34 Green Entrepreneurship Contest Projects Reach 2026 Final

By Nathan Brooks

34 projects from 18 provinces and cities have reached the final round of the Green Entrepreneurship Contest 2026, according to the Business Studies and Assistance Centre (BSA), which supports the entries. The finalists advanced after the regional semi-finals.

The Southern region has 15 entries, or 44% of the field. The Central and Central Highlands region has 10, while the Northern region has nine, BSA said. The Southern contingent is 50% larger than the Central group and 67% larger than the Northern group.

Green ideas span 18 localities

BSA’s locality breakdown shows Ho Chi Minh City leading the field:

• Ho Chi Minh City: seven projects.
• Ha Noi and Da Nang: three projects each.
• Phu Tho, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa, An Giang, Can Tho and Vinh Long: two projects each.

BSA presents the geographic spread as evidence that green entrepreneurship is taking root across the country. Each locality brings distinct advantages and sources of raw materials, giving the finalists different starting points for building businesses.

From local resources to market-ready products

BSA describes this year’s finalist slate as covering five broad approaches. The projects use local resources, process agricultural products, develop green materials, repurpose by-products and apply technology to production and business activities.

A start-up may begin with an abundant local input, an environmental problem or the needs of producers, BSA said. The underlying resource alone, however, does not establish a viable business.

Pham Chi Lan, an economic expert who supports green start-up projects, said: “Many things that were once considered waste and discarded can be turned into products, creating jobs for people from different walks of life.”

Her comments underline the harder commercial test facing the finalists, BSA said. Each concept must account for market demand, economic efficiency and the benefits it delivers to the community.

BSA links long-term development to three operating requirements. Projects must gradually improve their products, organize production and build a market rather than remain dependent on their initial local advantage.

For business models connected to local communities, BSA identifies three additional measures of performance. These models must provide stable livelihoods, expand opportunities for producers and secure a sustainable supply of raw materials.

Support designed for commercialization

Vu Kim Anh, Deputy Director of BSA and the person in charge of the contest, said the centre has organized numerous training programs, discussion sessions and specialized courses. The curriculum covers product development, packaging design, digital communications and market expansion.

BSA has also run trade-promotion programs that give start-ups opportunities to sell their products and reach consumers, Vu Kim Anh said. These activities create a direct bridge between product development and customer access.

He said the support has helped projects improve their products, strengthen their business capabilities, gain access to experts and connect with enterprises. BSA’s activities have also created further opportunities to bring the finalists’ products to market.

What does this support change for green founders?

For green founders, the practical change is access to a structured commercialization process rather than simply a place in the final. The package combines product and packaging work, digital communications, market-expansion training, expert access and enterprise connections.

Trade promotion adds a route to consumers, allowing founders to test sales and build visibility alongside enterprise buyers, BSA said. Founders still must meet the contest’s commercial standards by improving products, organizing production and developing demand.

The practical answer is straightforward: the 34 finalists gain tools and routes to customers, but their ideas must still satisfy market demand, economic efficiency and community-benefit tests. Local waste, agricultural inputs or environmental problems provide the opening; organized production and a working market determine whether the model lasts.

BSA has supplied training and market access. The next test for the 34 teams is whether they can turn those local advantages into efficient, durable businesses that continue delivering community benefits.