Deputy Prime Minister Hồ Quốc Dũng visited a booth of start-ups at the Vietnam Innovation Day 2026. — VNS Photo Khánh Dương

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister Hồ Quốc Dũng on Sunday highlighted that businesses be placed at the centre of innovation while policies must focus on strengthening innovation capacity.

He was speaking at the ceremony to launch activities marking Vietnam Innovation Day 2026 under the theme ‘Innovation – A Development Driver for the Whole of Society’.

He said businesses are the ones who identify market demand, formulate problems to be solved, invest resources, adopt and master technologies while organising production and bringing products to consumers.

Emphasising that the innovation ecosystem has gradually taken shape and developed, he cited that the innovative startup ecosystem currently comprises more than 4,000 start-ups, organisations and individuals, around 208 venture capital funds and more than 1,400 support organisations.

Some 34.6 per cent of businesses engage in innovation activities, while 20 science and technology exchanges are currently operational.

He highlighted the need to shift vigorously toward implementation, moving from 'having innovation activities' to 'achieving innovation outcomes', while gradually developing and completing the national innovation ecosystem.

Innovation must help businesses adopt and renew technologies, improve quality, reduce costs, expand markets and participate more deeply in value chains, he said, adding that for citizens, the ultimate outcomes of innovation must be better jobs, higher incomes, better products and services and an improved quality of life.

He recommended promoting technological innovation in businesses and science and technology market development, establishing a genuine flow between businesses’ demand and the supply of technologies, expertise, financing, intellectual property, intermediary organisations and markets.

Innovation centres must become hubs connecting businesses, research institutes, universities, experts, investors and other resources, with a focus on strengths, practical challenges and actual needs. Research institutes and universities must not only improve the quality of research but also promote technology transfer and commercialisation, develop innovative startups and train high-quality human resources, he said.

International integration in innovation must directly serve the enhancement of domestic technological capacity and Việt Nam’s position in global innovation networks, he said.

Delegates launch activities to mark Vietnam Innovation Day on Sunday. — VNS Photo Khánh Dương

Delivering the Vietnam Innovation Day 2026’s message of making innovation a driving force for development across all sectors and areas of society, Minister of Science and Technology Vũ Hải Quân highlighted innovative thinking - a development model with science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and artificial intelligence identified as the main drivers.

“An innovative nation is built by people who know how to innovate and organisations that create the conditions for innovation,” he said.

He added that the Government has issued a National Strategy for Innovative Startups, aiming to inspire entrepreneurial aspirations, foster a spirit of daring to act and taking risks and promote greater tolerance of failure.

"In my view, the depth of an entrepreneurial nation lies in its ability to nurture ideas and create opportunities for those ideas to grow," he said.

Innovative thinking must become an ability to take action across society, he said.

He said for every citizen, innovative thinking begins with lifelong learning, proactively embracing technology and improving daily work. For every business, innovation needs to become part of its business strategy.

Businesses should start by addressing their practical challenges: Where is productivity still low? What do customers need? What technologies can create new value? Investing in people and research is an investment in long-term competitiveness.

For every organisation, university and research institute, an environment that encourages new questions, listens to different perspectives and evaluates ideas based on verified results should be created.

Leaders must create opportunities for people with innovative ideas to put them into practice and take responsibility for the outcomes. For every ministry, sector and locality, innovative thinking must first be reflected in the way policies are developed and implemented, he said.

Innovative technologies showcased at Vietnam Innovation Day's event on Sunday. — VNS Photo Khánh Dương

Na Ki Hong, general director of Samsung Việt Nam, shared at the event Samsung’s commitment to the spirit of the world joining hands to act together with Việt Nam.

He said Samsung’s global philosophy is to contribute technology and talent to creating a better world. "In Việt Nam, this philosophy has always gone hand in hand with our commitment to shared prosperity and to helping Việt Nam advance further," he said.

Việt Nam has established a large-scale high-tech manufacturing base. The next chapter should be written with more Vietnamese engineers participating in core R&D activities, more Vietnamese enterprises gaining mastery of data, processes and standards, and more technological value being created, disseminated and retained within Việt Nam’s economy, he said.

Christopher Nguyễn, co-founder and CEO of Aitomatic, highlighted the role of overseas Vietnamese experts and intellectuals in facilitating the flow of knowledge and technology into Việt Nam.

“We need a new measure of progress. Not only how much of a product is made in Việt Nam, but how much Vietnamese intelligence is incipient,” he said. — VNS