SEIP 2025: Launchpad for Innovation among Vietnamese Social Enterprises

	Promoting Vietnam-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
	Economic Diplomacy: Perspective from Activities of Viet Nam-Singapore Friendship Association

SEIP 2025 was initiated by the Vietnam-Singapore Friendship Association (VSFA), with strong support and positive appraisal from the Ministry of Science and Technology, and was jointly implemented in collaboration with the Institute for Innovation and Development (IID) and a network of partners from Vietnam, Singapore, and the international community.

Promoting Vietnam-Singapore cooperation and an inclusive startup ecosystem

In his opening remarks at Demo Day, Ambassador Nguyen Duc Hung, Vice President and Secretary General of VSFA, stated that the event was not only a milestone marking the conclusion of the 2025 program, but also a testament to the program’s tangible effectiveness in supporting social enterprises in innovation, through close coordination among VSFA, IID, and domestic and international partners.

Ambassador Nguyen Duc Hung (far left), Vice President and Secretary General of VSFA, and Tran Xuan Dich, Deputy Director General of the Department of Startups and Technology Enterprises (Ministry of Science and Technology) (far right), present social impact certificates to enterprises. (Photo: Thanh Luan)

Building on the success of SEIP 2024, this year’s program focused on supporting small-scale local social enterprises and eco-enterprises. These are organizations generating positive impacts in nature conservation, livelihood support in mountainous areas, preservation of traditional handicrafts, and the development of organic agriculture.

During the implementation period (October-December 2025), the Organizing Committee selected 20 enterprises to participate in an intensive training program covering brand strategy, communications, visual identity design, and market linkage. Among them, the six most outstanding enterprises were chosen to join a three-month one-on-one coaching package, accompanied by a team of mentors specializing in sustainable development, business, communications, and entrepreneurship. The top six enterprises came from all three regions of Vietnam: North, Central, and South, and work directly with local communities and ethnic minority groups.

Highly valuing the SEIP initiative, Singapore’s Ambassador to Vietnam Rajpal Singh remarked that the program has rapidly become an important platform for promoting cooperation between Singapore and Vietnam in supporting social and ecological enterprises. In 2025, SEIP expanded its scope nationwide, enabling enterprises to access more in-depth training and broader market networks.

The Ambassador expressed his impression of the diversity of enterprises participating in SEIP 2025, most of which are small teams of 5-15 people, many established within the past two years, operating across Vietnam. Their missions are closely aligned with Vietnam’s pressing development priorities, such as nature conservation, livelihood support for ethnic minority communities, and sustainable agricultural development.

According to Ambassador Rajpal Singh, the event took place in a context where Vietnam-Singapore relations continue to be strengthened and elevated, especially following the upgrade of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. He highly appreciated the role of VSFA in promoting people-to-people exchanges, helping keep bilateral relations dynamic, substantive, and sustainable.

Singapore’s Ambassador to Vietnam Rajpal Singh (far left) and Ambassador Nguyen Duc Hung (second from left), Vice President and Secretary General of VSFA, present certificates to the top six enterprises that completed the program. (Photo: Thanh Luan)

Deputy Director General of the Department of Startups and Technology Enterprises (Ministry of Science and Technology) Tran Xuan Dich, noted that TECHFEST Vietnam 2025 was held under the theme “Nationwide Entrepreneurship - A New Growth Driver,” reflecting the spirit of the Politburo’s Resolution 57 on developing science, technology, and innovation as pillars of a new growth model, and aligning with the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation 2025 recently passed by the National Assembly.

Within this broader context, the Ministry of Science and Technology highly values SEIP’s approach to supporting social enterprises in enhancing innovation capacity, brand building, market connectivity, and spreading the spirit of sustainable entrepreneurship. This model is well aligned with the orientations of Resolution 57 and the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation 2025, particularly in promoting an inclusive, responsible, and sustainable startup ecosystem. In the time ahead, the Ministry of Science and Technology will continue to accompany and encourage initiatives such as SEIP, fostering cooperation among state agencies, social organizations, enterprises, and international partners, with a view to spreading a culture of innovation and making practical contributions to the national startup ecosystem.

Moc Sa Farm - Bringing Son La Arabica Coffee from Mountain Villages to the Market

At the Demo Day recap event, six outstanding enterprises of SEIP 2025 presented their outcomes following an intensive coaching process. Moc Sa Farm Cooperative (Phuong Hamlet, Chieng Sinh Ward, Son La Province), a unit specializing in the cultivation and production of high-quality Arabica coffee, was honored as the most outstanding enterprise.

Luong Trung Hieu, Director of Moc Sa Farm Cooperative, presents the project at Demo Day. (Photo: Thanh Luan)

According to Luong Trung Hieu, Director of Moc Sa Farm Cooperative, the cooperative conveys the message “Son La Arabica - From the village to your heart,” reflecting its aspiration to address challenges related to cultural preservation, forest protection, and the development of sustainable livelihoods for communities in Vietnam’s Northwest region.

He noted that Moc Sa Farm focuses on building a sustainable value chain from raw material areas, cultivation, and processing to consumption; investing in high-quality coffee processing facilities; minimizing environmental impacts; and developing the Son La Arabica brand associated with the cultural identity of the Northwest. Through SEIP 2025, the cooperative completed a new brand identity system that combines coffee bean imagery with motifs inspired by the khan phieu - a cultural symbol of the Thai ethnic community, conveying a message of harmony and convergence among land, forests, mountains, and people.

Building on this foundation, Moc Sa Farm aims to continue seeking investors and partners to expand raw material areas and standardize high-quality fermented coffee processing systems, thereby enhancing the economic, social, and environmental value of Son La Arabica coffee in particular and Vietnamese coffee in general.

Ambassador Nguyen Duc Hung (far right), Vice President and Secretary General of VSFA, presents trophies to the top three outstanding enterprises: Moc Sa Farm Cooperative (Son La), Vietfiber - Vietnam Natural Fiber Research, Investment and Development Joint Stock Company, and Tai Thinh Phat Farm Cooperative (Ca Mau). (Photo: Thanh Luan)

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