Ho Chi Minh City builds an agricultural innovation ecosystem

In recent years, agriculture has continued to affirm its role as a solid pillar of the national economy, contributing to ensuring food security, maintaining macroeconomic stability, and preserving the country’s major economic balances. In the former Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), although agriculture accounted for only about 1% of the GRDP, it still played an important role in the city's socio-economic life.

In the context of the merger of HCMC, Binh Duong, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau, along with the impacts of urbanization and climate change, the development of urban agriculture applying high technology has become an inevitable direction. This approach not only enhances productivity and product quality but also builds a green, high-value, environmentally friendly urban agriculture with international competitiveness.

Vietnam Agriculture and Nature Newspaper (VAN News) had an exchange with Mr. Pham Dinh Dung, Head of the Management Board of the Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Agricultural Park (hereafter referred to as "the Board"), to review the 20-year journey of the Board's establishment and development, as well as its orientation in the new period following the merger.

High-tech agricultural ecosystem

Sir, the Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Agricultural Park is considered the "heart" of the city's agricultural innovation. Could you share more details about its model and ecosystem?

Mr. Pham Dinh Dung: HCMC does not have much land for large-scale commercial agriculture, but it offers strong advantages in research, innovation, and regional connectivity. Over the past 20 years, the Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Agricultural Park has received attention, guidance, and infrastructure investment from the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee and the HCMC People's Committee. It has become a hub for research, transfer, training, business incubation, and investment attraction in crop production, livestock farming, aquaculture, and post-harvest preservation.

Thereby, the park has contributed to improving rural livelihoods and ensuring sustainable development; fostered startup and innovation ecosystems in high-tech agriculture; and played a vital role in building new rural areas, restructuring the agricultural economy, and enhancing the quality of human resources. The HCMC High-Tech Agricultural Park has affirmed the position of HCMC's agriculture within Vietnam's agriculture.

The HCMC High-Tech Agricultural Park is structured as a comprehensive innovation ecosystem comprising four functional zones: the Research and Development (R&D) zone, the Testing, Startup Incubation, and Innovation zone, the Demonstration and Application zone, and the Training zone. Each zone has its own specific mission but shares a common goal of connecting research with production, helping enterprises and farmers access new technologies.

The R&D zone is equipped with laboratories, membrane houses, net houses, and pilot production workshops, where scientists, research institutes, schools, and businesses jointly research biotechnology, automation, IoT, etc., to create high-yield, climate-resilient crop, livestock, and aquaculture varieties. At the same time, green solutions such as energy-saving, emission-reducing production are also tested here, promoting circular agriculture and green growth.

The Testing, Startup Incubation, and Innovation zone serves as a "nursery" for startups and young enterprises, with support in technology, intellectual property, technology transfer, digital transformation, and product commercialization. As of now, this ecosystem has connected hundreds of enterprises, research institutes, and startups domestically and internationally.

The Demonstration and Application zone is a place to implement smart agriculture models that apply IoT, sensors, biotechnology, and automation to control production processes. This is also a space where farmers, cooperatives, and enterprises can learn, practice, and directly experience models.

The Training zone plays a central role in developing high-tech agricultural human resources. Every year, the zone organizes hundreds of training courses to help farmers, cooperatives, and businesses master modern production techniques. In addition, ecotourism and knowledge-based tourism activities have been developed to raise public awareness of the role of science and technology in agriculture, particularly among younger generations.

Research findings that have been successfully tested are transferred for practical application across provinces and cities nationwide. During implementation, if new issues arise, producers provide feedback to the research teams for adjustment and refinement. This approach ensures that research and technology remain closely linked to practice, suitable for the soil and climate conditions of each region, and aligned with market demands.

From laboratory to "technology fields"

Over the past 20 years, the HCMC High-Tech Agricultural Park has become one of the country’s leading centers for agricultural research, application, and technology transfer. It serves as a vital link connecting scientists, businesses, and farmers, not only within the city but also across many provinces and cities nationwide. Could you share more about the key achievements over the past two decades?

Mr. Pham Dinh Dung: From the beginning, we identified the need to master core agricultural technologies while applying advanced technologies from abroad to develop plant and animal varieties suited to Vietnam’s conditions. The park gathers experts, scientists, modern technological solutions, and exemplary models for localities, cooperatives, and farmers to study and replicate.

