The program, which concluded last Friday, was jointly organized by Google and the National Innovation Center (NIC) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment to support small and medium-sized enterprises and the development of Vietnam’s innovation and startup ecosystem.

The trainees attended mentorship and plenary sessions focused on helping them develop leadership skills, best business practices, product management skills, technology know-how, and marketing skills.

Nguyen Viet Duc, CEO of the Sale Mall Company, a retail and e-commerce startup, attended the northern region intensive training course.

He said, “After the 5-day training course and working with 6 mentors, I received direct consultation from Google engineers on product and new market development and, most importantly, advice from veteran investors and managers of major investment funds in Vietnam. These are extremely useful for a startup’s early-stage building.”

In addition, Google’s training model is different from other training models, according to Duc, adding, “Google’s support is very close to the practical development of a business. For example, Google’s mentor program makes it easier for a Vietnamese startup to access new platforms like Go2, the largest platform in the Indonesian market.”

A similar intensive training course was held in HCMC last month, involving the same number of startup companies.

The best startups were selected to participate in a Vietnam Venture Summit next month, where they can showcase their innovation and business models and pitch their companies to the investor community.