The University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) directly offers training, mentoring and incubation programmes, most of them free of charge, to help local communities—including students, young entrepreneurs, start-ups and local businesses in Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta and Khanh Hoa—establish financially and socially sustainable enterprises. In 2025, the UEH Institute of Innovation (UII) and partner units incubated 20 start-up projects free of charge, supported 22 projects involving 100 students from 11 universities, organised a hackathon attracting 323 registrations from 32 educational institutions and connected 13 start-ups with over 70 investor and ecosystem delegates at Demo Day 2025. The SEED 2025 initiative also paired Vietnamese and international students with local enterprises in Khanh Hoa to develop sustainability strategies. UII received a Prime Minister’s Certificate of Merit for outstanding contributions to Vietnam’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
UEH offers non-financial support for each development stage: ideation through hackathons, thinkathons and talks; student-idea incubation through UII Sandbox; early-stage ventures through UII Incubation; and investor access through Demo Day. These programmes are open to students, young entrepreneurs and start-ups outside UEH. Services include training, one-to-one consultations with experts and investors, and access to facilities such as the innovation space on the 15th floor of Campus B, Maker Space, Open Lab and the Smart Library.
During 2025, UEH expanded its activities both geographically and across participant groups. In Ho Chi Minh City, UII co-hosted Demo Day with Saigon Innovation Hub (SIHUB) and Expara Ventures; in the Mekong Delta, UEH Mekong held Thinkathon Greenovation for domestic and international students; in Khanh Hoa, the SEED 2025 project partnered with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) to connect international students with local businesses. By 2025, UEH had supported 170 start-up enterprises and attracted nearly USD 1.5 million in investment from domestic and international funds.
| Program name | Object | Deployment (Activity Description) | Result |
| UII Incubation Program 2025 (Free) | Students, young entrepreneurs, and pre-seed and seed-stage startups within the community. | The incubation program lasts 6 months, is completely free, and accepts applications from May 19th to June 9th, 2025.
Startups receive support in refining their master product (MVP), developing a market entry plan, conducting market due diligence, and connecting with a community of young founders, mentors, experts, investors, and investment funds.
Image: UII Incubation Program 2025 Source of evidence: Selection of projects to participate in the UII Incubation Program 2025 (UEH Portal – no publication date specified, applications accepted 19/05–09/06/2025) |
Twenty projects were incubated in the fields of educational technology, agriculture, healthcare, e-commerce, new materials, and sustainable development.
Two projects (Titera, BioWraps) have completed business establishment; Tikera has achieved revenue growth and successfully raised capital. Over 15 business collaborations were facilitated; project personnel increased by approximately 20%. |
| Sustainable Entrepreneurship for Economic Development – SEED 2025 | Seven local businesses, cooperatives, and craft villages in Khanh Hoa province (formerly Ninh Thuan), including two traditional craft villages of the Cham community; UEH students and international students. | The collaboration between UEH and FHNW (Switzerland) will take place from July 10th to July 18th, 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City and Khanh Hoa province (formerly Ninh Thuan province).
The main objective of the program is to disseminate business knowledge and skills to rural areas. The program consists of three phases: social mapping, fieldwork, and post-program follow-up. In the field, students receive training through workshops on social entrepreneurship, sustainable economic development, value proposition and business model development, startup finance, and project accounting; then, together with local organizations, they go through five steps—Explore, Invent, Validate, Form, and Act—to deliver a viable business model. Each multinational group of students, supervised by faculty, works directly with a local business to survey and propose sustainable development strategies: business model innovation, green marketing, product value enhancement, and market expansion.
Image: The organizing committee introduces the businesses participating in the SEED 2025 project. Source of evidence: Opening Ceremony of the Sustainable Entrepreneurship for Economic Development Project – SEED 2025 (UEH Portal, July 11, 2025)
Image: Faculty and student group of the SEED 2025 project on field trip in Khanh Hoa province. Source of evidence: SEED 2025 Field Trip: Co-creating Sustainable Development Solutions at the Local Level by UEH and International Students (UEH Portal, August 5, 2025) |
Multinational student-faculty groups provide direct strategic consulting on sustainable development (business model innovation, green marketing, product value enhancement, market expansion) to local businesses in Khanh Hoa.
