Two Vietnamese named among Southeast Asia’s top 30 tech founders
Two founders of Vietnamese tech companies were listed in the Southeast Asia’s top 30 tech founders this year by technology and start-up platform techinasia.com.
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – Two founders of Vietnamese tech companies werelisted in the Southeast Asia’s top 30 tech founders this year by technology andstart-up platform techinasia.com.
They are Tran Ngoc Thai Son, founder of e-commerce platform Tiki, and Le HongMinh, CEO of VNG Group.
Southeast Asia is home to many smart and inspirational founders who havestarted companies that have fetched millions or even billions of dollars infunding.
In the past two years, funding raised by the region’s start-ups rose threefold,soaring from 2.52 billion USD in 2016 to 7.86 billion USD in 2017.
Southeast Asia’s top 30 tech founders list features entrepreneurs who run astart-up and they are ranked based on their personal track record and theirfirms’ public data (funding, revenue and valuation), using data from the pasttwo years.
They are placed into three groups based on their company’s size: theup-and-comers, established entrepreneurs and industry giants.
Singapore is home to the top 20 founders while Indonesia has four.
Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia each have two in the list.
Le Hong Minh, VNG CEO, an established entrepreneur, turned his interest ingaming into a sprawling business. He helped make VNG into one of Vietnam’s largestinternet companies, focusing on online gaming and content, social networkingand e-commerce.
VNG has been expanding rapidly since its establishment in 2017. It reported arecord 186.3 million USD in revenue and 41 million USD in net profit last year,up 41 percent and 70 percent year-on-year, respectively.
Tran Ngoc Thai Son, founder of Tiki, an e-commerce platform that sells morethan 300,000 products in 12 categories, is among the outstanding up-and-comers.
Two years after foundation in 2012, Tiki raised funding from CyberAgentVentures and became the only e-commerce company to receive capital fromJapanese Sumitomo Corporation. It also has drawn interest of Chinese e-retailerJD.com, which joined its series C funding round in 2017.
It claims to have the lowest return rate among all Vietnam-basedecommerce companies, and that it has grown in triple-digit rates sixyears in a row.
Tiki is planning to raise a series D funding round to finance the developmentof new services and mobile applications.-VNS/VNA
The central city of Da Nang expects to attract at least 10 investment projects into its hi-tech park by 2020, including at least one major project of a multinational hi-tech company.
Vietnam’s much vaunted digital access and advantages that arise from it could run out of steam unless it is renewed and made more substantial, experts have said.
Information and technology (IT) and digital technologies are important to the management of fire-fighting and prevention, as well as the study of new fire-fighting materials and equipment in the era of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, heard a conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on August 16.
Opportunities and challenges facing ASEAN enterprises in the fourth industrial revolution (4.0) were the main discussion at a workshop hosted by the Foreign Ministry in Hanoi on August 21.
With its own capabilities and the close, experienced partnership of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vietnam is well-positioned to pursue its first nuclear power plant that meets the highest international safety standards. Ambassador Vu Le Thai Hoang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations and International Organisations in Vienna, Austria, talked to the Vietnam News Agency about the country’s deepening cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in applying nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
Vietnamese businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), must embrace digital and AI transformations to remain competitive and achieve sustainable growth, experts said.
Under the European Union (EU)’s global initiative on Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence (CoE), Vietnam has implemented numerous projects aimed at strengthening national capacity in detecting, preventing, and preparing for CBRN-related threats.
The course aims to promote knowledge exchange between scientific and educational schools from different countries, while deepening participants’ expertise in modern technology and technical education. It comprises two main specialisations of electronics-automation and nuclear technology.
ANTARA and VNA can design global-scale cooperation programmes or joint media campaigns, demonstrating the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Indonesia, as well as the cooperation between the two national news agencies.
As Vietnam’s digital transformation accelerates, both the frequency and severity of cyberattacks are growing. The National Cybersecurity Association (NCA) reported that in 2024 alone, there were some 659,000 separate cybersecurity incidents, impacting around 46.15% of government agencies and businesses.
A key highlight will be the technology cluster pavilion, showcasing top enterprises selected for their innovation, market potential, and practical applications. These firms will display flagship products and solutions, supported by government policies to strengthen the tech sector.
Since 2022, more than 500 Vietnamese startups have engaged in Google’s Startup Academy, Google for Startups Accelerator, and Google Startup Masterclass. Nearly 100 of these firms received support to develop and improve their products, benefiting more than 300,000 customers and creating over 300 new jobs through successful fundraising and team expansion amidst Vietnam’s competitive economy.
Over the past three decades, Binh Duong has cemented its status as one of Vietnam’s most dynamic industrial hubs, building a robust foundation in manufacturing, exports, and investment. The province now has 30 operational industrial parks spanning over 13,000 hectares, with an occupancy rate exceeding 90%.
The diplomat emphasised that Vietnam places the highest priority on the development of science, technology, and innovation, viewing them as critical drivers for the country’s advancement in the new development era.
The PM revealed Vietnam’s plan to develop nuclear power in the near future, and called on the Swedish side to assist Vietnam in developing and refining legal and policy frameworks for the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes; training and developing human resources; ensuring nuclear safety; and conducting training and drills to improve incident management capabilities.
More than an art showcase, the second “Technology with heart” contest seeks to inspire innovation and spotlight the humanistic values that technology can bring into daily life, expected to contribute to a sustainable digital future.
The average speed of the national mobile broadband network remained stable, with download speeds reaching 76.86 Mbps and upload speeds reaching 26.98 Mbps.
Under the MoU, AMD will support several key initiatives spearheaded by HCM City’s authorities, including piloting policies, co-hosting innovation events, and evaluating the investment environment within the Saigon Hi-Tech Park.
The centre is a joint initiative between Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology, with PTIT and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) serving as co-leads, and global telecommunications giant Nokia as founding industry partner.
The new centre, staffed by a team of scientists, researchers, and AI specialists working in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, forms part of Qualcomm’s global AI research group.
As a flagship initiative of the community project “Digital Literacy for All”, the programme forms part of a national scheme to equip 20 million young people with digital business skills.
The organisers hope the competition will help shape a generation of exceptional engineers who will make significant contributions to Vietnam’s scientific and technological progress in this era of transformation.
VNG CEO Le Hong Minh (Photo courtesy of VNG) 
