The Vietnamese Embassy in Germany, working in co-ordination with the Vietnam-Germany Innovation Network (VGI Network eV), held an online seminar on September 24 within the framework of the Asia Berlin Summit 2020 to promote an innovative startup ecosystem through IT competency locally.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Nguyen Minh Vu at the online seminar
(Photo:VNA)

A number of significant figures were in attendance at the event, including representatives from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Information and Communication, SAP Group of Germany, FPT in Germany, and startups from both Vietnam and Germany. In addition, as many as 100 people were able to participate virtually through Zoom, with the occasion being viewed and shared thousands of times on online platforms and various social networks.   

 During his speech, Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Nguyen Minh Vu affirmed that the nation considers promoting science, technology, and innovation to be one of the pillars that can develop and modernise the national economy.

The country enjoys many great advantages that can serve to boost innovation, especially its IT capacity, with over 3,000 startups, 24 business incubators, and ever-increasing startup investment over recent years.

Furthermore, human resources in technology is also a strength of the nation, with over 400,000 people trained in information and communication technology and a further 50,000 students graduating and entering the workplace each year. Due to this factor many major global technology corporations have initiated plans to develop businesses locally.

The relationship between Vietnam and Germany has undergone a long-term and increasingly extensive development across multiple fields, with co-operation in science, technology, and innovation being identified by both sides as one of the priority areas moving forward, Ambassador Vu noted.

With the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) coming into effect and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) poised to be ratified, mutual trade and investment ties are anticipated to enjoy vigorous growth, including in the fields of science, technology, and innovation.

The seminar saw representatives of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Information and Communication provide a range of updated information on the nation’s innovation and start-up ecosystem. Participants also got to heat about the country’s competitive advantages along with Vietnamese policies and schemes aimed at supporting the nation promote innovation and develop its information technology capacity. This can be done in an effort to strengthen co-operation with important partners, including Germany and the EU, in order to enable the nation as one of Asia's leading innovation and startup hubs.

For their part, representatives of SAP Group of Germany and FPT in Germany shared their various experiences in business development, co-operation between both Vietnamese and German enterprises, and activities aimed at supporting startups and businesses in the Central European country.

They also offered recommendations to Vietnamese authorities on how to improve the local business investment environment in the IT sector, as well as many other useful pieces of advice for businesses and Vietnamese startups who are seeking to partner with German and European businesses.

Moreover, Vietnamese and German startups such as Wechselgott, Horami, VNSE, and Edubao shared their startup models, and joined with speakers to discuss and respond to questions sent to organisers.