On December 12, the “Techfest social open innovation: promoting nationwide innovative entrepreneurship” workshop was held in Hanoi. The event was part of the National Innovation Startup Festival (TECHFEST Vietnam 2025).

The event for the first time was organized in an open-space format, featuring a wide range of activities such as seminars, competitions, technology experience zones, and initiatives to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation across Vietnam.

Inspiration from Saint Giong

In his opening remarks, Pham Hong Quat, Director General of the Agency for Startup and Technology Enterprises under the Ministry of Science and Technology, referred to the image of Phu Dong Thien Vuong - Saint Giong, who defeated foreign invaders and then ascended to the heavens. This figure has long symbolized the Vietnamese spirit of rising up.

“Saint Giong is special because when he heard the king’s call, he volunteered to fight the enemy. With the support of the villagers and simple equipment, using nothing more than bamboo from the countryside as weapons, the boy demonstrated extraordinary strength. This image has become a powerful source of inspiration for the Vietnamese people’s aspiration to rise up and overcome challenges, and to address social problems,” Quat said.

He noted that Vietnam is entering a phase of rapid population aging, similar to South Korea’s situation about five years ago when it “hit the aging bottom.” Other pressing challenges include environmental pollution, flooding, pollution-related diseases, and rapid urbanization. Addressing these issues requires new solutions from the startup and innovation community.

When lessons, models, and solutions are shared, the quality of life of each citizen can improve thanks to the positive values jointly created by society.

“Open social innovation is, therefore, not just a trend, but a requirement to address social problems and challenges through new technologies, new business models, and a connected innovation startup ecosystem. The technology startup community must be closely linked with the open innovation community to solve real social issues,” Quat emphasized.

4 pillars of open innovation

At the workshop, Nguyen Phuong Linh, Director of MSD United Way Vietnam, noted that innovation cannot exist in isolation. It can only grow within an ecosystem where stakeholders depend on and complement each other to create shared value.

“A strong ecosystem is not one with the most organizations, but the one where organizations are best connected. To be strong, an ecosystem must be open; to achieve sustainable innovation, data and community are essential,” Linh said.

Open innovation is built on four main pillars: open connection among key ecosystem stakeholders; innovation for all, opening opportunities, voices, real-world experimentation, and real-time engagement; data and community data as the foundation of inclusive innovation; and future human resources, with people always at the center of all innovation.

Innovation is not only based on advanced technologies, but on the ability to create new spaces where people can participate, be heard, and co-create solutions. 

When an elderly person in a rural area, a woman with disabilities, or a student from a remote region can contribute data and feedback, the ecosystem becomes not only smarter but also fairer and more humane, addressing root causes and moving toward sustainable development.

“Innovation is not just about how many patents are created, but about how many lives are changed. Only real connections, grounded in real data and real needs, can lift Vietnam’s innovation startup ecosystem to new heights. At that point, relationships are no longer just win-win, but win-win-win, with many beneficiaries,” Linh shared.

TECHFEST Vietnam 2025, themed “nationwide innovative entrepreneurship – a new growth driver,” took place from December 12 to 14 in the Hoan Kiem Lake pedestrian zone in Hanoi. This is the first year the event has shifted from a traditional conference hall format to an open-space model, allowing the public to experience technology in a more direct and vivid way.

Speaking about TECHFEST Vietnam 2025, Pham Hong Quat said that all activities were held along the pedestrian streets, making use of every available space, from cafes and restaurants to the Nhan Dan Newspaper hall, enabling people to easily engage. This approach both inspires a nationwide entrepreneurial spirit and helps the public see how technology is applied in production and business.

At the same time, international guests had the opportunity to experience the culture of Hanoi, witness the creativity of Vietnamese people, and explore solutions that Vietnam is contributing to addressing challenges both domestically and across the region.

Hoang Hiep