Malaysia-based Gobi Partners wants to participate in Vietnam’s $19 M VC initiative
A Malaysian and Hong Kong-based venture capital (VC) company called Gobi Partners is looking to invest in Vietnam, including the nation’s VC fund.
Decree 264/2025 established Vietnam’s national venture capital fund in October 2025, and the state budget contributed an initial capital of VND500 billion ($19.1 million). After five years, the amount could reach VND2,000 billion with contributions from individuals, organizations, and the state budget.
The proposal was presented to Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan by a delegation of Gobi Partners, led by Co-Founder and Chair Thomas G. Tsao.
The executive stated that Gobi Partners also seeks to link companies in its portfolio to the Vietnamese market, particularly in the high-tech sector, during the meeting in Hanoi on Thursday.
Additionally, the two sides talked about working together on startup incubation, particularly in the fields of semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and new energy. Other subjects included semiconductors, joint ventures for startup incubators, and sandboxes for robots, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and artificial intelligence.
Gobi has managed almost $2 billion in assets under management (AUM) in over 20 funds since 2002. Currently, its staff of more than 80 employees oversees a portfolio of more than 400 businesses spread across 16 locations.
Vietnam’s VC market recorded over 41 deals in 2025, according to the “Vietnam Technology and Venture Capital Outlook 2025: Reshaping Growth for a New Era” report conducted by VinVentures, an investment arm of conglomerate Vingroup. The investments reached a total capital disbursement of $215 million, down 30 percent from its peak in 2021.
