Innovation Since Đổi Mới
Forty years after the 1986 Đổi Mới reforms, Vietnam stands at a new stage of transformation. This volume explores Vietnam’s remarkable innovation journey, tracing how economic renovation has evolved into broader processes of institutional learning, capability building, and development. It examines innovation across national systems, public governance, international partnerships, leadership and human capital, banking and firms, healthcare and urban development, renewable energy, and social entrepreneurship. Drawing on diverse case studies, empirical evidence, and international comparisons, the book shows how institutions, organizations, sectors, and people build and adapt capabilities to create economic, social, and environmental value. Contributions from Vietnamese and international scholars highlight the challenges of moving beyond catch-up toward a new era of national advancement. Essential for academics, policymakers, business leaders, development professionals, and students of innovation, entrepreneurship, management, and emerging economies, this volume offers a multidisciplinary perspective on Vietnam’s development and lessons for other emerging economies.
Nguyen Thi Anh Tho is a lecturer at Foreign Trade University, Vietnam, and a visiting lecturer at the National Economics University (NEU), Vietnam, and the University of the West of England (UWE), UK. Her research focuses on innovation management, responsible innovation, organizational change, and the changing nature of work in the context of emerging technologies. Her research has been published in journals including Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, International Journal of Educational Management, and Asia Pacific Business Review. She also coaches global businesses on leadership and organizational change. She is a recipient of the Vin Innovation Fellowship.
Nguyen Trong Hai is a lecturer at Foreign Trade University, Vietnam, and also a visiting lecturer for various institutions, organizations, and businesses. He is an expert in in-depth quantitative analysis and modelling in economics and finance, as well as in research on employee behaviour, leadership, and related influencing factors at both micro and macro levels. He is also an accomplished director of the Foreign Trade University Research and Training Center for Economics and Finance (FERETCO), with extensive experience in organizing training and coaching programmes for business leaders at basic, middle, and senior management levels.
Léo-Paul Dana is Chief Researcher at Kazimieras Simonavicius University Research and Innovation Institute, in Lithuania. He has published extensively in a variety of journals including: Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, International Business Review, International Small Business Journal, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Small Business Management, Journal of World Business, Small Business Economics, and Technological Forecasting & Social Change. In 2025, he was the most cited entrepreneurship professor in Canada.