Cần Thơ 2030 · Rooted in the Mekong Delta
Built in the Mekong.
Ready for the world.
Our ambition
Find and incubate the Mekong Delta’s first unicorn by 2030.
Great companies start with problems worth solving. We connect local talent, research and practical experience so teams can investigate real problems, test their ideas and build towards paying customers.
A unicorn is an outcome. The evidence comes first.
A company valued at a billion US dollars would be a remarkable sign for the Delta. Day to day, we measure what comes before it. How we’ll define it
- Customers who adopt, use and pay
- Use that repeats after the demo
- Revenue reported only when verified
- Benefit for people in the region
01The work starts here
Start with a problem someone actually has.
Explore published challenges from the Cần Thơ 2030 register. Read the brief, investigate the need and propose a useful first experiment. Ideas of your own are welcome too.
-
Climate & environment
Clean, Resilient Energy for Cần Thơ's Industrial Zones
Cut energy cost and carbon for Cần Thơ's industrial zones and processing plants — on-site renewables, electrification, and energy from the rice husk and processing waste that's currently burned.
A useful first experiment
Work with one facility to map energy use and compare a small set of practical improvements.
Published challenge Read the brief -
Credentials & trust
Verify a Qualification in Seconds
Turn CTU/CICT degrees, transcripts and technical certifications into instantly verifiable digital records — so an employer can confirm a qualification in seconds instead of days of notarised paper.
A useful first experiment
Interview an issuer and a verifier, then test a consent-based credential flow with synthetic records.
Published challenge Read the brief -
Credentials & trust
Continuous Workforce Compliance for High-Tech Industry
Keep the workforce for Cần Thơ's data-centre, semiconductor and smart-manufacturing employers continuously verified — capability, certifications and safety currency, not a one-time check at hire.
A useful first experiment
Map one employer’s verification workflow and test reminders and permission-based checks using sample credentials.
Published challenge Read the brief -
Founder-led
Bring a problem you’ve noticed
A useful observation and a team ready to investigate it is a good start.
02From a problem to a company
Cross one span at a time.
Our proposed three-month cycle includes discovery, building and a joint review. What comes after depends on evidence and resources. Choose a stage to see the work involved.
01 · Month 1
A real Delta problem, with someone who owns it
Proposed for the next cycle- What happens
- Teams spend time with people who live the problem and document what it costs, how often it happens and how it is handled today.
- Evidence that moves a team on
- A named problem owner and a clear account of the cost, frequency or consequence.
- Who’s involved
- CICT and Cần Thơ University researchers, local problem owners and the programme team.
02 · End of month 1
A capable team commits
Proposed for the next cycle- What happens
- Teams present what they learned and a plan for the remaining cycle. People review the pitch; AI-assisted notes support the review.
- Evidence that moves a team on
- Conversations with real users, a clear first experiment and the time to run it.
- Who’s involved
- Programme reviewers, with proposed CICT academic guidance. Selection and support terms will be confirmed.
03 · Months 2–3, then review
Evidence from users
Proposed for the next cycle- What happens
- Build a working product, test it with real users and end month three with a joint review of the evidence.
- Evidence that moves a team on
- Repeated use, willingness to adopt or pay, and an honest account of what did not work.
- Who’s involved
- Engineering guidance, mentors and validation support are proposed. Capacity and budgets remain to be agreed.
04 · Beyond the cycle
A repeatable business
Conditional on evidence & resources- What happens
- Teams with evidence may continue towards paying customers, suitable company and ownership arrangements, and repeatable delivery.
- Evidence that moves a team on
- Customers beyond the first pilot and delivery that can be repeated.
- Who’s involved
- Depends on evidence and available resources. Ownership and IP terms require agreement before commitment.
05 · Beyond the cycle
Wider markets
Conditional on evidence & resources- What happens
- A product proven locally can explore other provinces, Viet Nam and international markets, while keeping its roots in the Delta.
- Evidence that moves a team on
- Customers outside the first market and benefit that can be demonstrated in the region.
- Who’s involved
- Further market support depends on evidence and resources. No later-stage support is committed yet.
- Month 1 Discover & pitch
- Months 2–3 Build & test with users
- End of month 3 Evidence-based review
- Beyond Conditional on evidence and resources
Intake dates, selection criteria, budgets and support capacity will be confirmed before participation terms are agreed.
03A team already learning
Lucidex: students testing a better way to verify credentials.
Lucidex is a credential-verification prototype built by students in the first programme with CICT. The programme review proposed user and problem validation next, followed by a possible university trial.
- Prototype builtBuilt
- Validation next stepProposed
- University trial proposedProposed
04Mekong Knowledge · Cần Thơ Neuron
Knowledge that helps the Delta act.
A bilingual collection of policies, plans and reliable sources for Cần Thơ and the wider Delta. Keep the Vietnamese original close, understand the context and find what to do next.
Free to read · no sign-up · originals linked
Explore Mekong Knowledge- Original source linked Resolution 59: Cần Thơ to 2030, with a vision to 2045 Party Documents Archive
- Original source linked Resolution 27: regional development and national spatial organisation Politburo document published by Nhân Dân
- Original source linked Resolution 202/2025/QH15: provincial administrative reorganisation Government Policy Portal
05Build with us
Four ways in. Find the part you can play.
Bring a team — or form one around a problem.
Bring curiosity about a real problem, time over three months and a willingness to talk to users. Support, selection and ownership terms will be agreed before intake.
Register team interest Individual internship Roles in preparationLearn inside a defined role, with a named supervisor.
Express interest in a supervised learning placement. Role descriptions, supervision, dates and written terms are being prepared.
Register internship interest Challenge owner or pilot host Scoping conversationsOwn a costly, frequent problem? Let a team investigate it with you.
Tell us who is affected and what access you could offer. Start with a conversation about the problem and the scope of a useful test.
Request a scoping conversation Mentor or supporter Enquiries welcomeShare expertise, introductions or support.
Founders, engineers, researchers and supporters can help teams learn and build. Tell us where your experience or resources could be useful.
Make an enquiryThese routes collect expressions of interest. Participation dates, roles and terms are confirmed separately. A programme or project enquiry does not subscribe you to the newsletter.
06Progress towards 2030
What exists today, what’s being prepared, and the proof still to earn.
- Published challenge briefs and a way to pitch solutions.
- A sourced bilingual knowledge collection with original documents.
- Lucidex: a student-built prototype from the first CICT programme.
- A proposed three-month cycle, with discovery included.
- Separate team and individual internship pathways.
- Validation and a possible university trial for Lucidex.
- A problem owner agrees to a clearly scoped pilot.
- Real users return to use a team’s product.
- A verified paying customer and measurable regional benefit.
- 2026 Building now
- 2027
- 2028
- 2029
- 2030 Our ambition
We update the picture as evidence arrives. Plans become progress when real people use what teams build.