Startup Island TAIWAN Leads Taiwanese Digital Tech Startups into Ho Chi Minh City

Taiwan’s National Startup Branding Office, Startup Island TAIWAN, in collaboration with domestic venture capitalists and listed companies, spearheaded the Taiwan Tech Solution Day, bringing 14 Taiwanese digital tech startups to Ho Chi Minh City for a successful showcase of Taiwan’s startup prowess on August 23. This event garnered a warm welcome from the NIC (National Innovation Center) under Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment, as well as representatives from various sectors.

The Taiwan Tech Solution Day, an initiative by Startup Island TAIWAN targeting the ASEAN market, commenced with Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Representing the Vietnamese government, NIC’s officer, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung came from Hanoi to introduce the potential of Vietnam’s startup development and enthusiastically welcomed Taiwanese startups to explore more business opportunities in Vietnam. Other distinguished guests included angel investors from Vietnam, early-stage venture capital firm Do Ventures, and Vietnamese software company SotaTek. Mr. Chia-Yuan Liu, President of Tan Thuan Branch of the Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce in Vietnam and General Manager of Dasin Fans, who has been deeply engaged in Vietnam for 30 years, also led the members in attending the event and expressed support for the Taiwan Tech Solution Day.

A total of 14 Taiwanese digital tech startups participated in this event, covering several domains where Taiwanese startups excel, including Web3, marketing technology, fintech, smart logistics, smart manufacturing, and drones. Some Taiwanese startups have already established themselves in Vietnam, even recruiting Vietnamese management teams. For instance, property management system company, JGB Smart Property, AI-powered dental software company, dentall Co.,Ltd., and SaaS company, Sightour, which aids the financial industry in paperless document management, announced that they have designated Ho Chi Minh City as their ASEAN regional headquarters, actively promoting both IT talent recruitment and business development. Furthermore, some startups with successful experiences in Japan are considering more diverse approaches to expedite their entry into Vietnam, including investments and joint ventures. These include iKala, a leading AI transformation solutions provider offering AI-driven cloud management and MarTech solutions, and TapPay, a fintech company that has collaborated with Apple for payments, both of which expanded their businesses successfully in Japan. The latter also cooperated with prominent Vietnamese companies NAPAS and Vietcombank.

Apart from startups, Startup Island TAIWAN also gathered experts from domestic accelerators and venture capitalists, such as major software company Systex, and its subsidiary AGP team, renowned early-stage investment institution Sunsino Venture Group and its subsidiary Startup 101, and venture capital firm Hive Ventures, focusing on digital technology investments. It’s worth noting that Moldintel and Sightour, recommended by these experts, both with mature and innovative AI products, successfully advanced to the finals of Vietnam’s largest startup competition, InnoEx.

The inaugural Taiwan Tech Solution Day by Startup Island TAIWAN in Ho Chi Minh City received significant attention from the Vietnamese government and major corporations. This event also marked the largest digital startup exchange between Taiwan and Vietnam after the easing of pandemic-related restrictions.