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Strengthening collaboration and leveraging traditional local knowledge to innovate and develop Hue’s traditional industries
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Intellectuals at the center
At forums discussing Hue’s urban development in connection with science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation, experts and policymakers repeatedly emphasize one crucial and foundational factor: people, specifically intellectual resources. Throughout its formation and development, Hue has consistently preserved its heritage, landscapes, people, and distinctive identity. Especially in this era of rapid digital transformation and innovation, these values are increasingly being protected, utilized, and promoted to create new growth drivers for the city.
According to Dr. Ho Dac Thai Hoang, Chairman of the Hue Union of Science and Technology Associations, a heritage city in the digital era must manage heritage through data, develop tourism through creativity, protect the environment and landscapes through science and technology, operate government through digital platforms, and build a learning society based on knowledge. This places intellectuals at the center of development.
Dr. Hoang also noted that in recent years, the Association has adopted an approach that brings intellectuals closer to local needs by connecting experts with local governments, businesses, cooperatives, and communities.
“Field visits to localities and forums on green urban development, green tourism, and young intellectuals have shown that when intellectuals are placed in the right environment for action, knowledge becomes solutions; when governments commission research appropriately, science becomes governance capacity; and when businesses participate, research outcomes gain opportunities to reach the market,” Dr. Hoang shared.
Currently, Hue has more than 30,000 science and technology professionals, along with a well-developed system of universities, research institutes, hospitals, and scientific centers. This is considered a vital resource in achieving the city’s vision of becoming a center for science, technology, and innovation linked with a heritage, green, smart, and culturally distinctive urban model.
Knowledge resources in Hue are not limited to academic circles. They also exist within communities in the form of traditional local knowledge, traditional experience, social practices, and traditional crafts. These include accumulated knowledge across generations in heritage preservation, traditional medicine, agricultural production, craft villages, cuisine, and adaptation to lagoon, coastal, and forest ecosystems.
Nguyen Ngoc Khanh Van, Director of the Center for Research, Development and Knowledge Co-Creation, believes that knowledge co-creation and interdisciplinary collaboration should be promoted to unlock community knowledge and support Hue’s sustainable development.
Creating mechanisms to bring knowledge into everyday life
Despite its potential and advantages, there are still obstacles in maximizing the role of intellectuals and innovation ecosystem in Hue that need to be addressed. Many scientific research outcomes remain at the acceptance stage and have not been transformed into commercially viable products or widely adopted by the market. Many researchers possess promising ideas but lack legal, financial, and commercial support mechanisms. Meanwhile, businesses seeking technological innovation often struggle to access relevant knowledge resources.
The city’s science and technology infrastructure has yet to fully meet new development demands. Scientific data remains fragmented, and processes for commissioning research and adopting outcomes remain slow.
Additionally, the number of science and technology enterprises remains relatively modest. By the end of 2025, the city had only 52 small-scale science and technology enterprises and had yet to develop leading companies capable of driving the innovation ecosystem.
Attracting high-quality talent, top experts, and major technology firms also remains a challenge. Although support policies have gradually improved, they are not yet strong enough to create breakthroughs.
To address these bottlenecks, the city is developing new mechanisms to better mobilize intellectual resources. Priorities include establishing a research commissioning mechanism aligned with socio-economic development goals; supporting businesses in adopting new technologies; promoting collaboration among research institutes, universities, and enterprises; accelerating the creation of specialized innovation centers in areas such as biomedicine, heritage conservation, and smart tourism...
The city also plans to establish a science and technology talent development fund, a venture investment fund, policies to attract overseas Vietnamese experts and intellectuals, investment in innovation infrastructure, open data, and co-working spaces.
Hue is pursuing a development path that places knowledge as the foundation, culture as the core, technology as the tool, and people as the center. To achieve its goal of placing Hue among Vietnam’s top five localities in science, technology, and innovation capacity by 2035, the city aims to unlock and properly recognize the leadership role of its intellectual community.