What Vietnam Can Learn from Australia’s Innovation Push (Before It’s Too Late)

Australia is rapidly transforming its food, transport, and startup sectors with bold innovations, new technologies, and government-backed funding initiatives. As I went through several updates from Australian media this week, one question kept circling in my mind:

What if Vietnam doesn’t act now?

A Snapshot of What’s Happening in Australia

Here are a few exciting things I came across:

• Sustainable brewing is being pushed forward in Western Australia with PropaGATE, an innovation landing pad targeting eco-friendly solutions in beer production and agrifood.
   

• Next-gen technologies like AI forecasting, automation, and smart logistics are driving the food processing boom across the country.
   

• Telematics adoption is being promoted by insurance brokers to reduce risks and lower fleet management costs in the transport sector.
   

• Startups are being encouraged to grow with non-dilutive government grants, bypassing the need for venture capital.
   

• A new report highlights that SMEs are still missing out on billions in available grants because of low awareness or lack of application support.
   

• Meanwhile, transport SMEs are under threat from rising costs and regulatory pressure but tech and innovation may offer the way out.

This isn’t just news, it’s a wake-up call. Despite the slow sale rate in Australia these days.

What Can Vietnam Learn?

Vietnam has the potential. We’ve got a growing economy, abundant entrepreneurial energy, and a tech-savvy young generation. But we often lack structured support to unlock it all. Let’s break it down:

1. Innovation Isn’t Optional Anymore

If Vietnam continues to rely on low-cost labor instead of investing in AI, automation, and supply chain tech, we’ll miss the next big leap. We won’t compete in global manufacturing, we’ll be outsourced ourselves.

👉 What we can do: Encourage tech transformation in food processing, agriculture, and manufacturing with public-private R&D programs.

2. Billions in Untapped Support

Australian SMEs miss billions in grants every year but at least the grants exist. In Vietnam, many SMEs aren’t even aware of existing province support, and the grant system is often too complicated to navigate.

👉 What we can do: Launch transparent, easy-to-access innovation grants for Vietnamese SMEs and startups. Promote them aggressively.

3. Transport Will Collapse Without Tech

With rising fuel prices, traffic inefficiencies, and outdated logistics systems, Vietnam’s transport SMEs are vulnerable. Without telematics and smart fleet management, cost and risk will drive many out of business.

👉 What we can do: Partner with insurance companies and software firms to encourage telematics adoption in fleets. Start with pilot programs.

4. Startups Need Non-Dilutive Fuel

VC funding is great, but not every startup can or should go down that path. Australia shows how targeted grants and public support can enable businesses to thrive without giving away equity.

👉 What we can do: Build open databases of startup grants and create local incubators across provinces that help founders apply for them.

What Happens If We Don’t Act?

Let’s be blunt:

• Our food industry will stay stuck in low-margin, manual operations.
   

• Our transport system will fall behind, facing rising accidents and shrinking profits.
   

• Our startups will either die early or sell out too fast.
   

• Global investors will skip Vietnam for more future-focused ecosystems like Indonesia, India or Australia.

Meanwhile, China continues to show the world how state-backed innovation and structured growth plans can turn a developing country into a global superpower. They’re not just catching up to the US in many ways, they’ve already overtaken them.

“Vietnam has talent. What we lack is direction.”

A Better Path is Possible

If we get this right, we can:

✅ Build a resilient, tech-forward food and agriculture system

✅ Enable local logistics firms to thrive with data-driven decisions

✅ Help startups grow without begging for VC funding

✅ Attract global attention not for cheap labor but for smart solutions

Vietnam doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel - we just need to pay attention to how others are doing it better.

Let’s Start Small:

• Organize local meetups between tech providers and food/logistics businesses.
   

• Create a centralized portal for Vietnamese SME grants and programs.
   

• Offer mentorship for applying best practices from Australia, China, and beyond.

The future belongs to the countries who act today. Let’s not be left behind.

Vietnam - it’s time to level up.