The Vietnamese Embassy in India and the IHFC Innovation Center at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) co-hosted the first Vietnam-India Startup Seminar in New Delhi on April 2.

The seminar was attended by Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Hai,  deputy head of the Department of Foreign Market Development under the Ministry of Industry and Trade and President of the Vietnam Startup Association Dinh Viet Hoa. Indian representatives included Mrs. A. Dhanalakshmi, Director-General of the Department of Science and Technology, and S.K. Saha, Project Director of IHFC, along with startups from both countries.

Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Hai highlighted that this seminar as a concrete step in implementing the agreement between the two Prime Ministers during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s state visit to India, aimed at stepping up cooperation in innovation, technology, and startups. Both Vietnam and India hold vast potential to lead the digital age, with their young, skilled workforce and government policies that support entrepreneurship.

The Vietnamese diplomat also expressed confidence that the seminar will create stronger connections, new ideas, and practical initiatives benefiting both nations.

Do Quoc Hung emphasized that both Vietnam and India have achieved remarkable successes in economic development and innovation. He also suggested key areas for startups, such as cross-border e-commerce, artificial intelligence (AI) applications, smart payments and logistics, agri-tech e-commerce, and data protection.

A. Dhanalakshmi shared India’s experience in nurturing entrepreneurial talent through its educational system, underlining the need to support deep-tech startups. She also called for increased cooperation between the two countries in science and technology, student exchanges, and the development of the startup ecosystem.

At the end of the seminar, IHFC and the Vietnam Entrepreneurs Association signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on developing the innovation and creative business ecosystem with a view to supporting startups, sharing human resources, and providing consultancy to companies on establishing and operating innovation centers.

Vietnam, India strengthen business ties to boost trade

A Vietnam – India business meeting was held in New Delhi on March 26 to help Vietnamese enterprises enhance competitiveness and expand their presence in the Indian market, thereby contributing to bilateral trade and investment links.