VIPC Summit 2026 targets global capital for Việt Nam's strategic tech sectors

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam is seeking to accelerate private capital flows into strategic technology sectors as policymakers, investors and technology firms prepare for the Vietnam Innovation and Private Capital Summit 2026 (VIPC Summit 2026), scheduled to take place in HCM City on May 28.The event, jointly organised by the National Innovation Centre (NIC), the Vietnam Private Capital Agency (VPCA) and DO Ventures, was officially introduced on May 12 in Hà Nội. Formerly known as the Vietnam Venture Summit, the forum has been organised since 2019 as a platform for policy dialogue and investment connectivity between domestic and international funds and Việt Nam's start-up ecosystem.This year's summit comes at what organisers described as a turning point for the capital market and innovation ecosystem, following a series of institutional and regulatory reforms introduced in 2025 to support science, technology, innovation and capital market development. According to the organisers, FTSE Russell's expected upgrade of Việt Nam to emerging market status in September is viewed as a significant milestone that could help attract large-scale international capital inflows into the Vietnamese market. Authorities are also promoting the development of the Vietnam International Financial Centre in HCM City and exploring national and local venture capital fund models.Against this backdrop, VIPC Summit 2026 will be held under the theme 'Policy to Capital: Mobilising Private Capital for Việt Nam's Strategic Industries', focusing on connecting policymakers, global investors, technology corporations, financial institutions and innovation-driven enterprises.The summit is expected to attract nearly 1,500 delegates, including representatives from ministries, local authorities, international financial institutions, venture capital and private equity funds, global technology firms, unicorn start-ups and innovation experts.Participants are expected to include executives and specialists from organisations such as Mekong Capital, VinaCapital, DBS Bank, Plug and Play, Monk's Hill Ventures, Airwallex, Ascend Vietnam Ventures and Pharmacity, among others. A major component of the forum will be the release of the Vietnam Technology and Innovation Investment Report 2026 and the Vietnam Private Capital Market Index. The report identifies three major venture capital trends in Việt Nam, including artificial intelligence (AI), globally orientated start-ups founded by Vietnamese entrepreneurs and climate technology.Alongside plenary discussions, VIPC Summit 2026 will also feature start-up exhibitions, investment matching sessions and networking events aimed at strengthening connections between Vietnamese technology enterprises and international investors. Talking to Việt Nam News, Kim Ngọc Thanh Nga, deputy director of NIC, said previous editions of the forum had helped strengthen cooperation between Việt Nam's start-up investment ecosystem and regional partners."VIPC 2025 established broad cooperation with venture capital associations and investment funds from markets such as Hong Kong and South Korea," Nga said."These are major markets, and through the forum, investment associations and VC funds from those countries have developed concrete cooperation with Vietnamese investment funds."She added that NIC is currently discussing potential cross-border investment cooperation mechanisms between Vietnamese and South Korean venture capital funds."These discussions are still ongoing, but they demonstrate the positive potential and concrete outcomes generated by the forum," Nga said. — BIZHUB/VNS