To date, the HCMC High-Tech Agricultural Park has implemented more than 540 research topics and projects at all levels, with over 70% already applied in practice. Many new high-yield and high-quality crop varieties have been successfully bred, such as CNC01 cantaloupe, CNC02 chili, CNC03 bitter melon, CNC05 Queen cherry tomato, and Dendrobium orchid varieties CNC01 and CNC02, many of which have been granted intellectual property protection.

The park currently maintains a gene bank preserving more than 1,000 valuable plant, animal, and microbial varieties for research, conservation, and breeding purposes. These include 220 medicinal plant varieties, 135 wild orchid species, 100 rare orchid varieties, and over 500 microbial strains applied in agriculture.

In terms of demonstration models, affiliated centers have so far developed more than 560 high-tech application models in vegetable, flower, ornamental plant, mushroom, and seafood production. Many of these models have been recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) as national technical advances, contributing to the establishment of advanced, environmentally friendly production processes. We have also completed and transferred 127 technical procedures and organized hundreds of training courses for farmers, cooperatives, and enterprises in HCMC and other provinces and cities.

Innovation, technology incubation, and business incubation activities have also been strengthened. The park has provided consulting and support to more than 2,000 organizations and individuals starting businesses in the high-tech agriculture sector and has incubated 67 enterprises. It has also organized innovation and startup competitions that attracted over 500 projects, providing incubation and commercialization support for 35 enterprises with more than 120 products now available on the market.

In terms of training, the HCMC High-Tech Agricultural Park has held more than 100 elementary vocational training courses and hundreds of short-term training courses for nearly 14,000 participants, including farmers, youth, and rural workers. Over 80% of graduates have successfully applied their acquired knowledge to practical production.

High-tech agricultural knowledge tourism has also been actively promoted. The park has welcomed more than 180,000 pupils and students to visit and experience modern agriculture models, contributing to spreading knowledge of green agriculture and environmental awareness to the community.

In terms of production and commercialization, the park's affiliated centers supply the market each year with 1–3 million seedlings of orchids and leafy vegetables, over 1 million aquatic breeds, hundreds of kilograms of F1 hybrid seeds, 2 million mushroom embryos, along with biological preparations and post-harvest products. All products meet high-quality standards, meeting domestic production and export demands.

The park also pays attention to attracting experts and international cooperation from countries such as South Korea, the Netherlands, Israel, and Japan. To date, it has attracted 14 investment projects with a total capital of around VND 450 billion on an area of more than 56 hectares. All enterprises investing in the park meet high-tech agricultural criteria, focusing on research, application, and technology transfer for mass production, thereby contributing to the formation of a modern agricultural value chain.

Towards green and sustainable agriculture

Following the merger of Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, and Ba Ria–Vung Tau, the new Ho Chi Minh City now has a larger development space. What are the future directions for the HCMC High-Tech Agricultural Park, sir?

Mr. Pham Dinh Dung: After the merger, agricultural land in HCMC accounts for over 67%, creating favorable conditions for the development of crop production, livestock farming, aquaculture, and medicinal plants. Based on this advantage, the HCMC People's Committee has directed the Management Board and the Department of Agriculture and Environment to develop a project on establishing high-tech agricultural parks across the city (referred to as the Project).

Previously, HCMC planned to develop five high-tech agricultural parks. However, after the merger, this number has been reviewed and expanded to 13 parks, to be implemented in two phases. This expansion reflects over 20 years of thorough preparation and methodical investment, demonstrating the strategic vision of the City Party Committee and People’s Committee, as well as the efforts of the Management Board of the HCMC High-Tech Agricultural Park in developing high-quality human resources and advancing towards a modern, green, and sustainable agriculture.

According to the Project, Phase 1 will establish seven parks, including HCMC High-Tech Agricultural Park in hamlet 1, Nhuan Duc commune, with an area of 89.74 ha; High-Tech Aquaculture Agricultural Park in Can Gio commune, with an area of 89.74 ha; High-Tech Agricultural Park in Cu Chi commune, with an area of 23.3 ha; High-Tech Agricultural Park in Nhuan Duc commune, with an area of approximately 200 ha in phase 1 and 270 ha in phase 2; High-Tech Agricultural Park in An Nhon Tay commune,with an area of approximately 200 ha in phase 1 and 270 ha in phase 2; High-Tech Agricultural Park in Binh Gia commune, with an area of 383.22 ha; and High-Tech Agricultural Park in Phuoc Hoa commune, with an area of 203 ha.

