashion shows, musical performances, and training sessions on design and enterprise management. These activities helped connect the creative community and encouraged young people to pursue cultural values within a modern innovation environment.

Long-term Vision for Vietnam’s Cultural Industry

Overall, the Cultural Industry Startup Festival 2025 was not merely an occasion to showcase products or demonstrate technology. From cultural stories retold through technology to new business models of cultural startups, the Festival outlined a broad future in which Vietnamese culture can expand and develop sustainably in the digital era.

When cultural projects gain access to appropriate resources, when technology helps heritage to be revived and disseminated, and when cultural startups have opportunities to expand international cooperation, that is also the moment when Vietnam’s cultural industry enters a stronger growth phase.

Minh Nha