Enterprises participate in teaching entrepreneurship content
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phạm Văn Song, Rector of Eastern Technology University, shared that the university has introduced the subject “Creative Thinking Skills and Entrepreneurship” into its curriculum with 2 credits. This course provides theoretical knowledge about entrepreneurship, technology, and digital transformation, while also helping students develop important skills such as idea formation, business planning, and technology application.
To enhance practical experience, the university regularly organizes workshops and talk shows with the participation of outstanding entrepreneurs and startup founders. Notably, speakers not only share success stories but also openly discuss challenges and failures, helping students learn from experience and avoid common mistakes on the entrepreneurial path. For some majors, the university aims to add the subject “Project Management” to the formal curriculum to give students a solid foundation in launching and managing startup projects. At the same time, the university actively collaborates with businesses and investment funds to support scholarships, sponsorships, and help students bring their business ideas to life.
At Thanh Dong University, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lê Văn Hùng, Chairman of the University Council and Rector, emphasized: “According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training, the rate of students starting a business by founding a company within five years is just over 7%. This is quite low. Therefore, integrating entrepreneurship into the curriculum, whether as a required or elective subject, is extremely necessary to help students build a stronger foundation when entering the market.”
The university pioneered the inclusion of the “Entrepreneurship” subject into its official curriculum in 2018 with 2 credits. Lecturers include not only permanent faculty members but also entrepreneurs and managers from various companies. To implement this, the university signed cooperation agreements with numerous domestic and international businesses, enabling students to gain hands-on experience early and more easily secure employment or launch successful startups after graduation.
At Bac Giang University of Agriculture and Forestry, the subject “Creative Entrepreneurship” with 2 credits has been integrated into the training programs of all majors. In addition, the university frequently organizes seminars and extracurricular activities to encourage students’ entrepreneurial spirit. It also conducts networking activities to create an environment for both learning and practical startup experience for students and lecturers alike.
Prof. Dr. Phạm Bảo Dương, Rector of the university, remarked: “Integrating entrepreneurship into academic programs is a timely move amid the country’s vigorous development. However, to achieve high effectiveness, the teaching content needs to be flexibly designed, practically oriented, and suited to the real needs of students and society.” These efforts show the vital role universities play in fostering entrepreneurship and building strong connections between academia and industry to support student ventures.
Limitations in the startup support system for students
While recognizing the push for entrepreneurship, Prof. Dương pointed out several existing limitations in university startup support systems. He noted: “The student entrepreneurship movement isn’t yet vibrant due to fragmented and inconsistent policies. Although many supportive policies have been issued, implementation is not uniform between governmental levels and institutions. Specific regulations for funding, university-business collaboration, and legal support for student startups are still lacking.”
Moreover, many entrepreneurship activities and competitions remain superficial, lacking long-term programs or follow-up support to turn student ideas into real projects. The curriculum does not yet align with market needs and is missing essential skills such as risk management, fundraising, and product development.
Students’ time at university is limited, whereas startups require a longer timeline to develop. Additionally, the gap between student life and post-graduation reality is significant. Without structured and long-term support, it is difficult for students to pursue their initial ideas.
Most higher education institutions also lack the resources to build dedicated entrepreneurship spaces such as incubators, pilot production labs, innovation labs, or startup advisory centers. Investment in facilities still depends heavily on state funding, while socialized resources are limited.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phạm Văn Song, to nurture entrepreneurial spirit and equip students with the right knowledge and skills, faculty play a critical role. He stated: “Lecturers must be a source of inspiration, ignite entrepreneurial spirit, and continuously reinvent themselves to motivate students.”
Several supporting policies have been issued, such as the Law on Supporting SMEs; Decision 844/QĐ-TTg approving the National Innovation Startup Ecosystem Project to 2025; Decision 1665/QĐ-TTg on supporting students to start businesses; Directive 9/CT-TTg on creating favorable conditions for innovative startups; and Decision 897/QĐ-TTg approving the program to support youth entrepreneurship from 2022 to 2030. These reflect the importance of entrepreneurship in the national development strategy.
