Innovation forum in Singapore draws global Vietnamese talent to shape tech future
The Vietnam Global Innovation Connect Singapore 2025, themed “Connect – Converge – Create: Empowering the Future with Technology”, focuses on three strategic issues of semiconductors, AI, and financial technology.
Professor Vu Minh Khuong from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy shares insights at the forum. (Photo: VNA)
Singapore (VNA) –🍷 The Vietnam Global Innovation Connect Singapore 2025 kicked off in Singapore on February 20, bringing together some 100 Vietnamese experts and entrepreneurs from around the world to advance the nation’s technology development.
The three-day forum, jointly held by the Association of Vietnamese Scientists and Experts (AVSE Global) and the Vietnam Community Liaison Committee in Singapore (VNAS), centres on the theme “Connect – Converge – Create: Empowering the Future with Technology”. Discussions focus on three strategic issues of semiconductors, AI, and financial technology.
Prof. Nguyen Duc Khuong, AVSE Chairman, described the forum as an important event, helping connect Vietnamese intellectual networks globally to find ways to make breakthroughs in emerging technology sectors.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Tran Phuoc Anh emphasised the forum's timing, as bilateral relations between Vietnam and Singapore are set to reach a new high, noting innovation would create the foundation for Vietnam's socio-economic development in the new era as outlined by Party General Secretary To Lam.
There are some 6 million overseas Vietnamese, a huge resource for national development, he underscored.
Professor Vu Minh Khuong from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy shared insights into Singapore's remarkable transformation from a third world to a first world nation, suggesting valuable lessons for Vietnam's development path. He highlighted Singapore is interested in Vietnam's development ambitions and anticipates Party chief To Lam's upcoming visit to the country.
Participants at the Vietnam Global Innovation Connect Singapore 2025 (Photo: VNA)
The forum also features discussions on emerging technologies, with An Binh Bank General Director Pham Duy Hieu, also Chairman of the Startup Vietnam Foundation (SVF), stressing the importance of creating an environment where creative seeds can germinate, and Mai Trong Thi, a Vietnamese expert in Singapore, emphasising the need to gather intellectuals for the nation’s technology development.
Several side activities at the Singapore Management University and networking sessions with the Vietnamese Student Association in Singapore are scheduled. Individuals who have made significant contributions to innovation and technology globally and in Vietnam will be also honoured.
AVSE Global, established in 2011 and headquartered in Paris, pioneers strategic consulting and executive training with members across 20 countries and a network of over 10,000 global experts./.
Party General Secretary To Lam chaired the inaugural meeting of the Central Steering Committee for Science, Technology, Innovation, and Digital Transformation in Hanoi on January 20.
President Vo Van Thuong joined representatives of intellectuals, scientists, and artists nationwide in a gathering held in Hanoi on February 29, stressing the importance of promoting their role in national construction and defence.
VietNEST (Vietnamese Nurturing Education for Science & Traditions) is a mobile app and digital platform for Vietnamese language learning among overseas children.
The networks bring together universities, research institutes and domestic and foreign businesses. Members will work closely in training, research, and technology transfer by sharing curricula, improving faculty capacity, providing access to laboratories and research facilities, and jointly implementing science and technology projects.
The Better Choice Awards (BCA) 2025 is a key highlight in the lead-up to Vietnam Innovation Day that falls on October 1, an annual event expected to attract hundreds of innovative enterprises, research institutions, investment funds, and startups from both Vietnam and abroad.
The new line serves as a critical backup route, strategically complementing existing submarine cables and enhancing the resilience, proactivity, and security of Vietnam’s telecommunications infrastructure.
Vietnam is actively yet cautiously preparing for the construction of its first nuclear power plant in Ninh Thuan (now the south-central coastal province of Khanh Hoa). The resumption of the programme after years of suspension carries considerable significance for the nation’s development in a new era as it strives to gradually reduce and ultimately phase out coal-fired power to realise the Government’s commitment to Net Zero by 2050.
The government leader reaffirmed Vietnam’s goal of achieving self-reliance in the design, manufacturing, and test of necessary semiconductor chips by no later than 2027.
With the launching of its two-tier local administration model, the city is incorporating technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain to enhance service delivery for citizens and businesses, aligning with the Politburo’s Resolution 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation.
Vietnam has issued many key policies to support semiconductor development, notably the Politburo’s Resolution 57 on science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation. Other initiatives include the Semiconductor Industry Development Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2050, and the Human Resources Development Programme for the Semiconductor Industry.
Vietnam is no longer just an emerging blockchain market, it is stepping into a leadership role, with global investors, developers, and experts recognising its growing potential to become a leading hub for digital assets in the region.
Taking place on August 1–2, the event features more than 20,000 attendees and over 200 speakers from Vietnam, the h Korea, Singapore, the UAE, Hong Kong (China) and the US.
Dung directed the Ministry of Science and Technology to revise the national startup scheme, ensuring it clearly defines the scope and content, grounded on strong political and legal foundations, international best practices, and well-reasoned arguments for submission to the Government.
The two-day academic forum, themed “Resilience, Sustainability & Digital Transformation in a Changing World: Perspectives from Southeast Asia”, aims to share interdisciplinary research insights, focusing on adaptive capacity, sustainable development, and digital transformation amid evolving global and regional landscapes.
With such a rapid economic growth, Vietnam must diversify energy sources and nuclear power is a rational choice to ensure the national energy security, said Associate Professor Kei Koga from the Nanyang Technological University (Singapore).
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung emphasised that Vietnam has a clear strategy and ambition in this field, and is rapidly emerging as a central hub and key link in the regional and global semiconductor value chains.
According to Cushman & Wakefield’s latest Asia-Pacific Data Centre Investment Landscape report, Vietnam now ranks second in the region for data centre investment returns, with a yield on cost (YoC) of 17.5–18.8%, just behind Singapore’s 21–23%.
Vietnam is taking drastic yet cautious steps in building a culture of nuclear safety and security, with the aim of having its first nuclear power plant operational by the end of 2030 and using this specific energy source effectively and sustainably.
Vietnam’s 5G strategy has been clearly outlined in national digital technology and infrastructure policies. A wide range of solutions is being vigorously implemented to achieve the target of an average internet speed of 100 Mbps by 2025 and full nationwide 5G coverage by 2030.
The visit aimed to assess the new two-tier local government model, preparations for upcoming Party congresses at levels, and implementation of the Politburo’s Conclusion on school construction in border areas.
Under the theme “Breakthrough Era with the Development of Industrial Internet”, the event gathered over 400 delegates, including senior officials, leading Internet experts, and technology engineers from Vietnam and abroad.
