Da Nang has a new trophy for the lobby of its innovation centre. StartupBlink, a research group that maps startup ecosystems worldwide, named Da Nang Vietnam's fastest-growing startup ecosystem for 2026. The award was presented online on September 30 as part of the Global Startup Ecosystem Awards, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The Da Nang Innovation Start-up Support Centre, under the city's Department of Science and Technology, announced the award on October 1. The figures below come from that announcement as carried by the Vietnam News Agency and published by VietnamPlus and VietNamNet.

The numbers

  • Da Nang's score on StartupBlink's Global Startup Ecosystem Index rose 154% between 2025 and 2026, the highest growth among Vietnam's ranked city ecosystems.
  • The city climbed 212 places to 554th in the world.
  • It's third in Vietnam, behind Ho Chi Minh City at 98th and Hanoi at 118th.

The index weighs the number and quality of startups, the business environment, and how well an ecosystem connects to others.

Both things are true

The growth is legitimate. A 154% jump in a year doesn't happen without more companies, more activity and better links between founders, investors and support groups. The city says it has worked on exactly that by expanding networking and connections at home and abroad.

But put the ranks side by side. Ho Chi Minh City sits about 450 places above Da Nang, and Hanoi about 440. "Fastest-growing" is a title smaller ecosystems tend to win, because growing from a small base is easier. Da Nang is still a small scene getting bigger, not a challenger to Saigon.

What would actually help

Local founders don't need another plaque. They need the things the index rewards: more early-stage money that stays in the city, more experienced people to build and run companies, and customers beyond tourism. The city's new international financial centre could help, on paper.

What's missing from the announcement is the basic scorecard: how many startups, how much funding raised, how many jobs. If the city wants the ranking to mean something to residents, those are the numbers to publish next year alongside the trophy.

Sources

This story was compiled by the Da Nang Voice news desk from the published sources listed above. Facts, figures and quotes are attributed to those sources; Da Nang Voice did not conduct interviews for it unless the text says so. Corrections are dated and noted at the top of the story. Read our corrections policy. Spotted an error? Tell us.