According to the Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2026 released by StartupBlink on May 19, Ho Chi Minh City moved up 12 positions from the previous year to rank 98th globally, marking the first time the southern city has officially entered the Top 100 startup ecosystems worldwide.

The ranking is also Ho Chi Minh City’s highest position since StartupBlink began publishing the index and allows the city to achieve its Top 100 target approximately four years ahead of its roadmap toward 2030.

Commenting on the achievement, Mr. Lam Dinh Thang, Director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Science and Technology, said the city’s global ranking reflects continuous efforts and contributions from various stakeholders across the ecosystem, including startups, investors, universities, research institutes, support organizations and policymakers.

According to Mr. Thang, the result indicates that the city’s innovation ecosystem is undergoing positive changes and gradually moving closer to international standards.

“HCMC’s entry into the global Top 100 not only enhances its international profile and visibility but also creates more favorable conditions for attracting investment resources, experts and innovation partnerships in the future,” he said.

Beyond the milestone of entering the global Top 100, Ho Chi Minh City also recorded several notable indicators. The city currently ranks fifth in Southeast Asia, second in the region for Ecosystem Maturity, and seventh in the Asia Pacific region for Startup Community Activity.

By sector, fintech remains the city’s strongest area, ranking third in Southeast Asia and 60th globally. Blockchain ranked fifth in Southeast Asia and 70th worldwide.

According to StartupBlink, Ho Chi Minh City currently leads Southeast Asia in ecosystem maturity, reflecting its ability to generate startups capable of scaling and achieving market growth. The city was also recognized as one of the region’s most dynamic startup hubs, supported by increasingly active participation from startups, investors, universities, technology firms and innovation support organizations.

StartupBlink is widely regarded as one of the leading international benchmarking systems for startup ecosystems, assessing more than 1,500 cities and 100 countries based on activity scale, ecosystem quality and business environments supporting innovation.

The latest ranking reflects growing international recognition of Ho Chi Minh City’s efforts to improve its startup environment, strengthen innovation and expand global connectivity.

In recent years, the city has introduced policies and programs supporting startups, promoted open innovation models, strengthened investment connections, expanded international partnerships and operated the Startup & Innovation Hub of Ho Chi Minh City (SIHUB) under a public private partnership model.

In 2025, the city also hosted several international innovation and startup events, including WISE HCMC, Vietnam Innovation Summit, InnoEx and Mega Us Expo, aimed at strengthening ecosystem connections with regional and global partners.

However, city officials noted that there remains room for further improvement, particularly in support mechanisms, innovation infrastructure and international connectivity. Moving forward, the city plans to continue promoting policy sandbox models, expanding open innovation initiatives and supporting startups in entering regional and global markets.

At the national level, StartupBlink’s 2026 report showed Vietnam climbed five places to rank 50th globally, its highest position ever. The country’s ecosystem growth rate reached 67.9 per cent, the highest in Southeast Asia and among the fastest growing in the Asia Pacific region.

Vietnam now has four cities in the world’s Top 1,000 startup ecosystems: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong and Da Nang, adding one more city compared with last year.

Hanoi recorded particularly strong progress, climbing 30 places to rank 118th globally and sixth in Southeast Asia, with a growth rate of 48.6 per cent. The capital also performed strongly in the Ecosystem Returns category, ranking fourth in the region.

Among the fastest growing local ecosystems, Da Nang stood out by climbing 212 positions to rank 554th globally. The city also achieved a growth rate of 153.8 per cent, the highest among Vietnamese localities included in this year’s ranking.

Notably, Hai Phong entered the global Top 1,000 startup ecosystems for the first time, reflecting how Vietnam’s innovation landscape is gradually expanding beyond the country’s two traditional hubs, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.