Journey to Unlocking S&T Resources for the Development of the Port City: Analysis and Evaluation of The 2021-2025 Period

In the sustainable development strategy of Hai Phong City, science and technology (S&T) have always been identified as a top national priority and a driving force for economic breakthroughs. The 2021-2025 period marked an important turning point when the city implemented the Program to Strengthen Domestic and International Cooperation in S&T. After more than five years, the program has yielded comprehensive results, creating a solid foundation for a new era of development while also revealing challenges that need to be addressed.

The most prominent result in this period is the explosion of scientific research tasks, with 248 S&T research tasks implemented to address urgent issues such as environmental pollution, green economy, circular economy, and social welfare.

Hai Phong has established a tight network with central institutes, universities, and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology. A typical example is the cooperation agreement with Vietnam Maritime University, creating a sustainable foundation for the development of the marine economy and logistics services. Notably, the establishment of the Hai Phong Electronics and Semiconductor Center (HP-ESC) and the commitment to train 1,000-1,200 circuit design engineers have officially brought Hai Phong into the national semiconductor human resource ecosystem. This is a strategic step to connect Hai Phong's potential with the high-tech ecosystems of Ho Chi Minh City and the international community.

International cooperation during 2021-2025 focused on substantive high-tech transfer projects, with Japan and South Korea remaining top strategic partners.

• With Japan: Kitakyushu City supported Hai Phong in projects regarding waste classification, organic fertilizer production, and particularly the promotion of carbon-neutral eco-industrial parks. This project directly contributes to the Government's commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050. Additionally, Shiga Prefecture and JICA have helped strengthen the marine environmental management of the Cat Ba archipelago.
• With South Korea: Cooperation expanded into biomedicine and biotechnology through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), including the establishment of an R&D Center in Hai Phong. In agriculture, the South Korean government funded the construction of modern workshops, cold storage, and preliminary processing lines for local cooperatives.
• Global Connectivity: The international workshop "Promoting Hai Phong's Startup Ecosystem and International Connectivity," featuring experts from the US, Netherlands, and China, helped local startups reach the global market.

Hai Phong has affirmed its position as one of the dynamic innovative startup centers in the country. The annual Techfest Hai Phong and hosting Techfest Vietnam 2024 attracted an estimated investment of 14.5 million USD. The startup portal and the Innovation Support Zone at No. 1 Pham Ngu Lao operate continuously, serving as a connection point between startups, mentors, and investors.

Regarding digital transformation, the city achieved impressive numbers with 871 digital technology enterprises and over 17,000 small and medium enterprises using digital platforms. The agricultural product data management system has digitized 100% of OCOP product information. Pilot cooperation with FPT Group on smart city models and construction management is also underway.

The online technology and equipment exchange (Hatex.vn) serves as vital digital infrastructure, managing approximately 25,000 records of technology, equipment, and research results. Simultaneously, the City S&T Information Network has integrated over 128,000 records to serve management and teaching activities.

Despite many achievements, several "bottlenecks" remain:

• Passivity: Program activities are still administrative and have not yet attracted broad participation from all departments and sectors.
• Lack of large-scale projects: The city lacks research projects with a profound impact on general socio-economic development.
• Quality of human resources: The capacity of S&T staff is limited, specifically lacking experts and PhDs trained at leading research institutes. Foreign language proficiency and international cooperation skills in core technology fields remain barriers.
• Execution gap: Some macro-level guidance documents make implementation difficult at the ward and commune levels.

These limitations stem from incomplete awareness among some management units, limited implementation resources, and a lack of diverse international relationships.

To become a modern industrial city and a national marine research center by 2030, Hai Phong proposes several key tasks:

• Comprehensive Digital Transformation: Focus on developing the digital economy, operating a shared data warehouse, and deploying AI virtual assistants for public service.
• Attracting Talent: Issue specific policies to treat leading experts well and train high-quality engineers in the microchip and semiconductor fields.
• Substantive International Cooperation: Actively participate in research programs under Protocols and support enterprises in receiving core technology transfers from the US, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore.

The 2021-2025 program successfully created a dynamic S&T cooperation "ecosystem". Moving into the 2026-2030 period, by overcoming human resource limitations and increasing the proactivity of various sectors, S&T will certainly be the "key" for Hai Phong to achieve double-digit economic breakthroughs and sustainable development.