The Vietnam Global Innovation Connect 2025 (VGIC 2025) was co-hosted by the France-based Association of Vietnamese Scientists and Experts (AVSE Global) and the Liaison Committee of the Vietnamese Community in Singapore (VNAS).

In his opening remarks, Professor Nguyen Duc Khuong, executive director of EMLV Business School in France and president of AVSE Global, emphasized that this year’s forum focuses on three strategic and urgent areas for Vietnam, namely semiconductor technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and financial technology (FinTech).

He hoped that the forum would generate groundbreaking ideas and facilitate the transfer of innovative technologies and applications from developed nations to Vietnam. More importantly, he underscored the need to establish a deep and expansive network to drive collaboration and explore pathways for Vietnam’s breakthrough in emerging technologies.

Professor Vu Minh Khuong from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore, delivered a speech highlighting Singapore’s remarkable transformation from a “third-world country” to a “first-world country”. He noted that global leaders look to Singapore for inspiration due to its concrete success stories. Singapore is a nation of action that swiftly capitalizes on opportunities, as evidenced by its latest economic zone agreement with Johor, Malaysia.

He further observed that Singapore recognizes Vietnam’s strong commitment to development under Party General Secretary To Lam’s leadership and is eagerly anticipating the leader’s upcoming visit to Singapore.

Taking the floor, Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Tran Phuoc Anh stressed that innovation will be the foundation for Vietnam’s socio-economic development in the new era, as envisioned by the General Secretary, and the entire Vietnamese nation is embracing this new era with a shared desire to contribute.

The Ambassador also highlighted the importance of bringing together Vietnamese experts and intellectuals across various fields to discuss, propose ideas, and explore cooperation opportunities between Vietnam, Singapore, and other nations.

“The Vietnamese community numbers around 6 million, and if we can effectively connect them, they will be an immense resource,” said the ambassador.

He also affirmed that the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore fully supports similar forums in the future. He expressed hope that VGIC 2025 would not be a one-time event but rather the beginning of a series of expanded forums involving not just the Vietnamese community but also international experts to foster greater intellectual and resource collaboration.

As one of the keynote speakers at VGIC 2025, Pham Duy Hieu, CEO of An Binh Bank, discussed the concept of innovation in relation to human potential development. He emphasized the need to cultivate an environment like “an incubator where creative seeds can sprout”.

As the Chairman of the Startup Vietnam Foundation (SVF), he expressed admiration for the gathering of Vietnamese professionals worldwide to discuss how to contribute to the country’s sustainable development.

He hoped the conference would foster multidimensional partnerships between stakeholders, startups, and other entities to develop innovative solutions for pressing domestic issues.

Nguyen Hoang Phan, deputy head of the Liaison Committee of the Vietnamese Community in Singapore, one of the event’s co-organizers, highlighted the motivation behind bringing together 100 Vietnamese and Vietnamese-origin innovators in Singapore, aiming to connect individuals engaged in science-technology, and innovation, leveraging collective intelligence to create meaningful projects and initiatives.

The organizers aspire to harness the expertise of technological, scientific, and engineering professionals, particularly the intellectual resources in Singapore, to help Vietnam either leapfrog or accelerate its progress, he said.

Attending the event, Mai Trong Thi, a Vietnamese expert in Singapore, praised the gathering as a valuable platform for connecting global Vietnamese intellectuals. He suggested holding such forums regularly to keep the global Vietnamese intellectual community updated on cutting-edge technology, in line with the government’s vision for technological advancement.

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