Da Nang builds launchpad for start-up “unicorns”
DNO - Da Nang City is developing a comprehensive start-up ecosystem to help young firms grow through policy support, infrastructure improvement, and accompanying enterprises at every stage of development. The city aims to nurture future start-up “unicorns”.
Seeking solutions to start-up challenges
At the Da Nang Innovation Start-up Competition - SURF 2025 in late July 2025, LocalLife.Asia, a sustainable community tourism platform, won first prize for using technology to connect travellers with local culture, preserve heritage, and create livelihoods.
Its co-founder Tran Dang Huy said that after six months LocalLife.Asia has progressed technologically and strategically, building a community-based tourism ecosystem with personalised itineraries and shared destination data, in partnership with the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Centre.
Alongside such projects, Da Nang continues to strengthen its start-up ecosystem through dialogues to remove commercialisation barriers and support measures such as mentoring, idea exchange platforms, and innovation workshops to help start-ups scale.
Developing a deep and comprehensive ecosystem
According to Nguyen Van Chuong from the Da Nang Young Entrepreneurs Association, 2025 marked a breakthrough year as Da Nang rose to 766th on StartupBlink and entered the world’s 12 fastest-growing ecosystems, with events like SURF and DAVAS (Danang Venture and Angel Summit) reinforcing its role as a start-up hub.
The city approved a VND 7.3 trillion project on innovative start-up city to develop infrastructure, talent, and regulatory sandbox mechanisms, while prioritising sectors such as AI, robotics, fintech, and semiconductors, including a chip testing and packaging centre to join global value chains.
After a decade of groundwork, Da Nang is moving towards deeper development, aiming to attract venture capital and support high-tech start-ups to nurture future “unicorns” and become a regional innovation hub.
Towards a global start-up destination
According to Nguyen Viet Toan from the Da Nang Innovation Start-up Support Centre, the city aims by 2026 to enter the world’s top 500 start-up ecosystems and rank among Vietnam’s top 5 in the Innovation Index.
Da Nang is finalising special development policies and investing about VND 500 billion in a centralised innovation space to connect incubators and start-ups.
Plans include international start-up events, university support centres, local innovation spaces, stronger government-university-enterprise links, and global connections with hubs such as Singapore, Silicon Valley, Japan, and the Greater Bay Area.
With coordinated investment, Da Nang seeks to become an international innovation destination nurturing start-ups towards future “unicorn” status.