However, current support policies are still generic and have not been customized by sector, profession, or specific field. The establishment and development of incubation organizations, as well as training and consulting for startups, are not yet truly comprehensive or specialized.
In particular, policies supporting capital and infrastructure remain limited. Procedures for borrowing, fundraising, and disbursement for startup businesses are still complicated. In addition, procedures for protecting intellectual property rights are time-consuming, creating barriers for early-stage enterprises.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phạm Văn Song also observed that current startup ideas often lack high levels of innovation and are not closely aligned with the real needs of people and communities. Therefore, they have not attracted sufficient investment resources from startup support funds.
Reform orientation to improve entrepreneurship teaching effectiveness
Based on the difficulties and limitations in entrepreneurship activities at universities, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phạm Văn Song emphasized the necessity of standardizing training processes, faculty development, and curricula. He stated that innovation must begin with critical thinking, enabling startup projects to gain multidimensional perspectives, creativity, and higher practicality.
One of the major barriers today is the low level of application of science and technology, which limits the competitiveness of startup products. Therefore, equipping students with knowledge of technology and digital transformation is essential for project leaders. Moreover, since entrepreneurship always carries high risks, there is a need for additional incentive policies for investors and venture capital funds to promote this activity.
Building a startup culture in universities
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phạm Văn Song, one fundamental reason why startup activities have not been strongly promoted is that Vietnam has not yet formed a clear entrepreneurial culture. The fear of risk, a safety mindset, and a lack of critical thinking hinder the materialization of ideas. Additionally, many lecturers belong to earlier generations and lack strong entrepreneurial spirit, resulting in their inability to effectively inspire students. He suggested that the Ministry of Education and Training, along with universities, should officially assign entrepreneurship teaching, consulting, and support as part of the lecturers’ duties. Alongside that, structured training programs and both material and moral incentives for lecturers should be implemented.
Not only limited to lecturers, universities should also leverage support from individuals and startups to create opportunities for students to learn from real-life experiences. At the same time, they need to strengthen connections with startup support organizations such as policymaking bodies, investment funds, incubators, and the media to build a favorable environment for students to launch their ideas.
Entrepreneurship requires determination from policy and universities
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lê Văn Hùng observed that one of the biggest “bottlenecks” is the lack of effective mechanisms and policies. The Ministry of Education and Training has yet to provide strong direction or allocate appropriate funding for startup activities in universities. Meanwhile, many institutions still treat entrepreneurship as a secondary task, lacking close ties with businesses or proper training for lecturers.
To overcome this situation, he proposed that the Ministry of Education and Training integrate entrepreneurship content into the curriculum either as a mandatory or elective subject. At the same time, funding policies should be established to enable schools to build resources for supporting student startup activities.
More importantly, universities must recognize the true role of entrepreneurship, as successful student entrepreneurs will make significant contributions to socio-economic development – in line with the spirit of “strong enterprises, strong nation.”
Standardizing curricula and enhancing real-world engagement
Prof. Dr. Phạm Bảo Dương emphasized the importance of standardizing entrepreneurship training programs and balancing theory with practice. According to him, it is necessary to include in-depth topics such as startup financial management, digital marketing, and technology application in business.
At the same time, the teaching model should be innovated towards practical experience, utilizing business simulations and real-world projects. Creating flexible learning environments such as entrepreneurship labs, co-working spaces, or innovation centers will provide students with better conditions to develop ideas.
Moreover, to increase networking opportunities, universities need to create conditions for students to meet venture capital funds and “angel” investors to seek financial support. In addition, he also suggested organizing professional training courses for lecturers, not only on entrepreneurship but also on advanced pedagogical skills. Encouraging lecturers to participate in practical projects or collaborate with businesses also helps them gain real-world experience. Furthermore, successful entrepreneurs, investors, or startup mentors can be invited to teach and directly guide students.
Clearly, to promote the startup movement in universities, there must be coordinated efforts from policymakers, universities, businesses, and faculty members. When these barriers are removed, entrepreneurship in the academic environment will not only remain as fledgling ideas but can also develop into real enterprises, making a positive contribution to the economy.
Source: National Agency for Science and Technology Information and Statistics
