The Better Choice Awards (BCA) 2025 is a key highlight in the lead-up to Vietnam Innovation Day that falls on October 1, an annual event expected to attract hundreds of innovative enterprises, research institutions, investment funds, and startups from both Vietnam and abroad.
The launch of the Better Choice Awards (BCA) 2025. (Photo: NIC)
Hanoi (VNA) – The National Innovation Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of Finance and VCCorp on August 7 launched the Better Choice Awards (BCA) 2025 in Hanoi, marking the third season of the initiative that celebrates innovation and digital advancement in Vietnam.
Speaking at the launching ceremony, NIC Deputy Director Kim Ngoc Thanh Nga said BCA goes beyond merely recognising smart choices - it serves as a testament to the strength and vibrancy of Vietnam’s innovation ecosystem.
It is a call for unity across the technology, finance, and consumer sectors to shape a transparent, efficient, and distinct Vietnamese market, she stated.
BCA 2025 is a key highlight in the lead-up to Vietnam Innovation Day that falls on October 1, an annual event expected to attract hundreds of innovative enterprises, research institutions, investment funds, and startups from both Vietnam and abroad. The event series will provide a platform to connect, showcase, and promote collaboration in critical areas such as artificial intelligence, green technology, digital finance, and future-oriented education.
This year’s edition introduces four major award categories, reflecting an expanded scope and deeper social impact - Smart Choice Awards, for consumer tech solutions; Car Choice Awards, for standout brands and products in the automotive sector; Innovative Choice Awards, for breakthroughs in digital innovation; and Consumer Finance Awards, a newly added cluster that spotlights outstanding digital financial solutions for Vietnamese users.
Notably, the Consumer Finance Awards features nearly ten specialised categories including digital payment platforms, neobanks, investment apps, credit solutions, and innovative card products which are fundamentally reshaping consumer behaviour and financial awareness in Vietnam.
Alongside the awards, there will be a series of high-impact forums, focusing on AI, semiconductors, and quantum technologies. These gatherings will bring together scientists, policymakers, and business leaders to accelerate Vietnam’s core technology development.
An award ceremony is scheduled for October 3🅠 in Hanoi, in celebration of National Innovation Day./.
In the context as Vietnam is promoting institutional reform, the development of policies based on an efficiency assessment mechanism is an urgent requirement to ensure focused investments.
According to the Politburo’s resolution on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation, Vietnam has set ambitious targets for 2030. The country aims to achieve advanced capabilities in science, technology, and innovation across several key fields, ranking among the leading nations in the upper-middle-income group.
VietNEST (Vietnamese Nurturing Education for Science & Traditions) is a mobile app and digital platform for Vietnamese language learning among overseas children.
The networks bring together universities, research institutes and domestic and foreign businesses. Members will work closely in training, research, and technology transfer by sharing curricula, improving faculty capacity, providing access to laboratories and research facilities, and jointly implementing science and technology projects.
The new line serves as a critical backup route, strategically complementing existing submarine cables and enhancing the resilience, proactivity, and security of Vietnam’s telecommunications infrastructure.
Vietnam is actively yet cautiously preparing for the construction of its first nuclear power plant in Ninh Thuan (now the south-central coastal province of Khanh Hoa). The resumption of the programme after years of suspension carries considerable significance for the nation’s development in a new era as it strives to gradually reduce and ultimately phase out coal-fired power to realise the Government’s commitment to Net Zero by 2050.
The government leader reaffirmed Vietnam’s goal of achieving self-reliance in the design, manufacturing, and test of necessary semiconductor chips by no later than 2027.
With the launching of its two-tier local administration model, the city is incorporating technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain to enhance service delivery for citizens and businesses, aligning with the Politburo’s Resolution 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation.
Vietnam has issued many key policies to support semiconductor development, notably the Politburo’s Resolution 57 on science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation. Other initiatives include the Semiconductor Industry Development Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2050, and the Human Resources Development Programme for the Semiconductor Industry.
Vietnam is no longer just an emerging blockchain market, it is stepping into a leadership role, with global investors, developers, and experts recognising its growing potential to become a leading hub for digital assets in the region.
Taking place on August 1–2, the event features more than 20,000 attendees and over 200 speakers from Vietnam, the h Korea, Singapore, the UAE, Hong Kong (China) and the US.
Dung directed the Ministry of Science and Technology to revise the national startup scheme, ensuring it clearly defines the scope and content, grounded on strong political and legal foundations, international best practices, and well-reasoned arguments for submission to the Government.
The two-day academic forum, themed “Resilience, Sustainability & Digital Transformation in a Changing World: Perspectives from Southeast Asia”, aims to share interdisciplinary research insights, focusing on adaptive capacity, sustainable development, and digital transformation amid evolving global and regional landscapes.
With such a rapid economic growth, Vietnam must diversify energy sources and nuclear power is a rational choice to ensure the national energy security, said Associate Professor Kei Koga from the Nanyang Technological University (Singapore).
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung emphasised that Vietnam has a clear strategy and ambition in this field, and is rapidly emerging as a central hub and key link in the regional and global semiconductor value chains.
According to Cushman & Wakefield’s latest Asia-Pacific Data Centre Investment Landscape report, Vietnam now ranks second in the region for data centre investment returns, with a yield on cost (YoC) of 17.5–18.8%, just behind Singapore’s 21–23%.
Vietnam is taking drastic yet cautious steps in building a culture of nuclear safety and security, with the aim of having its first nuclear power plant operational by the end of 2030 and using this specific energy source effectively and sustainably.
Vietnam’s 5G strategy has been clearly outlined in national digital technology and infrastructure policies. A wide range of solutions is being vigorously implemented to achieve the target of an average internet speed of 100 Mbps by 2025 and full nationwide 5G coverage by 2030.
The visit aimed to assess the new two-tier local government model, preparations for upcoming Party congresses at levels, and implementation of the Politburo’s Conclusion on school construction in border areas.
Under the theme “Breakthrough Era with the Development of Industrial Internet”, the event gathered over 400 delegates, including senior officials, leading Internet experts, and technology engineers from Vietnam and abroad.
These policies must include special incentives, such as beyond salary caps, housing support, and world-class working environment, to bring at least 100 leading Vietnamese experts back to the homeland to work.
