Creative and Innovative Fusion of Local and External Resources in Advancing SDG Implementation in Viet Nam

On April 26, 2024, the WIPO Singapore Office (WSO) collaborated with IP Viet Nam, the Thua Thien-Hue Provincial People's Committee, the Thua Thien Hue Department of Science and Technology, IP Viet Nam, and Phu Xuan University to celebrate the World IP Day 2024. This event, which took place in Hue, Viet Nam, was under the theme of “IP and the SDGs: Building Our Common Future with Innovation and Creativity”.

In particular, the "Central Region Students' Green Creativity" competition was launched by the WSO Director, Ms. Thitapha Wattanapruttipaisan, together with H.E. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Standing Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thua Thien-Hue Province, Mr. Luu Hoang Long, Director General, Intellectual Property Office of Viet Nam, Ministry of Science and Technology, along with Mr. Ho Thang, Director General of Thua Thien Hue Department of Science and Technology and Mr. David Amstrong, Deputy Chairman of EQuest Education Group. The competition aims at fostering the generation and development of innovative and creative ideas of the youth communities into the practical business projects which are also helpful in promoting and advancing SDG implementation.

In that connection, Viet Nam has achieved notable outcomes towards the SDGs. There have been, among other areas, significant poverty reduction from 9.2% to 3.6% (Goal 1); industrial expansion, innovation activities, and infrastructure construction along with inclusive growth and urban and community development (Goals 8 through 11); sustainable economic activities, disaster mitigation and ecology protection (Goal 12 through 15); and enhanced and pro-active public services and international community membership (Goals 16 and 17).

Indeed, from a larger perspective, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand have together emerged as Southeast Asia’s leading innovation centres. Collectively, these six tiger economies have constituted an innovation powerhouse, contributing an impressive 99.8% of all inventions originating from the region of which 4,857 inventions originated from Viet Nam (and accounting for 6.9% of all inventions in Southeast Asia). Breakthroughs in invention are particularly notable in medical technologies, pharmaceutical innovations and creative healthcare solutions tailored to meet regional needs. They are also equally significant in digital technology, spanning across Computer Technology, Digital Communications, and Telecommunications fields.

In the process, many homegrown companies have become active creators and innovators in their own right as well as on a global scale. A prime example is Vietnam’s Viettel whose 244 inventions have made it the most valuable telecommunications brand in Southeast Asia and is currently ranked 17th globally among the telecommunications brands. Other top performers are the Viet Nam Academy of Science Technology with 210 inventions, the FPT Group (70 inventions), Hanoi University of Science Technology (66 inventions), and Viet Nam National University, Hanoi (52 inventions).

All those remarkable achievements in creativity and innovation are a convincing and exemplary demonstration of Viet Nam’s effective mobilization and dynamic fusion of a rich and widening local talent pool with external resources to generate and commercialize concrete and impactful solutions that can resonate and compete worldwide while contributing their own important share to global efforts in SDG implementation, now and into the future.