As Vietnam’s startup ecosystem enters a new phase of maturity, a transformative force is emerging at the intersection of entrepreneurship and collaboration: open innovation. No longer just a buzzword or theoretical ideal, open innovation is becoming a strategic lever that can redefine how Vietnamese startups compete—both regionally and globally.
A Known Concept, Still Shallowly Understood
Recent survey data from the National Program 844 Office under the Ministry of Science and Technology and its partners indicates that while terms like “startup” and “innovation” are becoming more familiar, there remains a significant gap in deep understanding. Nearly 90% of surveyed businesses report some awareness of startups, but only 23.53% claim a clear grasp of the concept. The numbers for open innovation are even more telling—just 15.03% of respondents possess in-depth knowledge, despite only 1.31% reporting no awareness at all.
This highlights a critical reality: open innovation is entering public and business discourse, yet remains underexplored and underutilized in actual practice.
Chart 1: Level of business understanding about startups
Chart 2: Level of business understanding of open innovation
From Awareness to Action: The Promise of Open Innovation
Startups thrive on creativity, agility, and disruption—but these alone are not sufficient in the face of today’s complex market and technological demands. Open innovation shifts the focus from isolated product development to an ecosystem-oriented model—where ideas, data, and expertise are sourced across boundaries. This could mean collaboration between startups and corporates, knowledge-sharing among universities and research institutes, or co-development between local founders and global partners.
By leveraging external knowledge and resources, startups can reduce development costs, shorten time-to-market, and improve product-market fit. More importantly, they can avoid the “reinvention trap” by building upon existing ideas rather than starting from scratch.
In Vietnam, promoting open innovation also means investing in the right conditions: co-creation platforms, legal frameworks for IP sharing, and trust-building mechanisms. Initiatives such as Shinhan Future’s Lab, BambuUP, Vietnam Innovation Challenge —Vietnam’s pioneering open innovation platforms—are already laying the groundwork for this kind of collaborative infrastructure.
Building Long-Term Startup Competitiveness
The real power of open innovation lies in its cultural shift. It transforms innovation from a closed-door process into a shared journey—encouraging transparency, reciprocity, and the recognition that breakthrough ideas often emerge from unexpected sources.
Startups that embrace this approach are better positioned to build resilient business models, foster long-term partnerships, and tap into diverse networks of talent and capital. Moreover, in emerging ecosystems like Vietnam, open innovation provides a critical foundation for scaling beyond domestic markets.
Governments and ecosystem builders are starting to take note. As more public-private partnerships emerge to support startup infrastructure, there is growing consensus that innovation policy must go beyond funding and incubation. It must create the conditions for openness—technologically, legally, and culturally.
A Strategic Imperative for Vietnam’s Startup Future
Open innovation is not just an opportunity; it is a necessity for Vietnam’s startup ecosystem to evolve from a vibrant local scene into a globally competitive force. By encouraging knowledge exchange, collaborative experimentation, and shared access to infrastructure, open innovation helps Vietnamese startups close the gap between potential and performance.
With the right mix of policy support, platforms, and community engagement, open innovation could soon become a central pillar in Vietnam’s innovation agenda—one that positions the country as a dynamic hub for entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia and beyond.
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This survey was conducted by the National Program 844 Office under the Ministry of Science and Technology, in collaboration with the National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization, Startup Vietnam Foundation, BambuUP Open Innovation Platform, MSD Vietnam, and the Management and Sustainable Development Institute (MSD United Way Vietnam).
For further information, please contact:
Ms. Dương Ngọc Ánh – Communications Lead, National Program 844 Office
Email: anhdn@most.gov.vn | Phone: +84 966 909 903
