Vietnam

Vietnam’s start-up ecosystem entered its golden age in 2016 with new government policies to support the local ecosystem, resulting in a strong surge in Vietnamese start-ups across the country. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City both emerged as cities that champion entrepreneurship with their unique cultural and historic backgrounds, each playing host to a unique set of industries.

Golden Gate Ventures projects that Vietnam will emerge in 2022 as the third largest start-up ecosystem in Southeast Asia, after Singapore and Indonesia. According to the e-Conomy SEA 2021 report by Google, Bain & Co. and Temasek, Vietnam’s internet economy reaches US$21 billion (gross merchandise value) in 2021 and is expected to grow to US$57 billion in 2025.

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is the leading start-up city in Vietnam. The large number of expatriates and digital nomads in HCMC has contributed to the growth of the local start-up ecosystem. According to StartupBlink Start-up Ecosystem Report 2022; HCMC is ranked at 111 globally, and at number 1 in Vietnam, and 6 in Southeast Asia.

According to the StartupBlink report, Hanoi is ranked 222 globally, number 2 in Vietnam and 7 in Southeast Asia. Hanoi is considered ‘an ideal place to locate for Transportation, Education and Ecommerce & Retail start-ups’.

Students taking up the NOC programme in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi will work alongside innovative entrepreneurs who possess entrepreneurial mindset, knowledge and expertise in building and scaling businesses. Be part of the team that specialises in tech industries such as SAAS and AI and learn how the entrepreneurs leverage on technology to provide solutions to the challenges we face today.

NOC Ho Chi Minh City and NOC Hanoi offer students the opportunity to intern in exciting start-ups for a period of 3-month during summer break or for 6 months during the regular semester.

Learn more about Vietnam’s start-up ecosystem at the following links:
Vietnam startup scene poised for new heights in 2022
Vietnam to grow into third largest start-up ecosystem in Southeast Asia
Why Vietnam’s emergence as a start-up hub is promising for investors
Vietnam: Southeast Asia’s next digital powerhouse
Why Vietnam is the leading start-up hub of Southeast Asia

Programme Structure

The 6-month programme at NOC Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh city/Hanoi) has the following features:

Full-time internship in a start-up;
Entrepreneurship courses on a part-time basis organised by the National University of Singapore in collaboration with international educators with deep start-up experience;
Opportunities to attend events organised by the start-up ecosystem in Vietnam and activities hosted by the partner University;
Mid-term and final internship presentations by students and evaluations by an internship assessor;
Students form teams and make business pitches to a NUS panel at the end of the programme.

The 3-month programme at NOC Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh city/Hanoi) has the following features:

Full-time internship in a start-up;
Entrepreneurship courses on a part-time basis organised by the National University of Singapore in collaboration with international educators with deep start-up experience;
Opportunities to attend events organised by the start-up ecosystem in Vietnam and activities hosted by the partner University;
Final internship presentations by students and evaluations by an internship assessor.

Academic Details

The NOC Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi 6-month) programme is credit-bearing and students will receive up to 22 units.

NOC Components	Units (Max)
Internship courses	16
Entrepreneurship course	4
ETP2271 Discovering Resilience and Purpose	2
Total	22

The NOC Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi 3-month) programme is similarly credit-bearing and students will receive up to 6 units.

NOC Components	Units (Max)
Internship course	6
Total	6

Click here for detailed programme curriculum.

Financial Details

While on the programme, students continue to pay regular tuition fees to NUS. Students receive an NOC scholarship/allowance to supplement their living costs while overseas. Students will be paid monthly stipends from their internship companies. Programme costs will be borne by NOC while additional personal expenditures for recreational and other individual lifestyle expenses are expected to be borne by programme participants.

NUS Overseas Colleges will provide the following:

Internship assessor (for 3 and 6-month courses) and mentor (for 6-month course only) costs
NUS student travel insurance
Return economy air ticket
Immigration visa fees