Vietnam: The Team Europe mobilized to support innovation in the private sector

The European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy adopted an International Digital Strategy for the European Union in June 2025 that sets out the EU's vision for strengthening its international digital cooperation. 

This strategy focuses on boosting European competitiveness, promoting a digital agenda focused on the security of Europe and its partners, and shaping global digital governance and standards.  

In this framework, the EU will develop an integrated Tech Business Offer for partner countries, combining private and public investment with policy solutions.  This offer will tailor and combine tech components in a modular approach to create a package of mutual benefits with partner countries, including capacity-building measures. It will be jointly managed by the EU and Member States, and closely involve companies, innovators, relevant EU trade associations and chambers of commerce.  

Contributing to operationalize this European strategy, Expertise France – as implementing agency of the D4D Hub, organized an event aiming to strengthen cooperation technological cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Vietnam. The agency also recently contributed. 

In November 2025 the “Scaling Up Digital Investment 2025” marked a significant milestone in the technological cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Vietnam - where governments, businesses, and international organizations came together to define a shared digital future.

Hundreds of delegates reflected on the core foundations of EU–Vietnam collaboration: sustainable economic growth, digital human capital development, and cross-border digital trust. From the EU’s perspective, digital transformation is not just a cooperation program - it is a long-term development strategy built upon three key pillars: Economy, Digital security, and Global Governance. 

 Following the forum, several cooperation initiatives were announced to continue shaping the future through collaboration and knowledge exchange:

• The EU-Vietnam Research & Innovation Day - co-organized by the EU and Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology - took place immediately after the forum, connecting researchers and enterprises in the digital and green sectors.
• The EU will deploy senior policy advisors to support Vietnam in finalizing its legal framework for the twin green–digital transition.
• Vocational training and digital–green skills programs are expected to launch in 2026 to prepare a high-quality workforce for the future economy.
• The EU is also expanding its startup and innovation support programs, including acceleration and commercialization initiatives for energy-efficient technologies.

The space sector is another major issue regarding cooperation between EU and South-East Asia. 
The launch of SCOPE Digital at the 31st Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-31) on 17 November 2025 in Cebu marked a new milestone in digital cooperation between Team Europe and Southeast Asia. The SCOPE Digital initiative represents more than a programme, it represents a long-term commitment to learning together and scaling together. Three lessons from the day stood out:

•    Regional cooperation is essential for impact: Shared standards, trust, and joint capacity-building allow countries to move beyond isolated pilots toward scalable, interoperable services.
•    Innovation happens when sectors connect: Driving impact requires coordinated action between governments, researchers, youth, and the private sector.
•    People, not satellites, are at the centre of EO: Earth Observation becomes meaningful when its insights support real-world decisions: protecting forests, strengthening cities, supporting farmers, and improving lives.
 

Before that, in November, a high-level delegation of senior Central Asian leaders from digital ministries and space related agencies in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan participated in a week-long study exchange tour to Europe. The tour was organised by the Connectivity for Central Asia (C4CA) initiative implemented by Expertise France.