Lac Hong University: Numerous Policies to Support Student Entrepreneurship (Part 1).

Lac Hong University (LHU) has implemented many forward-looking policies and support programmes to provide students with opportunities to realize their business ideas.

This was shared by PhD Nguyen Van Tan – Dean of The Faculty of Administration International Economics, LHU, and Member of the Vietnam Innovative Startup Advisory Council (VSMA) – in an interview with Business Forum Magazine regarding entrepreneurship and startup support for youth and students.

Building an Entrepreneurship Ecosystem within the University

– Entrepreneurship among youth and students is currently receiving significant attention from localities and universities through various policies and programmes to support young entrepreneurs. What about Lac Hong University, sir?

In 2015, the President of Lac Hong University directed the academic staff to help students identify new pathways in the context of limited employment opportunities after graduation. This directive laid the foundation for the development of the University’s entrepreneurship programme. The University’s entrepreneurship ecosystem was gradually formed. Startup competitions and seminars with startup enterprises were organized under the orientation of the National Startup Programme implemented by Business Forum Magazine (under VCCI).

In 2016, the University leadership decided to establish the Startup Club. In 2017, the University invested in a Coworking Space at Campus 2, fully equipped to incubate student enterprises. Currently, PhD Lam Thanh Hien – President of the University – pays close attention to and strongly promotes the University’s entrepreneurship programme.

Each year, the University allocates funding to invest in startup projects. The annual KPI assigned by the President to the management team of the University’s entrepreneurship programme requires that at least one project reach the National Final Round of the “SV-STARTUP” competition for students, organized by the Ministry of Education and Training.

I greatly admire and highly appreciate the breakthrough efforts of the leadership of Lac Hong University in supporting and encouraging student entrepreneurship. The University has implemented many pioneering policies and support programmes to enable students to realize their business ideas.

The entrepreneurship ecosystem of Lac Hong University has been fully established (including the Startup Club, Coworking Space, mentor system, and modern laboratories), with members actively participating in provincial, regional, and national startup communities (Vietnam Innovative Startup Advisory Council – VSMA; Southern Region Startup Advisory and Support Council; Dong Nai Province Innovative Startup Ecosystem Coordinating Council; Creative Design Thinking Village of Techfest Vietnam, etc.). This has effectively supported consulting, training, resource introduction, and assistance for students with startup ideas.

– How do you evaluate the startup support programmes for youth and students in Dong Nai Province in general and at Lac Hong University in particular?

Dong Nai is an industrial province. Alongside industrial development, the agriculture and trade–service sectors still have untapped potential. In recent years, provincial leadership has implemented numerous programmes to support entrepreneurship in agriculture, tourism, digital transformation, and smart cities.

Specifically, Techfest Dong Nai over the past two years has been considered highly successful, organized by the Dong Nai Department of Science and Technology with professional and resource support from National Techfest under Project 844. Accordingly, the Dong Nai Province Innovative Startup Ecosystem Coordinating Council was established and has been operating effectively. Annual competitions related to innovative entrepreneurship are also organized.

In particular, the Dong Nai Provincial Women’s Union has organized the Innovative Women’s Startup Competition under Project 939 continuously over the past five years. The Union also regularly conducts entrepreneurship training courses at district-level units. This has generated significant impact within the community and created a strong pipeline of startup projects for investors to consider funding.

At Lac Hong University, as an educational institution implementing entrepreneurship activities under Project 1665 through the Ministry of Education and Training, student startup projects are annually sent to participate in competitions both within and outside the province. Notably, the annual SV-STARTUP competition organized by the Ministry of Education and Training. Currently, the 5th SV-STARTUP Final Round is being held in Hue City, with LHU having two student startup projects competing in the Final Round in Hue from 24–26 March 2023. In the 4th SV-STARTUP held in Vinh Phuc Province, LHU achieved Second Prize.

As one of the leading universities in Dong Nai Province, LHU has undertaken numerous activities to support student entrepreneurship. The University has organized many programmes, events, and startup competitions to encourage and assist young people with business ideas. In addition, the University has developed a distinctive educational model oriented toward entrepreneurship and innovation, enabling students to access practical business knowledge and experience.

Overall, I highly appreciate the startup support programmes for youth and students in Dong Nai Province in general and at Lac Hong University in particular. These programmes play an important role in encouraging and supporting young people and students who aspire to entrepreneurship and wish to contribute to socio-economic development.

These support programmes enable young people to access resources, knowledge, and experience from experts and successful enterprises. This helps them acquire the necessary knowledge and experience to implement their business ideas. Moreover, the programmes help them build networks with partners, enterprises, and investors, thereby increasing their chances of success.

According to Business Forum Magazine.