Along with the efforts of the whole Ho Chi Minh City in the process of developing an innovation ecosystem, the Department of Science and Technology of Ho Chi Minh City has started a strategic cooperation with the technology “super unicorn” Canva from Australia.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology is expected to announce on December 11 a cooperation program between the Department and Canva – known as a technology “super unicorn” thanks to its valuation of more than 40 billion USD.

As planned, high-ranking delegates at the ceremony will include Ms. Sarah Hooper, Australian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, and Mr. Anoulack Chanthivong, Minister for Trade and Investment of New South Wales (Australia).

Ho Chi Minh City Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center – SIHUB (photo) is the “common home” for the city’s innovation ecosystem. Photo: M.N

In Ho Chi Minh City, the Department of Science and Technology is the pioneer agency promoting the innovation process (commonly known as Innovation in the world) and creating a solid ecosystem for technology startups, small and medium enterprises, and science education in the city.

Meanwhile, Canva is a global design platform known for its ability to “empower design for everyone”. Canva helps millions of people from students to startups easily create visual, professional content. The company was founded in 2013 in Australia and became a unicorn startup (Unicorn, valued at over 1 billion USD) in 2018. In 2021, the company reached a valuation of over 40 billion USD, making Canva a Decacorn (ie super unicorn, valued at 10 billion USD or more).

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology, the new cooperation between the two sides is a bridge to be able to use copyrighted Canva tools, helping the city to enhance its digital capacity training and further promote international cooperation, especially with Canva representatives and international experts at the Ho Chi Minh City Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (SIHUB), a unit under the Department.

Previously, on October 27, SIHUB representatives had a working session with Canva representatives to specify the cooperation program to develop the market and support the Vietnamese innovation community.

SIHUB representative (left) worked with Canva company at SIHUB on October 27, 2025 on cooperation between the science and technology sector of Ho Chi Minh City and Canva. Source: SIHUB.

Attending the meeting were Ms. Dang Thi Luan, Acting Director of SIHUB and Ms. Elle Liu, Director of Canva Southeast Asia, along with the professional teams of both sides. The cooperation between Canva and SIHUB is carried out on the basis of the agreement program signed between the Department of Science and Technology of Ho Chi Minh City and Investment NSW (Investment Agency of New South Wales, Australia).

The two sides shared about current innovation activities and discussed cooperation strategies in expanding Canva’s presence in the Vietnamese market, in some areas such as education, and especially supporting the innovative startup community in the SIHUB ecosystem.

The two sides also discussed current innovation activities and cooperation strategies to expand Canva’s presence in the Vietnamese market. Priority areas include education and especially the provision of practical tools and support solutions for the innovative startup community within the SIHUB ecosystem.

The Ho Chi Minh City Center for Creative Entrepreneurship – SIHUB and the Australian technology company have also agreed on specific contents for the cooperation program. The main goal is to accompany the development of the creative ecosystem in Vietnam, helping individuals and businesses, especially startups, to easily access modern and effective design tools from Canva.

According to the latest ranking by Startup Blink, an international research and consulting organization specializing in startups (Switzerland), Ho Chi Minh City’s innovative startup ecosystem is currently ranked 110th globally. This level has increased by 1 place compared to 2024 and significantly improved compared to the first ranking in 2020, at position 225. However, compared to other Southeast Asian cities, Ho Chi Minh City is still behind Singapore (ranked 12th), Jakarta (30th), Kuala Lumpur (73rd) and Bangkok (81st). From now until 2030, the city aims to be in the Top 100 dynamic startup ecosystems globally.