Prime Minister: With innovation and creativity throughout society, the country will undergo a powerful transformation.
17/12/2025
"Innovation is about doing better than what we already have and creating new ideas and products that are more valuable and sustainable. It's a journey of constantly surpassing ourselves, aiming for new heights for each individual, business, and the nation," said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
This inspiring message was emphasized by the head of government in his speech at the opening ceremony of Techfest Vietnam 2025 on the evening of December 13th. In its 11 editions, this is the fifth time the event has been attended by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, demonstrating the consistent attention of the Party, State, and Government to the innovation ecosystem and the spirit of entrepreneurship.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited the exhibition area at Techfest Vietnam 2025 before the opening ceremony on December 13th, 2025. Photo: Giang Huy.
This year, Techfest also moved away from the familiar auditorium model for the first time, into a public space, directly reaching the people. The change in venue carries a message that innovation is no longer just a story for startups or the tech industry, but a driving force for the development of the entire society.
Calling for innovation throughout society
, the Prime Minister affirmed that human creativity has no limits, no stopping point, creating leaps in knowledge, technology and labor productivity, and that innovation has proven its importance in the flow of history.
This is demonstrated in nearly 40 years of reform, with innovation in fields such as agriculture helping Vietnam escape poverty, ensuring food security and becoming one of the world's leading rice exporting countries; Industrial development has contributed to placing Vietnam in the group of upper-middle-income countries, with per capita income estimated to reach over US$5,000 in 2025.
In recent years, amidst a world experiencing rapid, complex, and unpredictable changes, the Vietnamese economy has maintained positive growth, exceeding the world average. According to the Prime Minister, this is partly due to innovation, as Vietnam constantly renews traditional growth drivers and effectively exploits new ones.
Referring to the spirit of considering science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and green transformation as key drivers for the country to become a high-income, rapidly developing, and sustainable nation, he emphasized: Innovative entrepreneurship is an inevitable and objective trend, a strategic choice and a top priority in investment.
The stage at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square by Hoan Kiem Lake, where Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of Techfest 2025. Photo: Giang Huy
The spirit of a "proactive state" is also concretized through a series of policy directions, from perfecting the legal framework, institutionalizing venture capital activities, recognizing angel investors, and providing tax incentives; expanding resources for science and technology and innovation; building a specialized exchange for innovative startups; encouraging the commercialization of research results; and stipulating special preferential policies for domestic and foreign experts in innovative startups. "
The goal is to build an innovative startup nation based on advanced technology, a transparent institutional framework, seamless infrastructure, smart governance and human resources; developing an independent, self-reliant economy that is deeply, genuinely, and effectively integrated into the international community," he said.
Alongside these positive signs, the Prime Minister also frankly pointed out the challenges facing Vietnam's innovative startup ecosystem. Due to its slow starting point, Vietnam still lags behind the region and the world. Many major challenges were raised, from strengthening the linkages between domestic businesses and FDI enterprises to participate more deeply in the global value chain, to accelerating the commercialization of scientific research results.
In particular, the Prime Minister questioned Vietnam's position in the value chain of core technologies such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence. "Where will Vietnam stand in the current global semiconductor value chain? What are the key objectives? What are the strategic priorities?" he asked, considering this a challenge not only for managers, but also for research institutes, universities, and the scientific and technological community. Simultaneously, there was a need to rapidly develop large databases, expand the data market, and promote AI and machine learning products developed and controlled by Vietnam. Furthermore, according to the Prime Minister, innovation is only truly meaningful when it is linked to real-life situations, when technology is applied to solve social, environmental, and urban problems, from disaster prevention and traffic congestion reduction to pollution reduction in major cities.
Based on these analyses, he outlined a fundamental shift in thinking and approach in the coming period. Accordingly, the focus will shift from spontaneous innovation to addressing major development issues; from outsourcing to mastering core technologies; from individual startups to forming ecosystems; from the domestic market to expanding regionally and globally; and from a management mindset to a development-oriented mindset, creating a synchronized and transparent legal framework for testing and effective implementation.
Concluding his speech, the Prime Minister called on the entire society to participate in the innovation process. "When each individual innovates, each business innovates, and the whole society innovates, then our entire country will transform strongly and surpass itself," the Prime Minister emphasized, while encouraging the younger generation to dare to think, dare to act, dare to accept risks, and be tolerant of failure. Enhancing
the role of Techfest Vietnam:
From a specialized event, Techfest Vietnam has become a social activity where the spirit of innovation is not only for startups or the technology sector, but spreads to a wide range of people. Right from the beginning of his speech, the Prime Minister also emphasized that this event is a place to "sow the seeds of ideas, promote entrepreneurship, technological breakthroughs, connect communities, gather intelligence, and spread benefits."
A section of the Techfest Vietnam 2025 exhibition area. Photo: Giang Huy.
Within the Techfest Vietnam 2025 space, these messages are visually expressed through the way the event is organized. The Prime Minister highly appreciated this year's Techfest organization with the spirit of "openness": open in terms of the exhibition space, open in terms of interaction, open in terms of technology experiences, open in terms of participants, and open in terms of themes. At the same time, the chosen symbol of Phu Dong also encapsulates this spirit. According to the Prime Minister, this symbolizes the aspiration for rapid, strong, and sustainable growth of the Vietnamese technology business community, of the Vietnamese science and technology ecosystem, innovation, and the resilience and intelligence of Vietnam.
He suggested that Techfest Vietnam in 2026 should be strongly reformed, elevated to a regional and international event, and deeply connected to the domestic and international ecosystems. "Techfest must become a platform to attract international resources, such as investment funds, experts, and technology corporations, promoting negotiations and signing investment agreements with technologically advanced countries, building and operating effective startup centers, and creating conditions for Vietnamese startups to participate in testing and expansion in the global market," he emphasized.
During the nearly two-hour event, people around the Ho Guom pedestrian street also witnessed a strong spread of innovation, from art programs and the appearance of hundreds of booths from Vietnam's innovation and startup ecosystem to the call from the head of government.
Within the framework of the opening ceremony, many activities also took place, such as the awards ceremony for the third season of the Data for Life competition, recognizing efforts in applying data to solve practical problems. At the same time, Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung awarded certificates of merit to 10 exemplary localities in developing the innovative startup ecosystem, including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hung Yen, Quang Ninh, Can Tho, Hai Phong, Bac Ninh, Khanh Hoa, and Hue City.
"The national innovative startup ecosystem will take great strides, and Vietnam will become an attractive destination for technology talent and the innovative startup community from countries in the region and around the world," said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
This year's Techfest Vietnam, themed "Innovative Startups for the Whole Nation - A New Driving Force for Growth," is organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology in collaboration with the Hanoi People's Committee. The event will run from December 12th to 24th. In addition to the opening ceremony, Techfest 2025 also features technology experience spaces, workshops, seminars, the final round of the startup talent competition, and a policy forum connecting international investment. This year's program is expected to attract more than 60,000 participants, both in person and online, ranging from individuals to corporations, startups, investment funds, support organizations, technology incubators, research institutes, universities, and representatives from prominent businesses and corporations.
Chi Vu - Nguyen Phuong - Luu Quy
According to VnExpress