Saigon Hi-tech Park (SHTP) has long been known as the birthplace of several successful Made-in-Vietnam products, manufactured by leading technological corporations like Intel or Samsung. Contributing to that success is the footprint of many Vietnamese talents and businesses.

The most prominent project so far in SHTP has been the manufacturing of a bicycle using 3D Printing technology by Arevo Co. This innovative bicycle, named SuperStrata, is made from continuous carbon fiber and is highly welcomed in the US.

Thanks to the cutting edge technology, the bicycle weighs only about 1.3kg and can be customized to suit each client’s ideas or needs. SuperStrata is considered a particularly promising product developed by the Vietnamese.

“To turn the idea into reality, Arevo Co. asked SHTP for the permission to build a manufacturing factory on the site. The request has been approved and the plant is expected to come into operation soon”, said Deputy Head of SHTP’s Management Board Le Bich Loan.

SHTP not only focuses on growing the high-leveled human resources but also concentrates on research and development activities, followed by commercializing research results.

Since 2016, SHTP’s Management Board has submitted promising scientific-technological projects carried out in the park to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) People’s Committee for financial aid on hi-tech product commercialization. The prioritized fields are biotechnology, Nano technology, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMs), mechatronics technology, automation and robotics.

For example, in 2012, USM Healthcare Medical Equipment Factory JSC. invested in building a plant to manufacture medical equipment in SHTP, before continuing to establish an R&D center in 2015 here to focus researching new technologies for commercialization purposes. Since August 2015, the company has boosted the production of biomedical devices (cardiovascular products using Nano technology for their cover) to export globally.

In the period from 2017-2018, SHTP successfully delivered financial aid to 5 commercialization projects from its many labs (each with 30 percent of the total cost).

Among them is Nanocellulose material combined with the stem cells of deer velvet antler, created by Geneworld Co. Ltd. The material is made into gel to heal gaping wounds. This medicine can replace traditional bandages, which is much more convenient to injured people.

Another notable product from researches on Nano technology is the thermal paste made from carbonneotube and graphene. This Made-in-Vietnam product is popular for electronic devices to drain away waste heat, and has the same quality as its imported counterparts.

One more significant commercialization project is the implementation of MEMs to produce PS50 – a pressure sensor to calculate water levels for timely flooding warnings. It was developed by the Research and Implementation Center of SHTP.

Head of SHTP’s Management Board Nguyen Anh Thi shared that lately, businesses in SHTP have gradually increased their investment in R&D as well as human resources training. They prefer to employ capable Vietnamese engineers to upgrade existing products or create new ones.

However, Mr. Thi admitted that the capacity to apply new technologies in product manufacturing or commercialization of Vietnamese companies is not as high as expected. Taking up 2/3 of the total quantity, these businesses only contribute 2.5 percent to the overall production value of SHTP in 2020 (US$50 million out of nearly $20 billion).

“This number means we need to form more links between research centers, universities, and businesses so that the last partner among the three can more effectively apply technology in their operation and manufacturing”, said Mr. Thi.

SHTP is planning to build a scientific park as the core for the new Eastern innovative urban area of HCMC. This park will make way for more active scientific research activities in the near future, in hope of boosting the competitiveness of businesses in HCMC and aiding the transformation of economic growth models in the city as well as the whole country.

By Ba Tan, Thanh Son – Translated by Thanh Tam