"Innovation means doing better than what we already have and creating new ideas and products that are more valuable and sustainable. It is a journey of constantly surpassing ourselves, aiming for new heights for each individual, business, and the nation as a whole," said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

The 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. This was the fifth time the event, held 11 times, had been attended by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, demonstrating the consistent interest of the Party, State, and Government in the innovation ecosystem and the spirit of entrepreneurship.

This year, Techfest also moved away from its familiar auditorium format for the first time, into a public space to directly reach the people. This 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.

Recalling the country's development process, the Prime Minister affirmed that human creativity is limitless and without end, creating leaps forward 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 and innovation, with advancements in fields such as agriculture helping Vietnam escape poverty, ensuring food security, and becoming one of the world's leading rice exporters; and in industry contributing to Vietnam's entry into the upper-middle-income group of countries, with per capita income estimated to reach over $5,000 in 2025.

In recent years, amidst a world undergoing rapid, complex, and unpredictable changes, Vietnam's economy has maintained positive growth momentum, 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 growth drivers.

Referring to the spirit of considering science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and green transformation as key to transforming the country into 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 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 a nation of innovative startups based on advanced technology, a transparent institutional framework, seamless infrastructure, smart governance and human resources; to develop an independent, self-reliant economy that is deeply, genuinely, and effectively integrated into the international community," he said.

Alongside the positive signs, the Prime Minister also frankly pointed out the challenges facing Vietnam's innovation and startup ecosystem. Due to its slow start, Vietnam still lags behind the region and the world. Many major issues have been raised, from strengthening the linkages between domestic businesses and FDI enterprises to participate more deeply in global value chains, to accelerating the commercialization of scientific research results.

In particular, the Prime Minister raised the issue of 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, posing a series of questions that he considered a challenge not only for policymakers but also for research institutes, universities, and the scientific and technological community. Simultaneously, he called for the rapid development of large databases, the growth of the data market, and the promotion of 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 those analyses, he outlined a fundamental shift in thinking and approach for the future. 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 managerial mindset to a development-oriented mindset, creating a synchronized and transparent legal framework for testing and effectiveness.

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 take 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 industry, but also spreads to the general public. Right from the beginning of his speech, the Prime Minister emphasized that this event is a place to "sow the seeds of ideas, promote entrepreneurship, foster technological breakthroughs, connect communities, gather intelligence, and spread benefits.

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 event 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 Phu Dong symbol 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 and innovation ecosystem, and of Vietnamese resilience and intelligence.

He suggested that Techfest Vietnam in 2026 needs to be strongly reformed, elevated to a regional and international event, and deeply connected to the domestic and international ecosystem. "Techfest must become a platform to attract international resources, such as investment funds, experts, and technology corporations, promote negotiations and signing of investment agreements with technologically advanced countries, build and operate effective startup centers, and create 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 and creativity, from art programs and the appearance of hundreds of booths from Vietnam's innovation and startup ecosystem to the call to action from the head of the Government.

As part of the opening ceremony, several 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 presented 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 innovation and 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," Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said.

This year's Techfest Vietnam, themed "Creative Entrepreneurship for All - 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 take place from December 12th to 24th. In addition to the opening ceremony, Techfest 2025 will feature 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 over 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