Hanoi university leader tells students not to wait for the perfect startup idea

Students do not need a perfect idea before starting a company, according to Pham Bao Son, deputy director of Vietnam National University Hanoi. They can begin with a problem worth solving, a hypothesis to test and a willingness to learn.

The university launched its 2026 RND to Startup competition on Sept. 4. The event is organized by the university's innovation startup incubator, its Centre for Knowledge Transfer and Startup Support, and Sunwah Innovations Vietnam.

The competition is open to school and university students, graduate students, doctoral candidates and research groups with promising research topics, inventions, technology solutions or innovation models. Participation has grown from more than 40 applications in 2021 to over 200 projects from more than 80 organizations nationwide in 2024. The 2025 edition focused on green transformation, entrepreneurship and sustainable development.

Son said turning knowledge into value is difficult. Strong research does not necessarily become a good product, and a good product may not find suitable users or a market. Projects need experimentation, criticism, market understanding and support from relevant partners to close the gap between research and entrepreneurship.

RND to Startup is designed as a process of training, mentoring, testing and connecting teams with experts, companies and other resources, rather than simply judging ideas once. Its Idea Track is for groups still forming an idea or beginning research, while its Project Track is for teams with prototypes, minimum viable products, research results, product trials or early market activity. Son said direct feedback, difficult questions and unsuccessful experiments can each move a project forward.

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Do not wait until you have a perfect idea to begin. Start with a problem worth solving, a hypothesis to test and a willingness to learn.