BUV Students Gain Hands-on Innovation Experience with Entrepreneurs

In Vietnam’s fast-growing startup scene, innovation has become the key to survival. At the British University Vietnam, students are building this crucial skill through Business Creativity & Innovation: Entrepreneurial Perspectives –  a course that brings entrepreneurs into the classroom to turn ideas into action.

A New Perspective on Innovation and Management

Vietnam is currently home to more than 4,000 startups across diverse sectors such as technology, education, and sustainable production. The market is expanding quickly, with rising investment opportunities, yet only around 10% of startups endure in the long run.

The question for young entrepreneurs is no longer “how to start,” but rather “how to adapt and thrive in constant change.”

A glimpse of that answer unfolded during the Business Creativity & Innovation: Entrepreneurial Perspectives session – part of BUV’s Business Creativity and Innovation course.

The Business school students join the Business Creativity & Innovation session.

Over 100 students from the International Business, Marketing, and Tourism Management programmes met with five entrepreneurs to explore how innovation works in real businesses – where theory meets lived experience and management insight.

Five Entrepreneurs, Five Views on Innovation

The event brought together five entrepreneurs from different industries, each offering a distinct perspective on how innovation drives growth and resilience:

• Mr Hoang Bao Long, co-founder of LacBird, shared how to sustain creativity in a fast-changing tech landscape, as his Vietnam-Australia game studio evolved from a small team into a professional company.
• Mr Nguyen Tat Thang, founder of Gom Sen Pottery, spoke about preserving the traditional craft of Bat Trang Ceramics through a social enterprise model – where heritage and sustainable business can grow together.
• Mr Nguyen Xuan Truong, CEO of Hexagon Design, described how his interior design company, with nearly two decades of experience, continually reinvents itself to retain customers and creative talent.
• Ms Hoang Thi Thu Phuong, founder of Kafela Coffee, discussed building a modern Vietnamese coffee brand that honours local identity while meeting global standards.
• Ms Nguyen Thuy Duong, founder of TASK Vietnam, introduced the “Ask to Task” philosophy, which encourages students to learn through action and self-directed development.Businesses share innovation insights with BUV students

The Journey Behind the 10%

With only about 10% of startups achieving long-term success, the real differentiator lies not in the idea or the funding, but in adaptability and creative thinking within management.

After the sharing session, students moved into discussions centred on three key questions:

• Why is innovation vital in today’s business landscape?
• What are the biggest challenges in turning creative ideas into practice?
• How can businesses identify and seize new opportunities for innovation?

These questions sparked open and engaging conversations that connected real-world insights with management lessons. The entrepreneurs agreed that innovation is not only about new products but also about how organisations rethink processes, people, and mindsets to stay relevant.

Students didn’t just listen; they challenged, questioned, and reflected – essential habits in developing an innovative mindset.

From Discussion to Practice

In the second part of the session, students were divided into five groups to work directly with the entrepreneurs, analysing actual business challenges and proposing creative solutions.
Without slides or scripted lectures, each roundtable became a “lab for ideas,” where students had to test the feasibility of their concepts in real time.

“I used to think innovation meant creating something that had never existed before. But after hearing the entrepreneurs talk about trial and error, I realised it’s really about daring to try, daring to fix, and persevering until the end,” shared a second-year Marketing student.

BUV students discuss innovative solutions with businesses.

The activity also served as a starting point for the company-based innovation project, in which students continue collaborating with these businesses throughout the semester to develop practical, innovative solutions.

Through experiences like Business Creativity & Innovation: Entrepreneurial Perspectives, BUV students are not only inspired to pursue entrepreneurship but are also learning to think, adapt, and create like innovators. Whether they go on to build their own ventures or join established organisations, they carry with them a crucial skill for the future world of work – the ability to turn ideas into action.