Strategies for Strengthening Education and Technology Integration to Boost Ho Chi Minh City's Economy

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FORMOSA NEWS

Ho Van Huy from the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City analyzed the dynamic relationship between the education-training and science-technology sectors in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in a study published in August 2026. This research is crucial for formulating strategies to strengthen the knowledge ecosystem to overcome structural barriers and promote sustainable urban economic growth.

As Vietnam's main economic and innovation hub, Ho Chi Minh City faces serious challenges where the link between education and technology has not yet fully become the driving force of development. Key issues include uneven training quality across institutions, learning materials that are not fully aligned with labor market needs, a shortage of experts in cutting-edge technology, and weak synergy among schools, businesses, and the government.

The research applied an interdisciplinary approach based on dialectical and historical materialism, combining analysis-synthesis, historical-logical, comparative methods, and secondary data processing from various official reports and related literature.

The analysis results show several important findings regarding the development of education and technology in the city:

• Ho Chi Minh City has achieved rapid progress in expanding its educational system and digital transformation, with over 90% of schools having integrated information technology.
• The startup ecosystem in the city is growing very dynamically with over 2,000 startups, and science and technology contributing 56% to Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth.
• Several obstacles still hinder progress, such as uneven education quality, minimal practical application in research activities, and a fragmented technology commercialization chain.

According to Ho Van Huy, strengthening the relationship between these two sectors requires comprehensive restructuring through the implementation of the "Triple Helix" collaboration model—where universities, industry, and government are closely connected in solving practical economic problems. The implementation of this model is expected to boost labor force competitiveness, expand technology-based innovation, and ensure economic sustainability in the era of global integration.

Author Profile

• Ho Van Huy – Researcher and academic at the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, with a focus on economics, higher education, and science and technology development.

Research Source

• Article Title: Development of Education - Training and Science - Technology in Vietnam: The Case of Ho Chi Minh City
• Journal Name: International Journal of Integrated Science and Technology (IJIST)
• Publication Year: August 2026
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.59890/ijist.v4i8.38