{"id":385543,"date":"2026-04-18T08:38:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T08:38:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/385543\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T08:38:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T08:38:18","slug":"foreign-tech-firms-take-root-in-a-rapidly-developing-vietnam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/385543\/","title":{"rendered":"Foreign tech firms take root in a rapidly developing Vietnam"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a gleaming skyscraper in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a handful of software engineers huddled over a computer screen, collaborating on a project. They are recent hires of a Silicon Valley-based startup called TinyFish AI<\/a>, one of thousands competing for highly skilled tech workers as the AI economy expands. <\/p>\n

\u201cI really believe that there are smart people everywhere,\u201d said TinyFish co-founder and CEO, Sudheesh Nair. \u201cWe just need to bring them in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Employees<\/p>\n

Employees of TinyFish AI at the Silicon Valley startup\u2019s Ho Chi Minh City office.<\/p>\n

Marketplace<\/p>\n

TinyFish\u2019s first hire in Vietnam was a guy named Huy Vo. He was born and raised in Ho Chi Minh City, but spent 24 years living in the United States, where he got a PhD in computing and worked as a professor in New York City<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cI always wanted to come back home,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I was also skeptical about the opportunity here in the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Right now, there are about two working-aged people for every one dependent in Vietnam. In our continuing series, The Age of Work,<\/a> \u201cMarketplace\u201d host Kai Ryssdal and ADP\u2019s chief economist Nela Richardson have been exploring how that \u201cdemographic golden age\u201d is impacting the country\u2019s economy. <\/p>\n

When the Vietnamese economy became more market-oriented after a series of reforms in the late 1980s<\/a>, manufacturing\u2014especially low-cost apparel manufacturing\u2014became an important part of the country\u2019s economy<\/a>. But over time, Vietnam\u2019s increasingly tech-savvy labor force has drawn new types of investment to the country. <\/p>\n

Today, many American technology companies, including Google<\/a>, Apple<\/a>, Intel<\/a>, and Qualcomm<\/a>, have operations in Vietnam. Nvidia<\/a> has an agreement with the government to build an R&D facility there, and Ho Chi Minh City has a growing startup ecosystem<\/a>. <\/p>\n

When Vo came to Ho Chi Minh City on sabbatical three years ago, the growth he saw in the city\u2019s technology sector convinced him to leave the United States and move back to his home country permanently. <\/p>\n

\"Huy<\/p>\n

Huy Vo, country director of TinyFish AI\u2019s Vietnam office speaks with ADP\u2019s Nela Richardson.<\/p>\n

Andy An Hai\/Marketplace<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of companies come to Vietnam not to outsource the labor, but actually to try to develop the core infrastructure and core technology in AI,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

That hasn\u2019t happened by accident. The Vietnamese government has set a goal of making Vietnam a leader in AI research<\/a>. There are tax incentives<\/a> for high-tech enterprises, infrastructure investments<\/a>, and training programs<\/a> to nurture young talent. <\/p>\n

Yesterday, we looked at Saigon Technology<\/a>, a home-grown startup that\u2019s part of Vietnam\u2019s growing IT services sector<\/a>. Their customers are mostly overseas clients, looking to outsource certain software development tasks. <\/p>\n

But TinyFish is different\u2014it\u2019s an American company looking to Ho Chi Minh City as a source of elite talent. <\/p>\n

Vo has helped the TinyFish build a small team, which the company hopes to expand over time. \u201cWe have a relationship with a university here,\u201d said Vo. \u201cIn the next few years, I hope to source [more] from the local talent.\u201d <\/p>\n

In Thao Dien, an increasingly globalized Vietnam is on display<\/p>\n

Vietnam\u2019s economic transformation and rise in foreign investment are evident in Thao Dien, a neighborhood located directly on Ho Chi Minh City\u2019s brand-new metro line that has become popular with expats.<\/p>\n

\"Marketplace\u2019s<\/p>\n

Ryssdal and Richardson in Ho Chi Minh City\u2019s Thao Dien neighborhood, which has become popular with expats.<\/p>\n

Andy An Hai\/Marketplace<\/p>\n

In stark contrast to the motorbike-ruled streets elsewhere, foreign cars line the roads. Ryssdal and Richardson noted chic shops and cafes with a decidedly international flair\u2014a New York Bagel spot, an Argentinian restaurant, and a store selling \u201cDanish luxury children\u2019s clothes,\u201d for example. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe started this conversation about a workforce that is at its peak,\u201d said Richardson as she and Ryssdal reflected on what they\u2019ve learned in Vietnam. \u201cAnd yet, it is a city that knows it has to transition quickly from its past\u2014labor-intensive industries\u2014 to where the global economy is going.\u201d<\/p>\n

To hear more, use the play button at the top of the page.<\/p>\n

Related Topics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In a gleaming skyscraper in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a handful of software engineers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":385544,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[365,363,138,219,111,139,69,1046,1047,2317],"class_list":{"0":"post-385543","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-artificial-intelligence","10":"tag-business","11":"tag-economy","12":"tag-new-zealand","13":"tag-newzealand","14":"tag-nz","15":"tag-startups","16":"tag-tech-startups","17":"tag-vietnam"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=385543"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385543\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/385544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=385543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=385543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=385543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}