Phase 2 will establish six additional parks, including High-Tech Agricultural Park in Xuan Son commune, High-Tech Agricultural Park in Phu Giao commune, High-Tech Agricultural Park in An Long commune, two High-Tech Agricultural Parks in Long Hoa commune, and High-Tech Agricultural Park in Long Hoa and Tran Van Tho communes.

Each park will specialize in specific sectors such as aquaculture, livestock, medicinal herbs, urban agriculture, crop production, post-harvest processing, and biological preparations. Parks will be planned based on their natural advantages, ensuring environmental protection and water security.

The objective is to establish a network of high-tech agricultural parks serving as centers for research, testing, demonstration, and technology transfer, while simultaneously incubating enterprises and promoting innovation, digital transformation, and green growth.

HCMC aims to attract domestic and foreign investors to participate in producing high-tech products for agriculture. When technology is applied throughout the entire value chain, from seeds and cultivation to processing, logistics, and export, Vietnamese agricultural products will meet global standards.

At the same time, the city accelerates training and international cooperation and fosters connections between institutes, schools, enterprises, and farmers to build an innovation ecosystem where science and technology are the driving forces of sustainable agricultural development.

In the coming time, HCMC will continue to call for investment in high-tech projects in areas such as seeds, processing, preservation, environmental protection, and by-product reuse. Once this system is completed, the city will become a leading hub for agricultural intelligence and technology in Vietnam and eventually in the region.

Resolution paves the way, affirming the brand

Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW was introduced as a new source of momentum with a strategic vision and breakthrough solutions, identifying science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation as key drivers of development. What are the significance and opportunities of this resolution for the Management Board of the HCMC High-Tech Agricultural Park, and what are your recommendations for farmers and producers to help agricultural products from HCMC in particular and Vietnam in general affirm their position in the market, sir?

Mr. Pham Dinh Dung: Resolution No. 57 marks an important turning point, reflecting the Politburo's strategic vision for developing science, technology, and innovation. The Board has coordinated with the City Party Committee’s Task Force 57, the HCMC People's Committee, and the Department of Science and Technology to deploy digital transformation in agriculture, digitize planting area data, and develop infrastructure for research and incubation of new technology.

In parallel, the Board is closely coordinating with the Department of Science and Technology to implement the Central Government’s Resolutions No. 19, 57, 66, and 68. These resolutions pave the way and establish the legal foundation for scientists and businesses to proactively drive innovation in high-tech agriculture. Of which, special attention is given to investing in human resources, building a capable team that can fulfill the tasks assigned by the City Party Committee and the People’s Committee in the field of high-tech agriculture.

To produce export-standard products, it is essential to first establish stable technological processes. Production must also be organized on a sufficiently large scale, ensuring continuity and stable output. This requires the development of concentrated production zones that meet both quality and quantity standards, enabling enterprises to maintain a stable supply of raw materials for processing and export, particularly as import markets impose increasingly stringent requirements on pesticide residues and biosafety.

Therefore, we are developing standardized cultivation processes that farmers can apply uniformly across large areas. At the same time, technical officers are deployed directly to farms and production areas to provide hands-on training, guiding farmers in the appropriate use of materials and fertilizers to ensure uniformity, stable quality, and sufficient yield for export.

The Board will also act as a focal point connecting supply and demand and building the brand for agricultural products of the HCMC and Southeast region. Through this, we aim to establish the "four-party" linkage model, bringing together managers, scientists, farmers, and enterprises to enhance quality, increase value, and elevate the position of HCMC's and Vietnam's agricultural products on the global stage.

Thank you, sir!

Soon establish 13 high-tech agricultural parks

On October 8, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien chaired a meeting with the HCMC People’s Committee, relevant departments, localities, and the Management Board of the HCMC High-Tech Agricultural Park to discuss the project on establishing high-tech agricultural parks across the city.

At the meeting, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien agreed with the proposal to establish 13 high-tech agricultural parks as outlined in the project. The Deputy Minister emphasized that the formation of these zones will create "core areas" for research and the transfer of advanced production models, fostering the spread of innovation to other localities.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien urged HCMC to soon complete the necessary documents and procedures for appraisal and approval in accordance with regulations. The HCMC People’s Committee is currently submitting the project to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment for review before it is reported to the Prime Minister for approval. The project aims to build a modern, environmentally friendly, and globally competitive agricultural production network.