42 students, divided into 7 multinational groups (21 FHNW students, 17 Vietnamese students, and 4 students from Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia), along with 13 lecturers, experts, and coordinators from FHNW, UEH, Hue University, and universities in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia, presented their strategic proposals to the faculty council of UEH, FHNW, and UTM. Seven local units received support: Tan Tien Sea Salt; Vietfarm (aloe vera); Evergreen Grape Cooperative; Nhon Hai Purple Onion Cooperative; My Nghiep Brocade Weaving Village and Bau Truc Pottery Village (Cham community); Hestia Ngoc Truc (dried fruit). Many units are linked to the livelihoods of disadvantaged communities: the Evergreen Grape Cooperative comprises 74 farming households and employs over 100 seasonal ethnic minority workers; the My Nghiep weaving village has 500-600 households, with the workforce mainly consisting of Cham women. Each unit will receive a written business model/strategic plan developed by the student-faculty team (to be submitted two weeks after the final presentation). |
| UII Sandbox Program 2025 – Seeds of Change | Students with startup ideas, regardless of school or major, are welcome. | The online phase and the in-person incubation phase will last 10 weeks (October 20, 2025 – January 20, 2026).
Students learn Design Thinking, user research, MVP building, and market validation; they are mentored by UEH experts and work in the creative space on the 15th floor of Campus B. The project may receive a non-refundable grant (Innovation Grant) from the Giving to UEH Fund.
Image: Project teams interacting with speakers at Workshop #1: Startup 101 Source of evidence: Sandbox Program 2025 – Seeds of Change: Sowing the seeds of innovation, nurturing a sustainable future (UEH Portal, October 31, 2025) – Original image file
Image: 22 projects participating in the UII Sandbox 2025 intensive incubation phase. Source of evidence: Sandbox Program 2025 – Seeds of Change: Sowing the seeds of innovation, nurturing a sustainable future (UEH Portal, October 31, 2025) |
77 ideas from 231 students across 16 universities, approximately double the number from the previous year.
22 projects with 100 students from 11 universities entered the intensive incubation phase, with 10 workshops and 3 development milestones. |
| Thinkathon Greenovation 2025 at UEH Mekong (Free) | Students from UEH, UEH Mekong, and partner universities both domestically and internationally. | Taking place from July 9th to July 16th, 2025, the competition includes two workshops (Design Thinking; Ideation & Value Creation), a preliminary round, and a final round; participation is free.
The teams proposed innovative startup solutions to problems facing the Mekong Delta and its communities.
Image: The Thinkathon Greenovation program creates a space for students from Vietnam and abroad to propose innovative solutions to problems in the Mekong region and their communities. Source of evidence: Startup idea competition “Thinkathon Greenovation 2025” at UEH Mekong: For a greener and more sustainable Mekong Delta (UEH Portal, July 18, 2025)
Source of evidence: UEH Mekong Summer Camp 2025 – Local Life, Global Mind (UEH Portal, April 8, 2025) |
Nearly 60 students received free training through two workshops (Design Thinking; Ideation & Value Creation); nine teams reached the finals with startup solutions addressing problems in the Mekong Delta.
Outstanding projects receive awards and incubation support. |
| UEH BizTech Hackathon 2025 | Students majoring in economics and technology at universities in Ho Chi Minh City and international students studying in Vietnam. | The training series, running from July 21st to July 31st, 2025, will focus on design thinking, interactive storytelling, digital ethics, and presentation skills.
A 28-hour continuous hackathon at the Smart Library, Nguyen Van Linh Campus, with on-site mentors. Five outstanding teams have been nominated for the UII Sandbox Program 2025.
Image: Final round and awards ceremony of UEH BizTech Hackathon 2025 Source of evidence: Nurturing innovation, building a creative ecosystem at UEH (UEH Portal, February 9, 2026)
Source of evidence: UEH BizTech Hackathon 2025 – The Z Flow: Flowing Vietnam’s Values by the Z Generation (UEH Portal – undated, approximately July 2025) – Original image file |
323 applications from 32 educational institutions, covering 67 majors.
31 teams with 150 students reached the finals. 6 workshops, 13 experts, and 92 mentoring sessions. |
| Demo Day 2025 – Connecting investors and startups | Startups in the community, venture capital funds, angel investors, accelerators. | Organized on December 19, 2025, the event is co-organized by UII, UEH School of Technology and Design, Expara Ventures, and Saigon Innovation Hub (SIHUB).
Startups present their products and business models, and participate in one-on-one meetings with investors (Investor Office Hours).
