StartupsCommunist country has long passport checks, limits startups going abroadA rendering of the departure area at the newly built Long Thanh International Airport, which is meant to ease congestion at Vietnam's busiest airport in nearby Ho Chi Minh City. (Airports Corporation of Vietnam)LIEN HOANGFebruary 17, 2026 09:50 JSTHO CHI MINH CITY -- Vietnam is experiencing a slump in investments in startups, a trend investors and entrepreneurs attribute to a catalogue of cross-border challenges that makes doing business in Southeast Asia's fastest growing economy harder than in some of its regional rivals.
Vietnam's airports, money controls said to deter tech investors
Communist country has long passport checks, limits startups going abroad
TL;DRAI
Vietnam startup investments dropped as long passport checks, capital controls, and cross-border restrictions disadvantage the country versus Thailand and Singapore. Tech leaders evaluating SE Asia expansion should expect weaker venture capital ecosystem and higher operational complexity in Vietnam.
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