Vietnam and technology investment

Vietnam continues to be a country of interest to technology owners in Asia; as the BBC reported this week start ups are increasing and the investment shift from China to Vietnam bodes well for economic growth.

A look at the patent filings there tells the story of growth with heavy Asian interest.  Patent filings in 2015 topped 5000 for the first time. Applications have been averaging 7% growth a year for the last 5 years. Japan files by far the most patents – in 2015 over a quarter of all the patents filed in Vietnam. The US was second, then Korea third. With China and Taiwan in the top 10 filers however, it is clear that Vietnam is a major market first and foremost for Asian technology companies.

Around 12% of the patents filed each year are by local applicants.  That is consistent with other emerging SEA countries.  A lack of support for local start ups, private R&D and technology business is typically blamed across the region.

The biggest technology areas are: pharma and chemistry, with the breakdown looking like this: