Da Nang: “Promised land” for technology startups

The city not only closely connects with the national startup network but also expands international cooperation, aiming to become the economic and technological center of Central Vietnam, the National Center for Innovation and Startup in Da Nang, contributing to the development of the creative startup ecosystem and enhancing the international position of Da Nang city as a leading technology destination in the region.

From idea to reality: Danang Startup grows strongly

In recent times, Da Nang has implemented many policies to support innovative projects and startups. In the period 2020 - 2023, the city supported 27 businesses. Of which, it directly supported funding for 19 businesses to improve technology and develop products, with a total budget of more than 3.6 billion VND; supported 8 businesses and institutes to implement incubation and acceleration programs with a total budget of more than 1.4 billion VND. To date, Da Nang has incubated 172 projects and established 72 innovative startups.

According to the survey and assessment results of the Department of Science and Technology of Da Nang on the performance of incubated and supported projects and enterprises, 55/72 enterprises (76.4%) and 90/172 projects (52.3%) are operating and continuing to develop products.

Đà Nẵng: “Miền đất hứa” cho startup công nghệ - Ảnh 1. — *Da Nang is gradually affirming its position as a national innovation startup center.*

Leading digital technology, in line with city strategy

In the industry structure, startups span across many fields from healthcare; transportation; mechanical engineering to accounting, finance;... Most startups focus on the software technology sector, focusing on website development, mobile applications, e-commerce platforms and digital solutions for business operations. This ratio reflects the strong digital transformation trend taking place globally, and is consistent with the development orientation of high technology, artificial intelligence and semiconductor technology that Da Nang is aiming for.

The city has been promoting investment in digital infrastructure, high-tech zones, innovation centers and digital transformation support programs for businesses. Preferential policies on taxes, premises rental, human resource training, etc. help create a favorable environment for technology startups to choose Da Nang as their "headquarters", develop business models and expand markets.

One of the bright spots of the Da Nang startup ecosystem is the stable and growing investment capital over the years. The total accumulated investment capital up to 2023 reached 582 billion VND - a significant number compared to the regional average. This capital flow comes not only from the state budget, angel investment funds, accelerator funds but also from international cooperation programs and accompanying private enterprises.

Typical examples include Vinseed - Biotechnology Company Limited, with the OCOP 2021 certificate, the title of "Vietnam Golden Agricultural Brand" 2022 and the championship at the SURF 2022 competition. Or Central Vietnam - Trading and Service Production Company Limited, a business that entered the Top 10 SURF 2022, won the herbal soap product award 2021 and achieved a 4-star OCOP certification in 2024. In addition, many projects have won awards at SURF, typically UC Talent - First prize at the competition, then continued to win Third prize at the Global Vietnamese Business Startup Competition 2025 in the UK; or BINKS - Vegetable Ink, from the Second Prize of SURF, has excellently won the First Prize at SV_STARTUP 2024 organized by the Ministry of Education and Training and participated in the Top 60 Techfest - a national startup event organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

SURF 2025 - Destination of talent and ideas

In that technological flow, startups in Da Nang, especially those participating in the SURF 2025 startup competition, are growing strongly, affirming their potential for outstanding development. In the SURF 2025 startup competition, the Organizing Committee selected 31/62 potential projects from all provinces and cities in the country and internationally. Among them, CS eTelecom, NFC Connect and TikTour.vn are the top innovative technology projects that have successfully entered the final round of the SURF 2025 startup competition. CS eTelecom (https://cs.etelecom.vn) brings CPaaS solution integrating Zalo Official Account, ZNS and Zalo Mini App; Viconext applies smart NFC cards combined with AI to share digital profiles and analyze interactive data; TikTour.vn (https://tiktour.vn) operates a tourism affiliate marketing platform, connecting service providers with bloggers and KOLs through "digital booths". The three projects not only demonstrate technological potential, but also contribute to promoting digitalization, tourism recovery and enhancing business-consumer connections.

According to Mr. Nguyen Viet Toan, Director of the Danang Center for Supporting Innovative Startups, "SURF is not only a playground for new ideas, but also a place to nurture talent, promote sustainable and scalable business models, contributing to the development of local technology projects. This shows that Danang is strong in technology projects, with a combination of policies, infrastructure, and high-quality human resources." The organizing committee assessed the quality of this year's projects as outstanding in terms of technological depth, commercialization ability, and founding team.

With the goal of becoming the leading startup and innovation center in Asia by 2045, these standardization steps also demonstrate the determination of Da Nang city in building a sustainable startup ecosystem, focusing on enterprises, along with close support from state management agencies, investors, institutes, investment funds and the startup community with the goal of "innovation is the key driving force for economic growth and development restructuring". At the same time, with the brilliant successes that SURF brings, the event is not only an ideal playground for innovative startups but also a place where bold ideas are nurtured, developed and connected with valuable cooperation opportunities, bringing practical benefits to both startups and investors and a launching pad for these projects to reach far, making a strong mark in the technology and startup industry.

According to danang.gov.vn

Source: https://mst.gov.vn/da-nang-mien-dat-hua-cho-startup-cong-nghe-197251012215628192.htm