Our second and last Monday in Vietnam was a long one. Today we went on two different site visits to the companies Coherent and Saigon Hi-Tech Park. Coherent is a world class American company that develops and manufactures laser equipment and related products. Saigon Hi-Tech Park is one of three national hi-tech parks in Vietnam. Saigon Hi-Tech Park funds and supports research and development which is not a required by the law in Vietnam to be a Hi-Tech Park. This is a huge reason why the Saigon Hi-Tech Park stands out from its competitors.

At Saigon Hi-Tech Park, the most significant part of the visit for me was the innovation hub. I was confused at first what it was, but then Ethan from UEF explained it to me. The innovation hub essentially supports startups and individuals with ideas for products. The individuals or startup has to pitch their product, similar to Shark Tank and then they either get accepted or declined. If they are accepted, Saigon Hi-Tech Park will help them shift their ideas into the real product. The coolest part for me was outside of the innovation hub was wall decor of all the startups they have helped who have actually become successful in the market.

I think the collaboration between Saigon Hi-Tech Park and university centers is a testament to their future. Students at university centers are the future of the work at Hi-Tech Park, so the sooner they are involved the more advanced their skills will become. It seems like a really smart move on the Hi-Tech Park’s part.

When discussing the other company visit to Coherent, they greatly detailed their plans for employee and land expansion. I think this rapid expansion seems extremely good on paper and at first, but the more I think about it, is it too aggressive? What if technology they can’t compete with comes out in the next couple of years as they expand? There are a million things that could go wrong, so I worry they are moving too fast with expansion. However, some of the best companies had to take a huge leap of faith in the beginning. Although today was long I enjoyed both companies we went to.