Image: View of Demo Day 2025 Source of evidence: Demo Day 2025: Connecting the investor and startup ecosystem (VNA) (UEH Portal – Press, December 29, 2025)
Image: Demo Day 2025 and the mission to develop a sustainable innovation ecosystem in the region. Source of evidence: Nurturing innovation, building a creative ecosystem at UEH (UEH Portal, February 9, 2026) |
Thirteen startups presented to over 70 delegates, including 10 venture capital funds, 3 accelerators, and 6 angel investors.
Over 20 one-on-one meetings between investors and startups. Since 2022, Demo Day has connected more than 50 startups with investors and investment funds. |
| International Innovation Award ICIA 2025 (UEH hosts the final round) | Students aged 9–18, high school teachers, and startups from over 20 countries participated. | Teacher training on STEM/STEAM; workshops to inspire students.
Startup Forum, Founder Talk, Speed networking for startups. UEH opened its Maker Space, Open Lab, and other learning and research spaces for delegates to visit and experience.
Image: Delegates attending Startup Exchange within the framework of ICIA 2025 Source of evidence: UEH Spreads the Spirit of Entrepreneurship and International Innovation with the ICIA 2025 International Innovation Award (UEH Portal, April 28, 2025)
Image: Delegates visiting Maker Space at UEH Source of evidence: UEH Spreads the Spirit of Entrepreneurship and International Innovation with the ICIA 2025 International Innovation Award (UEH Portal, April 28, 2025) |
Over 400 delegates from 26 countries and territories.
137 projects were exhibited; 17 outstanding startups from Vietnam and Asia participated in Startup Exchange. |
| Talk show “Startup and Investment” (CTD Learning & Sharing series) | The startup community, businesses, investors, lecturers, and students inside and outside UEH. | Organized on May 24, 2025, with the participation of leaders from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology, Saigonbank, the Innovation Service Center (ISC), and global startup experts.
This is one of 12 Learning & Sharing activities in 2025.
Image: Delegates attending the Talkshow “Startup and Investment” Source of evidence: CTD Learning and Sharing: Talkshow “Startup and Investment” – Connecting global experts with the Vietnamese startup community (UEH Portal, May 26, 2025) |
Connecting international experts with the Vietnamese startup community; featured in the Banking Times. |
| Disseminating the startup support model through a national network. | Universities, colleges, government agencies, and innovative businesses nationwide. | UEH will host the Vietnam University and College Innovation and Entrepreneurship Network Conference (VNEI Innovation Summit) 2025 on April 12, 2025.
UEH participated in and shared its model at the National Innovation Day 2025 (October 1, 2025).
Image: Overview of the Vietnam University and College Innovation and Entrepreneurship Network Conference 2025 Source of evidence: Vietnam University and College Innovation and Entrepreneurship Network Conference 2025 (UEH Portal, April 14, 2025)
Image: UEH Innovation Institute honored at the Conference Source of evidence: UEH’s participation in the National Innovation Day 2025 (UEH Portal, October 2, 2025)
Image: UEH Institute of Innovation receives a Certificate of Commendation from the Prime Minister at the opening ceremony of the 7th National Student Entrepreneurship Festival. Source of evidence: UEH Innovation Institute awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Prime Minister for outstanding achievements in promoting the national innovation and startup ecosystem in the period 2017–2025 (UEH Portal, April 21, 2025) – Original image file |
UEH has supported 170 startups and over 100 student projects in realizing technological solutions, attracting nearly $1.5 million in investment capital.
UII was honored as one of the Top 5 outstanding organizations at the VNEI Summit 2025 and received a Certificate of Commendation from the Prime Minister (April 20, 2025). |
These examples confirm that UEH is not only a place for training but also a launching pad for the startup community: programs are extended to students and startups outside the University, most of which are offered free of charge, combining training, mentoring, facilities, and investor connections to help ideas develop into financially and socially sustainable businesses.
Compared to the previous year, UEH’s startup support activities have become larger in scale and more widespread in the community. The UII Incubation program increased from 17 projects in 2024 to 20 projects in 2025, with 2 projects already established as businesses. The UII Sandbox expanded from a specialized Fintech program with 31 applications and 15 projects in 2024 to an open program for students nationwide with 77 ideas from 16 schools and 22 projects incubated in 2025. In addition, UEH hosted the ICIA 2025 finals with over 400 international delegates, organized the BizTech Hackathon attracting 32 educational institutions, and expanded sustainable entrepreneurship activities to Khanh Hoa through the SEED 2025 project.
From this, it can be seen that UEH is affirming its role as an innovative university closely connected to the community, where the knowledge, facilities, and network of the University are shared to nurture a generation of sustainable startup businesses for Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta, and the whole country.