HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam aims to establish at least 500 innovative start-ups based on the commercialisation of research results, technologies and intellectual property by 2035 under a national programme approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The National Programme on Innovative Start-ups for 2026-2035, approved on September 15, aims to address bottlenecks in the start-up ecosystem, connect resources and strengthen links among businesses, researchers, investors and other ecosystem participants.

The programme shifts the focus of start-up support towards measurable results, with business growth, socio-economic efficiency, innovation capacity and the ability to commercialise technology among its key indicators.

The ministry’s National Agency for Start-ups and Technology Entrepreneurship, said that Việt Nam has developed a firm foundation for the innovative start-up ecosystem to deepen its development and shift the focus from the number of start-ups to quality and tangible results.

The programme targets at least 250 innovative start-ups by 2030 based on technology testing and development, product development and the commercialisation of research results and intellectual property and 500 start-ups by 2035.

By 2030, the programme aims to support at least 150 start-ups in completing production processes and developing prototypes for manufacturing, while 30 will receive support to conduct controlled trials of innovative products and projects.

It also plans to support 200 during incubation and growth stages by 2030 and 400 by 2035. At least 30 per cent of these businesses are expected to operate in high-tech or strategic technology sectors.

At least 30 per cent of supported businesses must demonstrate growth through higher revenue or customer numbers, successful fundraising or expansion into international markets.

The programme also aims to develop at least 500 specialists in start-up support, venture capital fund management and incubation programmes by 2030, increasing the number to at least 1,000 by 2035.

Growing ecosystem

The programme is part of the wider effort to implement the Government’ Resolution 86/NQ-CP dated April 5 on the national strategy on innovative start-ups, which promotes entrepreneurship based on science, technology, innovation and digital transformation.

The strategy calls for improvements to the legal framework, wider use of digital administrative procedures and pilot controlled-testing mechanisms, or sandboxes, for new technologies as well as legal framework for a one-person enterprise model and simplified bankruptcy procedures to make it easier for entrepreneurs to restart businesses.

Another focus in unlocking the capital flow with the goal of promoting the development of national and local venture capital funds, while exploring direct financial support and credit guarantees based on intellectual property.

The Ministry of Science and Technology has been tasked with establishing a national venture capital fund, which is expected to begin operations by the end of December 2026. The fund is intended to provide seed capital and attract additional private investment from domestic and foreign investors.

The ministry is also working with the Ministry of Finance on a draft decree to establish a specialised securities market, potentially giving such companies another channel to raise capital.

Việt Nam also aims to attract international experts and help Vietnamese start-ups participate more deeply in global value chains, while continuing to refine policies on science, technology, innovation and startup support.

According to the 2026 Global Start-up Ecosystem Index by Start-upBlink, Việt Nam's start-up ecosystem ranked 50th globally in 2025, up five places from the previous year and its highest position since the ranking was introduced.

The ecosystem expanded 67.9 per cent, well above the 17.5 per cent average growth among the world's top 100 ecosystems. Việt Nam ranked fifth in Southeast Asia and 10th in Asia, while its fintech ecosystem ranked 39th globally.

Four cities were included in the global top 1,000 start-up ecosystems, including HCM City at 98th, Hà Nội at 118th, Đà Nẵng at 554th and Hải Phòng at 765th.

The country also has about 4,000 start-ups, 208 investment funds, 84 incubators and more than 20 start-up support centres at national and local levels.

Venture capital investment in Việt Nam reached US$509 million through 103 deals in 2025, up 28 per cent from 2024. Total private capital, including private equity, reached about $4.5 billion through 149 deals, nearly double the $2.255 billion recorded a year earlier. — VNS