An event on Viet Nam’s innovation and start-ups took place in Switzerland on Thursday to exchange views on digital transformation in Viet Nam, and on how to start a business in blockchain technology, health care, community services and the start-up ecosystem in Viet Nam.

The event was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Switzerland, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), and the Association of Vietnamese Intellectuals and Experts in Switzerland.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Switzerland Le Linh Lan informed participants of Vietnam's economic development achievements during the 35 years of Doi Moi (Renewal), making it one of the most vibrant economies in the Asia-Pacific region, with its development goals focusing on promoting national digital transformation and developing digital economy and digital society.

Lan emphasised the role of innovation and digital transformation in Viet Nam's development strategy in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic is a factor in development and innovation in digitisation in Viet Nam, with the birth of many applications to connect and protect public health such as Bluezone and Zavi.

Lan and other speakers discussed and answered many questions related to the Government's policies on start-ups and the start-up ecosystem in Viet Nam, and the building of blockchain application projects to collect and share data on health, and the development orientation of the VietSearch ecosystem to support Vietnamese individuals, communities and businesses around the world.

On the same day, the ambassador and the Association of Vietnamese Intellectuals and Experts in Switzerland had a meeting with FHNW president Regula Altmann-Hohl to discuss cooperation in business training, promoting the business and investment environment in Viet Nam, and boosting exchanges between researchers and experts of the two countries. — VNS