Gobi Partners, a venture capital (VC) firm based in Malaysia and Hong Kong, seeks to invest in Vietnam, including the country’s national VC fund.

Vietnam’s national VC fund was established for Decree 264/2025 in October 2025, with an initial capital of VND500 billion ($19.1 million) contributed by the state budget. The figure can go up to VND2,000 billion after five years with contribution from the state budget, organizations, and individuals.

A delegation of Gobi Partners, led by Co-Founder and Chair Thomas G. Tsao, made the suggestion at a meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan.

At the meeting in Hanoi on Thursday, the executive said Gobi Partners also aims to connect businesses in its portfolio to the Vietnamese market, especially in the high-tech sector.

The two sides also discussed collaboration in startup incubation, especially in sectors of semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, new energy. Others topics included sandbox for robot, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and AI; joint venture for startup incubator; and semiconductors.

Since 2002, Gobi has overseen nearly $2 billion of asset under management (AUM) across more than 20 funds. Its team of over 80 people now manages a portfolio of over 400 companies from 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.

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