Techfest 2023, Vietnam’s biggest annual event for innovative start-ups, was organized for the first time in Melbourne, Australia on Wednesday to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations.

The 2023 International Techfest was co-held by Monash University, the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology, and the National Agency for Technology, Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Development.

The event took place as part of an ongoing working visit to Australia by a Vietnamese delegation, led by Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat, to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2023 in Victoria.

The tech festival was also meant to contribute to bringing Vietnamese innovation startups to the global market.

Members of the Vietnamese delegation and Australian representatives attend the 2023 International Techfest organized in Australia on September 20, 2023. Photo: Monash University

The 2023 International Techfest acted as a platform to strengthen relations between Monash and Vietnam, and deepen connections with the Vietnamese student and research community.

The event attracted the participation of thousands of businesses and people, creating a vibrant atmosphere, and demonstrating the determination and spirit of joint efforts to promote innovation activities.

“On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Australia, we brought Techfest to Australia in a bid to support Vietnamese entrepreneurs in Australia, as well as introduce Vietnamese companies to Australian partners,” Minister Dat told the opening ceremony of Techfest Australia 2023.

“Techfest is also the platform to establish favorable conditions for Australian companies to enter the Vietnamese market,” he underlined.

The event gave a special opportunity to Vietnamese start-ups to learn operation management processes, equipment, tools, and the latest technology research in Australia.

Monash University interim president and vice-chancellor Professor Susan Elliott AM said that Techfest helped deepen the university’s long-standing connection to, and collaborations with Vietnam, and cement the bilateral ties between the two countries.

Vietnam ranks 48th out of 132 countries in the Global Innovation Index, positioning its economy in the top 4 among Southeast Asian nations, said Pham Hong Quat, head of the National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Development.

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