Startup Festival 2025: A gathering of the startup community, spreading the spirit of innovation

On the afternoon of December 20, 2025, in Hanoi, Startup Festival 2025, under the direction of VCCI and organized by Business Forum Magazine, took place with the participation of numerous delegates, startup support organizations, and the young business community. The event was part of a series of activities under the National Startup Program, aiming to connect resources, honor the entrepreneurial spirit, and promote the innovative startup ecosystem.

At the event, Dr. Nguyen Duc Hien – Deputy Head of the Central Policy and Strategy Committee – stated that the annual National Startup Program is a highly practical initiative that contributes to implementing the Party’s and Government’s guidelines and strategies on private sector development, proactive participation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and promoting breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation.

“This is a series of events that promotes the entrepreneurial spirit throughout society; nurtures and encourages business and innovation among all people, in line with the Party’s established guidelines,” Dr. Hien emphasized. He also affirmed that the role of startups in the economy is undeniable.

According to Dr. Nguyen Duc Hien, entrepreneurship helps spread the entrepreneurial spirit, transform idle resources into productive capital, create jobs, foster competition, and diversify products. Startups are also closely linked to the aspiration for legitimate wealth creation and contributions to the country’s shared prosperity.

Within the framework of the Festival, one topic that was frequently discussed was startup financing. Dr. Nguyen Duc Hien assessed capital as a decisive factor for the survival and growth rate of startups, especially in the early stages when businesses must transform ideas into actual products and services. He emphasized that solutions for capital flows play a critical role in helping startups overcome the “difficult beginnings” phase.

“I highly appreciate today’s roundtable topic on ‘Mechanisms and policies to promote the development of startup investment funds’,” Dr. Hien shared.

Dr. Hien also noted that in recent times, regulatory agencies have focused on diversifying capital mobilization channels for startups, including allocating central budget funds to implement business support programs, prioritizing projects with high technological content and significant social impact, in line with the orientation toward green and circular economic development. He also mentioned Decree No. 264/2025/ND-CP dated October 14, 2025, which regulates the National Venture Capital Fund and local venture capital funds, along with related mechanisms and policies to enable investment funds to operate effectively and allow innovative startups to participate more deeply in programs and projects.

In addition to speeches and panel discussions, Startup Festival 2025 also featured visits to project exhibition booths. Many delegates directly met and exchanged views with startup teams, learning about their products and business models. The exhibition area was vibrant, showcasing a wide range of projects spanning technology, local products, environmental solutions, and education.

Reviewing the project landscape at the Festival, Dr. Nguyen Duc Hien stated that the Top 10 projects selected for the Final Round clearly demonstrated the diversity and strong potential of Vietnam’s startup ecosystem. These projects focused on three main groups: green and circular economy; local specialties and Vietnamese values; and technology in health and education. He noted that this is a sound direction, while also emphasizing the need for projects to continue increasing their technological content, particularly the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation, to further improve their products.

In his message to the startup community, Dr. Hien outlined several key orientations for the coming period, including continuing to improve technological capabilities; proactively researching and leveraging corporate income tax exemptions and reductions, as well as capital support mechanisms from the state budget and investment funds; and strengthening connections with startup support organizations, investors, and international partners to expand markets, access advanced technologies, and enhance governance capacity.

“Startup Festival 2025 is not merely an event, but an affirmation of the Vietnamese nation’s aspiration to rise. Today’s startup projects are the first building blocks of tomorrow’s digital and green economy. Moving into 2026, the National Startup Program will continue to innovate and closely cooperate with ministries, sectors, and international organizations to support provinces and universities/colleges nationwide in building and developing an open, innovative startup ecosystem,” Dr. Hien shared.

Also at Startup Festival 2025, Mr. Bui Trung Nghia – Vice President of VCCI – emphasized that the Festival is a “traditional day” of Vietnam’s startup community, maintained continuously for 23 years. According to him, this year’s Festival took place in the context of Vietnam undergoing strong transitions in institutions, the economy, and governance thinking, opening up breakthrough opportunities for the national innovative startup ecosystem.

Mr. Nghia also referred to the significance of 2025 in socio-economic life and highlighted institutional transformations that lay the foundation for the country to enter a new development phase. In his remarks, he cited figures showing that Vietnam’s startup ecosystem continues to hold its position as a bright spot in the region.

“2025 marks a strong transformation of Vietnam’s startup ecosystem. Despite fluctuations in global venture capital flows, Vietnam has maintained its position as a bright spot in Southeast Asia. We are proud to remain third in the region in both the number of deals and total investment value, behind only Singapore and Indonesia,” Mr. Nghia affirmed.

According to Mr. Bui Trung Nghia, 2025 recorded many positive indicators for the ecosystem, including growth in the number of innovative startups, improvements in innovation rankings, and better positioning of several major cities on the global startup map. He also emphasized the spread of the startup movement to many localities, including provinces that appeared in the program’s final round for the first time.

At the conclusion of the program, the organizers reaffirmed their commitment to accompanying the startup community through activities such as networking, training, capacity building, and expanded cooperation. Startup Festival 2025 is expected to continue serving as an annual meeting point for stakeholders in the ecosystem, contributing to the promotion of innovation and creating more opportunities for startups on their development journey.