Connecting Da Nang startups and international ecosystem
DNO - Da Nang is establishing spaces that connect the international startup ecosystem, thereby boosting development resources for local startups and gradually deepening the city's integration into the regional innovation network.
Expanding connections
The Daegu (Republic of Korea) Technology and Innovation Showcase Space, part of the 2026 Da Nang Innovation Startup Festival (SURF 2026), has been recently launched in Da Nang City. This space is designed to showcase typical products, solutions, and technologies from Daegu-based businesses while acting as a hub for connecting businesses with startup support organizations.
The launch of such spaces reflects Da Nang’s strategic direction to set up an open innovation and startup ecosystem. This aims to enhance international connectivity as well as position Da Nang as an attractive destination for technology businesses, investors, and innovation organizations in the region.
Director of the Da Nang Innovation Startup Support Center, Nguyen Viet Toan, noted that Da Nang identifies the establishment of innovation spaces linked to international ecosystems as a key development of the city. The Daegu space in Da Nang, part of SURF 2026, results from cooperation between the center and its partners from Daegu.
From the above foundation, Da Nang aims to create spaces fostering business connections, facilitating technology transfer while expanding collaboration between the two ecosystems. Through Daegu space, Da Nang startups take these opportunities to showcase their products and technologies to the Korean business community and market. Meanwhile, the Daegu-based businesses can bring their technologies and solutions closer to Da Nang’s innovation and startup ecosystem.
Chairman of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk ICT Industry Association, Jong-tai Choe, said that Da Nang's and Daegu's businesses have actively engaged in exchanges and interactions over the years. However, the collaborations mainly remained at the level of personnel exchanges, relationship building, and laying the initial foundations for business activities.
The connections between Da Nang's and Daegu's startups have become more substantive through the innovation space and MoU cooperation agreements between the two sides.
Jong-tai CHOE shared that Daegu has strengths in artificial intelligence (AI) and ICT technology. Daegue is among Korean localities boasting a large number of businesses in these fields. This facilitates connecting technologies from Daegu with Da Nang businesses, with a view to expanding into global markets.
Promoting effectiveness of the common space
Mr. Jong-tai Choe confirmed that the collaborative efforts of Da Nang's authorities and its startup community are essential for common innovation spaces to operate effectively and translate them into clear opportunities for businesses.
Innovation spaces, including the Da Nang-Daegu one, should not limit themselves to merely connecting businesses; instead, they should aim to become international cooperation networks that operate actively on a global scale. The ecosystems of both sides need to formulate plans and identify specific business collaborations to generate substantive trading activities.
Da Nang has continuously connected and expanded its network of linkages with international innovation and startup ecosystems, such as the Da Nang-Seoul (2023), Da Nang-Singapore (2024), and Da Nang-China’s Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) (2025) startup hubs and the Da Nang-Daegu space. This facilitates access to markets, resources, technologies, and investment opportunities for startups.
According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hong, Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Da Nang City, Da Nang businesses can enhance their capabilities and expand prospects for investment and cooperation thanks to access to international models, expertise, advanced technologies, and resources. So, Da Nang is proactively attracting international organizations and business communities to join the city's ecosystem through various well-structured and practical activities.
Through these connections, the city’s businesses concerning science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation gain access to new resources, technologies, partners, and markets, enabling them to gradually expand their domestic and international collaboration networks.