Hanoi set to become leading Southeast Asian innovation hub

Hanoi has set its sight on becoming a smart, green, interconnected, and innovative city for sustainable development by 2030 with a vision to 2045.

Students are working in group in a co-working space in Hanoi. Photo: Creative Lab by UP

The goal, which has been mapped out by the local government, is aimed at turning Hanoi into a major national center of innovation, research and development (R&D), and technology transfer and a leading Southeast Asian innovation hub.

Hanoi has made science-technology and innovation the motivation for economic growth, better productivity, and less labor-intensive production in line with Politburo’s (the most powerful body of the nation) direction on the city’s development in the current period.

It sets a number of goals, including that the total factor productivity (TFP) will make up 50% of the economic growth by 2025 and 55% by 2030 while labor productivity is estimated to reach 7%-7.5% in 2025 and 7.5%-8% in 2030.

Its digital economy is set to account for 30% of GRDP by 2025 and 35% by 2030. The ratio of hi-tech industries is expected to make up 70% of manufacturing by 2025 and 85% by 2030.

To make the goals possible, the city will invest 1.2%-1.5% of GRDP and 60%-65% of social resources in science-technology and R&D by 2025 and 1.5%-2% and 65%-70%, respectively, by 2030.

To maintain its position as a national science and technology center, Hanoi will improve its information and database systems to connect with those of the central agencies and localities. The city will connect a network of intermediary facilities in charge of technology appraisal, evaluation and assessment, purchase and sale brokerage, technology and intellectual property transfer to meet the demand in Hanoi and the whole country.

Joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, Hanoi will effectively implement the network’s initiatives to successfully build the “Hanoi – Creative City” which serves as a premise to become a creative design center with the goal of incubating talents in creative design-related fields, supporting potential creative projects, and promoting international cooperation.

In addition, the city will establish an open “Hanoi initiative network” to connect all individuals and organizations at home and abroad to solve important issues arising in socio-economic development.

First significant facilities

So far, some sizable innovation centers have been set up in Hanoi. In late December 2022, Samsung Vietnam officially opened the largest new R&D Center in Southeast Asia. The US$220-million facility is set to become the leading global center in product development, artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), big data, and the fifth generation (5G) network. At the same time, it conducts research and develops mobile devices, including smartphones, tablet PCs, and software and hardware products.

In 2019, Vietnam’s first Internet of things (IoT) Innovation Hub was inaugurated at Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park in Hanoi in collaboration with Ericsson, a Swedish leading multinational networking and telecommunications provider. It provides a platform for startup companies as well as organizations involved in education and research to promote IoT technology in Vietnam in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0).

The move is to serve Vietnam’s plan to provide 5G coverage nationwide by 2030. It will take time to roll out 5G coverage across the country. Due to their greater demand for high-speed services and denser populations, major cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang have been prioritized for the deployment of 5G.

In a recent test, Viettel, Ericsson, and Qualcomm worked together to establish 5G data transmission speeds of more than 4.7Gb/s, which is more than 40 times faster than 4G and more than twice as fast as the current 5G network.