Biotechnology, therefore, is considered one of the sectors capable of generating high added value and promoting the transition towards a greener growth model.
Ho Chi Minh City is accelerating the development of the biotechnology industry, viewing it as a groundbreaking sector capable of supporting green growth and sustainable development.
Biotechnology is increasingly regarded as a foundational industry of the knowledge-based economy, playing a strategic role in healthcare, high-tech agriculture, environmental protection and green economy. The global bio-economy is forecast to contribute more than US$2.7 trillion annually in the coming years.
Under the Politburo's Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW on the development and application of biotechnology for the country’s sustainable development in the new context, Vietnam aims to turn biotechnology into an important techno-economic sector and become one of Asia’s leading countries in several biotechnology fields.
Director of the municipal Department of Science and Technology Lam Dinh Thang said the city, as the country’s economic, scientific and innovation centre, considers green transition and circular economy essential requirements for sustainable development.
According to Thang, these orientations also provide opportunities for the city to restructure its growth model, improve competitiveness and create new economic growth drivers.
Since 2013, the city’s technology exchange platform has organised 24 specialised Techmart events in fields such as high-tech agriculture, biotechnology, healthcare, digital transformation and smart urban development. More than 1,500 organisations have introduced over 6,000 technologies and devices through these events, gradually forming technology connectivity networks linking research institutes, universities, enterprises and localities.
Associate Prof., Dr Truong Hai Nhung, Dean of the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology under Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM)’s University of Science, said Ho Chi Minh City currently possesses the country’s largest biotechnology research and application ecosystem.
The ecosystem includes the VNU-HCM, the Biotechnology Center, the Saigon Hi-Tech Park, specialised hospital networks, technology enterprises and experts from the Ho Chi Minh City Biology-Biotechnology Association. The close links among these components are helping establish a full chain covering research, testing, production and commercialisation of biotechnology products.
With its network of leading hospitals, research universities, technology firms and innovation ecosystems, Ho Chi Minh City holds a strategic position to build a biotechnology industry capable of researching, manufacturing and commercialising high-tech products under Vietnamese brands.
The city is also gradually building capabilities to master advanced biotechnology and biomedical technologies aligned with national strategic technology orientations. In addition to a large scientific workforce, the city already has relatively complete research infrastructure supporting biotechnology and high-tech industries.
The Biotechnology Centre serves as a key applied research institution, implementing technologies in gene technology, microbiology, plant cell technology, enzyme-protein technology and high-tech agriculture. The centre has become a focal point for programs supporting urban agriculture and biotechnology development.
Meanwhile, the Research and Development Centre at Saigon Hi-Tech Park, known as SHTP Labs, operates as an international-standard high-tech laboratory focusing on semiconductor microchips, nanotechnology, advanced materials, biotechnology and systems integration.
Experts said such infrastructure forms an important foundation for interdisciplinary research combining biology, advanced materials, microelectronics and artificial intelligence, while supporting the development of commercially viable high-tech products.
According to Nhung, biotechnology plays a particularly important role in the development of urban agriculture, circular agriculture and post-harvest technologies in Ho Chi Minh City and the southeastern region.
Technologies such as gene editing, functional microorganisms, enzymes, alternative proteins and digital biology are expected to create high-value agricultural products, reduce emissions and improve climate resilience.
The orientation is consistent with the city’s Net Zero and circular economy strategies, as well as high-tech agricultural development programs across southeastern localities.
To unlock resources for the sector, experts suggested that Ho Chi Minh City should pioneer controlled pilot mechanisms for new technologies, including gene and stem cell technologies, to shorten the time needed to bring products to the market.
They also recommended promoting cooperation among the State, universities and enterprises through research and development alliances, in which the State provides shared infrastructure and major research orders, universities conduct research and verification, and businesses co-invest from the R&D stage.
In addition, specialists proposed establishing a regional biotechnology research-testing-production hub integrating shared laboratories, biological data centres, pre-clinical testing systems and startup acceleration spaces.
Such a model is expected to become a core infrastructure platform for the biotechnology ecosystem in southern Vietnam while helping Ho Chi Minh City strengthen its ambition to emerge as a regional innovation and biotechnology center.
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