During the meeting, Minister Vu Hai Quan highly appreciated the foundation of scientific, technological, and innovation cooperation between the two countries, particularly the Viet Nam - Finland Innovation Partnership Programme (IPP). The programme has contributed to supporting startup projects, training human resources, and fostering the development of an innovation ecosystem in Viet Nam.
Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan and Mr. Ville Tavio, Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of Finland, at the working session.
Building on this foundation, the Minister suggested that both sides continue reviewing existing cooperation frameworks while exploring new programmes for high-quality human resource training, as well as research and mastery of strategic technologies.
Minister Vu Hai Quan noted that following its reorganization through the merger of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Science and Technology now oversees numerous sectors with strong potential for collaboration with Finland, including telecommunications, radio frequency, 5G, digital infrastructure, digital transformation, high technology, and artificial intelligence.
A key topic of in-depth discussion was data centre development. The Minister stated that Viet Nam aims to become a regional data centre hub in Southeast Asia, serving the broader Asian market. To realize this goal, Viet Nam is continuing to refine its legal framework while addressing challenges related to energy supply and cross-border data flows.
The Minister also highlighted quantum technology and satellite technology as strategic areas where Viet Nam prioritizes international cooperation. Viet Nam has granted a licence for Starlink testing and is actively exploring new energy solutions, including the potential application of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) to meet the future power demands of data centres.
Mr. Ville Tavio commended Viet Nam as an important partner for Finland in Southeast Asia and noted that substantial scope remains for cooperation between the two nations in digital infrastructure, data centres, quantum technology, satellite communications, cybersecurity, and green transition.
Concluding the meeting, Minister Vu Hai Quan expressed his hope that the Embassy of Finland will continue to act as a bridge, fostering connections between regulatory bodies, research institutes, universities, and businesses of both countries, thereby turning potential cooperation opportunities into concrete programmes and projects./.
