Innovative startup projects in Ho Chi Minh City receive support of up to 800 million VND
Ho Chi Minh City provides maximum support of 800 million VND per innovative startup project in the digital technology sector, covering areas such as training, talent acquisition, R&D, consulting, and technology acquisition.
The resolution, approved by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council at its 3rd session on June 19th, stipulates the criteria, conditions, procedures, content, and level of support from the city budget for innovative startup projects in the digital technology industry.
Accordingly, a project can receive support in five areas with a total maximum of 800 million VND. The largest support is for technology acquisition and innovation, up to 400 million VND per project, equivalent to 50% of the actual cost. This funding can be used to purchase technology copyrights, software licenses, digital technology solutions, or technology transfer directly serving the project.
In addition, there are training support grants for developing digital technology human resources up to 100 million VND, equivalent to 50% of the actual cost of participating in training courses and obtaining digital technology certifications domestically and internationally.
The project receives up to 100 million VND in support to attract high-quality human resources, experts, and talents in digital technology.
Research and development (R&D) and pilot production activities are granted up to 150 million VND, equivalent to 50% of the implementation cost.
Semiconductor laboratory at the Research and Development Center, Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Park. Photo: Quynh Tran
Businesses are also eligible for a maximum of 50 million VND in support for startup consulting activities, including legal, management, financial, intellectual property, business strategy, and fundraising advice.
To be eligible for this policy, the project must be an innovative startup in the digital technology industry implemented in Ho Chi Minh City, having passed the idea stage and demonstrating the potential for product commercialization. Businesses must commit to using the funds for the intended purpose, fulfilling all financial obligations, and not receiving duplicate support from other programs for the same expenditure.
In addition to the mandatory conditions, the project must also meet criteria regarding feasibility, implementation capacity, applicability, socio-economic effectiveness, compliance with intellectual property regulations, technology transfer, and a product commercialization plan.
Specifically for the technology acquisition and innovation category, the project must demonstrate the creation of a new product or service, or a significant improvement over existing ones. Simultaneously, there must be a legally binding contract or commitment for technology transfer.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City government, the policy was issued to meet the requirements of implementing the Law on Digital Technology Industry, while also creating momentum for the city's digital technology startup ecosystem. Currently, Ho Chi Minh City has approximately 1,588 innovative startup businesses, with e-commerce and artificial intelligence accounting for about 25%. The city aims to establish 5,000 innovative startup businesses by 2030.
According to calculations by the drafting agency, if implemented on the projected scale, the budget needed would be approximately 32 billion VND per year. Of this, 5 billion VND would be allocated to human resource training, 5 billion VND to attract experts, 7.5 billion VND for R&D and pilot production, 2.5 billion VND for startup consulting, and 12 billion VND for technology acquisition and innovation.
The city assesses that the resources for policy implementation are ensured, as the budget for science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation in 2026 still has over 3,367 billion VND yet to be allocated to specific tasks.
Ho Chi Minh City is the leading innovation and startup center in the country. According to the StartupBlink 2026 ranking, the city rose 12 places to 98th in the world – its highest ranking ever – and achieved its goal of entering the top 100 global startup ecosystems four years ahead of schedule. The city also ranks 5th in Southeast Asia and belongs to the group of the most dynamic startup ecosystems in the region, with prominent sectors such as fintech and blockchain.
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