This morning (November 26), the Ho Chi Minh City Innovation, Science, Technology, and Innovative Startup Week 2025 (WISE HCMC⁺ 2025) officially opened at the Ho Chi Minh City Creative Startup Center. The program is presided over by the City People’s Committee and organized by the Department of Science and Technology. The WISE HCMC⁺ 2025 week will take place continuously for 3 days from November 26 to 28, 2025, with over 15 events and nearly 200 booths featuring innovative products and services introduced to the community at this event.

Attending the event were Ms. Tran Thi Dieu Thuy, Member of the City Party Committee, Vice Chairwoman of the HCMC People’s Committee; Mr. Tran Ngoc Tuyen, Deputy Director of the HCMC Department of Science and Technology; Mr. Le Van Danh, Deputy Director of the HCMC Department of Industry and Trade; Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hoa, Deputy Director of the HCMC Digital Transformation Center; Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hien, Deputy Head of the Management Board of the High-Tech Agricultural Park; Mr. Lam Nguyen Hai Long, Chairman of the HCMC Computer Association… representing leaders of departments, boards, sectors, organizations, provincial associations, and delegates representing leaders of units, organizations, associations, research institutes, universities, corporations, businesses, investors, along with the domestic and international startup community, and especially a large number of press and media reporters attending together.

According to HCMC People’s Committee Vice Chairwoman Tran Thi Dieu Thuy, the City also proactively sets the goal for the 2025-2030 period to become an international innovation center.

WISE HCMC⁺ 2025 is an extremely meaningful event, part of a series of activities promoting the spirit of innovation, connecting knowledge, technology, and the aspiration to innovate to create a future for the development of the startup ecosystem in Vietnam. At the same time, this is also an extremely important task, a valuable opportunity for businesses, investors, and the startup community across the country and internationally to meet, exchange, and share new ideas, a place to honor scientific and technological achievements and contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.

Mr. Tran Trong Tuyen – Deputy Director of the HCMC Department of Science and Technology stated that in the era of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, innovative startup has become an important driver of economic growth. In Vietnam, the Government considers Innovative Startup as a pillar of sustainable development with many reforms and support policies. In that context, HCMC has emerged as the most dynamic innovative startup ecosystem in Vietnam. The city currently attracts nearly 50% of the total number of startups in the country and is the headquarters of 3 out of 4 Vietnamese technology unicorns, including VNG, MoMo, and Sky Mavis, affirming its position as both the “economic locomotive” and the “innovative startup hub” of the nation.

On the international stage, the Global Startup Ecosystem Index (GSEI) report by Startup Blink in 2024 ranked HCMC at position 111 and in 2025 at position 110 on the Global Startup Ecosystem Index rankings, maintaining its position as the city with the most dynamic innovative startup ecosystem in Vietnam. At the national level: The Provincial Innovation Index (PII) in 2025 continues to record HCMC holding the 2nd position nationwide with 59.33 points (2024: 55.81 points). The city demonstrates a leading role in many important component indices such as digital infrastructure, business R&D activities, and the number of trademark and industrial design applications.

Also according to Mr. Tran Trong Tuyen, in the 2026–2030 period, Ho Chi Minh City aims to become: A regional innovation center, an international financial center based on a digital technology platform, an ASEAN intellectual hub – a gathering place for global experts, startups, and investors. The city currently has SIHUB – the City’s Innovation Startup Center; High-Tech Park, High-Tech Agricultural Park, venture capital funds, strong research universities, and a potential creative young workforce. More importantly, we have a community yearning to be led – yearning to create new values for this City. The issue is not whether the City has enough resources. It is whether we have enough faith to pave the way for the new.

Mr. Tran Trong Tuyen emphasized, “WISE HCMC⁺ only truly has meaning if after this event, we take with us: a creative idea daring to test, a connection to cooperate, a project to realize, or simply, a belief that: Ho Chi Minh City deserves to become the destination for the biggest technology and creative dreams in Vietnam. To take concrete action, I invite all of us – don’t just talk about the future, let’s create the future together. Let’s spread knowledge and transfer technology into life. Entrepreneurs, invest in innovation as investing in your own future. Startups, don’t just look for the Vietnamese market, look out to the region and the world. Young people, don’t just participate, be pioneers and take action.”

Deputy Director of the HCMC Department of Science and Technology Tran Trong Tuyen.

To demonstrate Ho Chi Minh City’s pioneering role in leading and promoting innovation, science technology, and digital transformation, especially in developing the innovative startup ecosystem, Ms. Tran Thi Dieu Thuy – Member of the City Party Committee, Vice Chairwoman of the City People’s Committee stated that implementing Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024, of the Politburo on breakthroughs in developing science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation has been issued, bringing the whole country into a new development phase with the focus on science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation. Ho Chi Minh City has pioneered in transforming the Resolution into policies, practical solutions, and strategic objectives and action programs.

The City has been and is proactively renewing thinking, building institutions ahead of time, creating an environment that encourages creativity, piloting new models, and strongly promoting human resources. The City proactively sets the goal for the 2025-2030 period to become an international innovation center, with the digital economy accounting for 30-40% of GRDP and total social expenditure for research and development (R&D) reaching 2 – 3% of GRDP, allocating at least 4 – 5% of the total annual budget expenditure for science, technology, and digital transformation.

Vice Chairwoman of the City People’s Committee Tran Thi Dieu Thuy affirmed, “With the determination to make science 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, demonstrated through the theme: ‘Focus on arranging the organizational apparatus to be streamlined – compact – strong – high performance – effective – efficient; pushing digital transformation; Resolution No. 98/2023 of the National Assembly; basically resolving obstacles and backlogs of the City’. The City administration commits to always accompanying the innovation community in every stage of development, while maximizing the role of orientation, leading, connecting, cooperating, and sharing. This is not only a task but also a strategic vision aimed at promoting innovation, contributing to positioning Ho Chi Minh City as a leading innovation hub in the region and the world.”

Opening ceremony of WISE HCMC+ 2025.

It lies not only in the scale of nearly 200 technology exhibition booths, hundreds of startups, AI Hackathon contests, AI Challenge; not only in international conferences, high-level policy dialogue sessions, or investment connection activities throughout from morning until late at night every day. The most special thing is: WISE HCMC⁺ will become an annual rendezvous for innovative thinking, for Vietnamese intellect, for the international community; a place where the new sprouts, where opportunities are identified, where ideas are given wings, and where aspirations are transmitted.