On the morning of July 31 in Hanoi, the Ministry of Industry and Trade hosted the July 2025 Trade Promotion Briefing Conference with Vietnam’s overseas trade offices. This month’s conference focused on “Trade Promotion and Market Development for Science and Technology Products,” contributing to the successful implementation of the Politburo’s Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW.
Science and technology as the foundation for sustainable development
In his opening speech, Mr. Vũ Bá Phú, Director General of the Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, emphasized that in the context of deep international integration, science, technology, and innovation play a pivotal role in enhancing national competitiveness. However, the market for science and technology products in Vietnam still faces numerous barriers — most notably the weak linkage between research institutes, businesses, and the state; difficulties in commercializing research outcomes; and a lack of long-term support policies.
Meanwhile, developing markets for science and technology products is not only essential for realizing the goals of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, but also a key driver to position science and technology as the backbone of the country's sustainable development.
This conference carried significant meaning, highlighting four major themes:
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Mechanisms and policies for innovators and trade-investment promotion in innovative startups;
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Connecting Vietnam’s IT and software industries with the global market;
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Developing markets for supporting and high-tech industries with accompanying solutions from the public service system;
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Expanding the green industrial product market and enhancing the public sector's connective role.
With these goals in mind, delegates, trade associations, industry representatives, and overseas commercial counselors shared updates on trade barriers and emerging market standards, helping connect domestic businesses with international importers and exporters.
Solutions were also proposed to strengthen the proactive role of Vietnam’s trade offices in supporting science-technology enterprises and startups to expand their export markets. The conference also emphasized building an intelligent, digitized trade information network to aid in the implementation of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW and the national science and technology development strategy.
Closer collaboration for effective implementation
Speaking at the conference, Mr. Đỗ Tiến Thịnh, Deputy Director of the National Innovation Center (Ministry of Finance), noted that innovation is a key strategic direction for most developed nations. Building an innovation ecosystem and enhancing national innovation capacity is a top priority.
In 2024, Vietnam made impressive progress on global innovation rankings, climbing two places to rank 56th in the world in the startup ecosystem index.
Notably, total venture capital invested in Vietnam’s innovation startups in 2024 reached USD 529 million. That same year, Vietnam led the world in three innovation indicators and ranked among the top 10 globally in three others — a strong sign of the country's growing capacity in creativity, technology, and startup support.
Vietnam’s startup ecosystem continues to thrive, with over 4,000 active startups across various sectors. The ecosystem includes 1,400 support organizations, 208 investment funds, 79 incubators, about 170 universities and colleges involved in innovation, and more than 20 local and national startup centers.
In a presentation on the development of green industrial products and the circular economy model in industry, Mr. Trần Minh, Deputy Director of the Department of Innovation, Green Transition, and Industrial Promotion (Ministry of Industry and Trade), pointed out global trends in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards, as well as technical barriers such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). These pressures highlight the urgent need for Vietnam to develop green, internationally certified products to access global markets.
Acting as “antennas, bridges, and satellites,” Vietnam’s commercial counselors in key markets such as the U.S., Canada, Germany, India, and China reported that the demand for technology products, software, and green goods is surging. However, they emphasized that Vietnamese enterprises need to be more proactive in accessing distribution channels.
With the goal of building a market-connected innovation ecosystem, ensuring that Vietnam’s science and technology products not only enter but also compete strongly in the international market, the Trade Promotion Agency affirmed that it will continue close coordination with trade offices, domestic entities, and industry associations to effectively implement trade promotion programs tailored to science and technology products.
