Promoting trade of science and technology products of Vietnamese startups in India: Lessons from Startup Mahakumbh 2025

Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Hai cut the ribbon to open the Vietnam pavilion.

Golden opportunity from Startup Mahakumbh 2025

Startup Mahakumbh 2025 is not only a playground for Vietnamese startups to introduce breakthrough technology products but also an opportunity to learn from India - the country leading the world in the number of startups (more than 150,000 enterprises) and innovation ecosystem. The Vietnamese delegation brought technology products in the fields of smart agriculture (Agritech), financial technology (Fintech), deep technology (Deep Tech) and biotechnology (Biotech), tourism and education.

Mr. Bui Trung Thuong, Vietnam Trade Counselor in India, shared: “Participating in Startup Mahakumbh helps Vietnamese enterprises not only promote their products but also learn how India builds a systematic startup ecosystem, from support policies, connecting investors to commercializing products. This is a valuable lesson for us to promote the trade of science and technology products to the Indian and international markets.”

Outstanding achievements of the Vietnamese delegation

At the event, Vietnamese businesses impressed with products such as VDBC providing renewable energy solutions, or energy saving. One of the outstanding products was the solar-powered food vending vehicles, specially designed for household businesses such as selling sandwiches, coffee and smoothies. Meta Square with the mission of improving technology skills and promoting creativity in the young generation. Helping to connect students with advanced technological advances, preparing them to face the challenges of the future. LNP Solution provides leading digital transformation solutions in many fields such as technology, finance and marketing. Solutions include LNP Finance (inclusive finance), LNP HR (inclusive human resource management), LNP Tech (inclusive technology transformation) and LNP Creative (inclusive marketing transformation).

Commercial Counselor Bui Trung Thuong and Vietnamese startups

In particular, the Vietnamese pavilion, as “Partner Country”, attracted hundreds of visitors, including investors, entrepreneurs and Indian startups. Business-to-business (B2B) sessions facilitated Vietnamese startups to access large investment funds as well as Indian technology associations.

Lessons learned and new directions

From the experience at Startup Mahakumbh 2025, it can be seen that India has been successful in promoting the commercialization of technology products thanks to three main factors: (i) Comprehensive support ecosystem: The Indian Government, through the Startup India initiative since 2016, has built a network connecting startups, investors, research institutes and large enterprises, helping technology products to be quickly commercialized; (ii) Focus on deep technology: Indian Minister of Industry and Commerce Piyush Goyal emphasized the importance of investing in Deep Tech - a field in which Vietnam also has potential but has not been strongly exploited; (iii) International promotion: Startup Mahakumbh is not only a domestic event but also a bridge to bring Indian products to the world, something that Vietnam needs to learn to enhance its startup brand.

The lesson for Vietnam is that startups need to step up cooperation with India in sharing technology, taking advantage of the large consumer market and learning how to organize large-scale trade promotion events. At the same time, there needs to be stronger support from the Vietnamese government, such as through preferential tax policies, venture capital funds and specialized training programs on commercializing technology products.

Commercial Counselor Bui Trung Thuong with Vietnamese startups

Towards sustainable cooperation Vietnam - India

Startup Mahakumbh 2025 is not just a single event but also opens up the prospect of long-term cooperation between Vietnam and India in the field of startups and trade of science and technology products. With bilateral trade reaching 15 billion USD in 2024, the two countries can aim to increase by 5-7 billion USD in the next 5 years, in which technology products from startups will play an important role.

To realize this potential, Vietnam needs to organize more frequent trade promotion missions to India and invite Indian startups and investors to participate in events such as Techfest Vietnam. Establishing trade promotion centers in major Indian cities such as Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai is also a strategic solution to increase the presence of Vietnamese technology products.

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Source: Vietnam Trade Office in India

Source: https://moit.gov.vn/tin-tuc/xuc-tien-thuong-mai/thuc-day-thuong-mai-san-pham-khoa-hoc-cong-nghe-cua-doanh-nghiep-khoi-nghiep-viet-nam-tai-an-do-bai-hoc-tu-startup-mahak.html