Innovation and entrepreneurship among Vietnamese students in the digital transformation era

Amid the rapid development of Industry 4.0 and the knowledge economy, innovation and entrepreneurship have become key drivers of national competitiveness. Vietnamese students, as a young and technology-responsive workforce, play a central role in the innovation ecosystem. This study analyzes the current state of student innovation and entrepreneurship in Vietnam using secondary data from national reports, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and empirical studies. The findings show that students’ awareness and engagement have increased considerably, with nearly 50% of higher education institutions incorporating entrepreneurship courses into their curricula. However, the successful commercialization rate of student projects remains below 10%, mainly because of limited practical management knowledge, barriers to venture capital, inadequate research infrastructure, and weak university–business linkages. The study proposes five strategic groups of solutions to strengthen students’ innovation capacity.