Techfest Hai Phong 2026 expands innovation cooperation
The success of Techfest Hai Phong 2026 has raised the city's profile and opened up new opportunities for cooperation, helping make science, technology and innovation drivers of Hai Phong's development.
Expanding the space for cooperation
Techfest Hai Phong 2026, themed “Converging Minds – Driving Innovation,” served as a platform for innovation and connection.
Over the two-day event, 150 exhibition booths showcased more than 1,000 technologies and solutions in areas including artificial intelligence, big data, smart seaports, automation, logistics, biotechnology and the green economy. Robots and unmanned aerial vehicles were also demonstrated at Techfest Hai Phong for the first time.
The exhibition attracted more than 3,000 visitors in person, while tens of thousands followed the event on the digital exhibition platform. Participants included delegates and businesses from more than 20 provinces and cities, as well as international partners from eight countries.
But the real value of Techfest lay in its forums and matchmaking sessions, which brought together needs, ideas and opportunities for cooperation.
A highlight was a technology matchmaking session between the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and businesses in Hai Phong. Five South Korean companies, with operations spanning high-tech agriculture, environmental technology, the circular economy, food technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, and healthcare, took part in the event.
The partnership with KIST offers Hai Phong businesses more than the opportunity to import equipment and production lines. It also gives them access to knowledge and core technologies and helps strengthen their in-house research capabilities.
The one-on-one session included 21 meetings, leading to the signing of four memorandums of understanding between South Korean companies and businesses, cooperatives and research institutes in Hai Phong and neighboring areas.
Tran Van Trung, General Director of Kien Quoc Agriculture JSC, said the company was developing more than 200 hectares of rice fields and had recently obtained U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic certification.
The company was looking for technology solutions to detect pests and diseases in crops and planned to assess the use of its South Korean partner's technology in Vietnam, he said.
Kim Joosun, Director of KIST's Gangneung branch, said B2B meetings could help Vietnamese businesses gain access to new technologies and markets, while giving South Korean companies a better understanding of local demand and potential partners, particularly in Hai Phong.
The event is helping expand the city's network of innovation partners. Two forums, two matchmaking sessions and a workshop brought together about 700 delegates to discuss ways to develop the innovation ecosystem, connect technologies with markets and link talent with businesses, as well as propose policy measures.
Special mechanisms open up new space for innovation
Techfest Hai Phong 2026 came as the city steps up efforts to achieve double-digit growth and implement Politburo Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on accelerating the development of science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Hai Phong Vice Chairman of the People's Committee Hoang Minh Cuong said the city was putting the resolution into practice based on the principle of clearly defining responsibilities, tasks, timelines and results, while making use of special mechanisms under National Assembly Resolution No. 226 to improve policies and unlock resources for development.
The city is also working to establish a sandbox mechanism that would allow businesses and other innovation stakeholders to test new business models and technologies in a controlled environment.
Hai Phong has more than 200 startups and 71 science and technology enterprises. It has ranked among Vietnam's leading localities in the Provincial Innovation Index (PII) for three consecutive years and ranks third in the Digital Transformation Index (DTI).
The city was also included in global startup ecosystem rankings for the first time, placing 765th among the world's top 1,000 startup cities in StartupBlink's 2026 ranking.
Techfest Hai Phong 2026 also marked the recognition of a provincial-level Innovation Startup Support Center, as the city seeks to strengthen links between businesses and skilled workers.
The center is expected to support projects from the initial idea through product development, help connect them with funding and other resources and facilitate market access, while maintaining partnerships established through Techfest.
The close of Techfest Hai Phong 2026 marks the start of a new phase for the city. With a growing network of partners, technologies, experts, businesses, research institutes and universities, backed by new policies and support mechanisms, Hai Phong aims to build a stronger innovation ecosystem, improve productivity and competitiveness and move closer to becoming an innovation hub for Vietnam's northern coastal region.
Hai Phong News