The five-year milestone of VSEFI marks more than just another annual conference — it reflects the maturing of a multidisciplinary research community united by a shared commitment to research with real-world value and impact.
On 2–3 July 2026, VNU International School (VNU-IS) co-hosted the 5th International Conference on Vietnam’s Startups, Entrepreneurship, Finance and Innovation (VSEFI 2026), in partnership with the Association of Vietnamese Scientists and Experts (AVSE Global), the School of Business and Law at Curtin University (Australia), EMLV Business School and Paris-Saclay University (France), and HEC Montréal (Canada). This year’s edition marks a decade-defining anniversary for the conference, which has been held annually in Vietnam for five consecutive years.
The conference welcomed Professor Vanessa Chang, Deputy Dean of the School of Business and Law at Curtin University; Prof.Dr Nguyen Duc Khuong, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge and Chairman of AVSE Global; and Assoc.Prof. Pham Thu Phuong, Associate Professor of Finance at Curtin University and a board member of the SHAPE Futures EMCR Network Australia, who also serves as co-chair of VSEFI.
Representing VNU-IS were Assoc.Prof.Dr Pham Xuan Hoan, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, alongside Vice Rectors Assoc.Prof.Dr Nguyen Van Dinh, Dr. Tran Anh Hao and Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan. The event drew scholars and researchers, both in person and online, from around 40 universities and research institutes across Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Singapore, China, Vietnam, Canada, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia and Mauritius, who took part in a series of in-depth discussions on entrepreneurship, finance and innovation.
Five years building a respected international academic forum
Speaking at the conference, Assoc.Prof.Dr Nguyen Van Dinh, VNU-IS Vice Rector, said that over five years VSEFI had grown into a lively academic forum bringing together scholars, doctoral candidates and postgraduate students from many countries to share research findings, exchange ideas and debate emerging issues in entrepreneurship, finance and innovation.
He expressed hope that the presentations and findings shared by speakers would inspire participants and enrich the conference’s discussions, adding that VSEFI’s five-year journey marked not simply the passing of time but a genuine step forward in establishing VNU-IS’s academic standing.
“I hope everyone here will make the most of this forum to connect, generate new ideas, foster collaboration, and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in entrepreneurship, finance and innovation — not only in Vietnam but globally. I hope VSEFI 2026 becomes a memorable milestone on the journey towards building an outstanding academic community and driving innovation in scholarly research,” he said.
According to Assoc.Prof.Dr Nguyen Van Dinh, VSEFI’s five-year journey reflects VNU-IS’s growing position within the international academic network, achieved with the support of AVSE Global.
“What matters most to us after five years is the confidence we have gained. We have moved from being an institution that absorbs knowledge to one capable of leading, co-leading and building a credible academic forum with genuine international standing. This is consistent with VNU-IS’s development strategy of becoming a hub for international exchange, connecting knowledge between East and West, and promoting knowledge transfer, innovation and academic cooperation,” he said.
Looking back over the five-year journey, the Vice Rector Nguyen Van Dinh said the conference’s achievements could be viewed through two lenses. On the academic side, with the support of AVSE Global and other international partners, VNU-IS has steadily built a reputation as one of the more prolific institutions in international publishing, with VSEFI helping to cultivate a culture of scientific research, international publication and innovation within the university.
Beyond enhancing the school’s academic standing, he added, the conference has produced tangible benefits for society. Research outcomes, projects and studies presented through VSEFI and related scientific activities have gradually been translated into policy recommendations and practical forecasts, giving businesses and regulators an objective, evidence-based perspective — turning academic research into a bridge for sustainable economic development.
Positioning Vietnam as a destination for science and innovation
Prof.Dr Nguyen Duc Khuong, Chairman of AVSE Global, said that from its inception VSEFI was envisioned as more than an annual academic conference — it was meant to become a meeting point for intellectuals, experts and scientists from Vietnam and abroad, helping to establish the country as a credible destination for science, technology and innovation in the region and beyond.
Reflecting on the five-year journey, he credited the professionalism of VNU-IS and its strong internationalisation strategy for helping to build a conference with a distinctly international character, noting that in each edition, roughly 90–95 per cent of papers presented have come from leading international scholars and experts across various fields.
He added that VSEFI has become a forum eagerly anticipated by the international academic community each year, drawing continued engagement from prestigious universities and academic partners worldwide — evidence, he said, of the conference’s ability to attract influential international partners.
Beyond the conference itself, Prof.Dr Duc Khuong said VSEFI’s value has extended to Vietnam’s broader research community, giving domestic researchers the opportunity to connect directly with international experts, form joint research groups and pursue collaborative projects and studies.
“I believe the scientific knowledge generated through these connections is helping to lay the groundwork for Vietnam’s strategies and policies on innovation,” he said.
He noted that another important contribution of the forum lies in translating scientific knowledge into practical, applicable knowledge — helping businesses strengthen governance and improve operational efficiency, while providing a scientific basis for policies that support the innovation ecosystem and early-stage entrepreneurs.
Looking ahead, Prof.Dr Khuong said he hoped to expand VSEFI’s scale and influence further, turning it into an international academic forum with even greater reach, and to deepen the connection between the research community, the business sector and policymakers. Another key goal, he said, is to gradually develop annual policy reports based on the conference’s research findings, providing scientific evidence to support policymaking by government bodies and local authorities in advancing innovation and socio-economic development. He added that the conference is also helping domestic universities build experience in international cooperation and strengthen their capacity to host high-quality academic conferences with growing international participation.
Advancing research with real-world value and impact
Also speaking at the conference, Assoc.Prof.Dr Pham Thu Phuong of Curtin University, who sits on the board of the SHAPE Futures EMCR Network Australia, said the five-year milestone reflected the maturing of a multidisciplinary research community committed to producing research with genuine practical value and impact.
She noted that VSEFI 2026 featured many of the world’s leading scholars in finance and innovation from renowned academic institutions, and that although some experts were unable to attend in person due to scheduling changes, many still took part online, contributing valuable and in-depth academic exchange.
This fifth edition of VSEFI further reinforced the conference’s international standing, attracting more than 100 research papers from 32 countries and territories, with representatives from over 140 academic institutions and universities. The conference featured 49 research presentations across 40 parallel sessions, alongside two keynote speeches and two dedicated panel discussions.
Professor Lin William Cong, President’s Chair Professor of Finance, Computer Science and Data Science at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and Cornell University, United States, presented research combining artificial intelligence with human judgment to detect discrimination in the patent examination process.
A notable highlight of this year’s conference was its support for early-career researchers and doctoral candidates through two dedicated academic sessions: a Research Mentoring Session, offering guidance on international publication skills in finance, entrepreneurship and innovation; and an Early-Stage Research Session, giving postgraduate students and doctoral candidates the opportunity to receive direct feedback from experts to refine their research directions.
