This year’s SV.Startup was held by the Ministry of Training and Education in cooperation with the Thuy Loi University and Nova Edu.
Addressing the launching ceremony, Dam said Vietnam’s startup and innovation ecosystem has taken major steps forward in recent years but still has a long way to go.
The country is home to more than 60 venture capital funds and 3,000 successful startups, while over 70 co-working spaces for startups have been established at universities, he said.
More importantly, many young people and students have ambitions in entrepreneurship and innovation, contributing to developing and safeguarding the country, he noted.
To achieve the goal of becoming a prosperous society and a high-income country by 2035, Vietnam must accelerate reforms of the business environment and promote education innovation, with a focus on innovative startups, Dam said, adding that these must utilise new tech platforms to develop new products and services and access new markets.
The Deputy PM appreciated the change in mindset at many universities, which has led to greater attention being paid to research and the promotion of innovative startups among students, and urged universities to help students sharpen their startup and teamwork skills and encourage them to expand their networks and share startup ideas.
The number of entries submitted to the national startup contest has doubled since Project 1665 on supporting students to adopt a spirit of entrepreneurship by 2025 and the National Startup Day for Students were launched three years ago.
On display at the National Startup Day for Students this year were 72 startup projects selected from nearly 600 entries. The first prize will receive VND60 million (US$2,600) in rewards, a support package worth VND115 million, and an opportunity to access funding of US$40,000.
