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The Rice Grain: Familiar Yet Unfamiliar as Vietnam’s Development Enters the “Green” and Low-Emission Era

At the end of the year, when life slows down, KisStartup often reflects on things that feel deeply familiar. Rice is one of them. So familiar that we think we already understand it—yet also unfamiliar, because every year the rice grain is placed into a new equation.

In the past, rice was about harvests—producing enough to feed the nation in the years after war. Later, it was about price, as Vietnam stabilized production and opened to global markets. Then came standards, as Vietnamese rice entered demanding export markets. Today, rice faces a new challenge: it must be green. Green in ways that can be measured—emissions quantified, processes traced, methane reduced, and in the near future, potentially linked to carbon finance.

Looking back, rice has accompanied Vietnam through a long journey. From a food-deficit country, Vietnam became one of the world’s leading rice exporters, contributing to global food security. This achievement reflects hard work, technological improvement, and timely policy choices. Yet that same journey has created new challenges: soil degradation, increasing freshwater scarcity, and greenhouse gas emissions from rice cultivation becoming a significant part of agricultural emissions [1], [2].

Seeing Rice Through a Different Lens

For decades, the rice value chain followed a simple logic: inputs – yield – output – export, with value measured mainly in tons. But as climate change becomes a global concern and markets begin asking about the carbon footprint of products, rice is no longer just a commodity. It carries an additional layer of value: how it is produced.

Low-emission rice is therefore not just a technical concept—it represents a shift in development thinking. The question moves from “How do we produce more?” to “How do we produce smarter, with lower emissions, while still securing farmers’ livelihoods?”

In Vietnam, technologies for low-emission rice already exist. On the “inside of the seed,” research institutes are applying advanced breeding and biotechnology to develop rice varieties that emit less methane and are more resilient to drought, salinity, and climate extremes [3], [4]. On the “outside of the field,” practices such as sparse seeding, balanced fertilization, organic and bio-fertilizers, and especially alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation have proven effective in reducing emissions, saving water and input costs, while maintaining or even improving yields [5], [6].

Alongside these are digital efforts: water-level sensors, farm management apps, electronic field logs, and digital extension tools. These technologies help turn farming experience into measurable and verifiable processes [1], [7].

The Gap Is Not Technology, but the Market

The biggest challenge today is not a lack of technical solutions, but the absence of clear market mechanisms that can convert low emissions into real economic value. Without reliable measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems at field and production-area levels, “low-emission” remains difficult to turn into a tradable attribute [8]. When data are fragmented—stored in notebooks, paper reports, or human memory—the value chain cannot convincingly prove to international buyers that the rice is truly green.

More importantly, when benefit-sharing mechanisms from carbon reductions are unclear, farmers and cooperatives have little incentive to change long-established farming practices [2], [9]. As a result, many technologies remain stuck at pilot stages instead of becoming widespread practices.

An Opportunity to Redesign the Rice Value Chain

Yet the end of 2025 also brings promising signals. Large-scale programs on high-quality, low-emission rice are being implemented; green credit is increasingly linked to rice value chains; and rice straw is being reconsidered as a resource rather than waste to be burned [5], [10], [11].

From KisStartup’s perspective, this is the right moment to view rice not just as an agricultural product, but as the center of a new value ecosystem. In this ecosystem, value comes not only from rice itself, but from farming data, reduced emissions, restored soils, and new financial flows such as green finance and carbon markets.

New business models are emerging: companies building low-emission rice brands backed by data and traceability; service providers offering MRV solutions for cooperatives; digital platforms connecting farmers, enterprises, banks, and certifiers; and circular economy models that turn rice straw into organic fertilizer or biomass materials—creating revenue while cutting emissions [8], [10], [11].

Returning to the Land—With Technology

At a deeper level, the story of low-emission rice is also about how Vietnamese society reconsiders its relationship with land. Not just extraction, but care. Not just taking, but giving back. Healthy soil sustains healthy crops; clean water sustains resilient rice; and rural ecosystems then have a future for the next generation.

Diligence and creativity have taken Vietnam far with rice. But in today’s context, diligence alone is not enough. It must be complemented by breakthrough technologies, new business models, and a market mindset capable of turning environmental value into sustainable economic value.

The rice grain thus remains familiar—present in every daily meal—yet increasingly unfamiliar. Within each panicle now lie stories of data, carbon, technology, and a greener development future.

As 2025 comes to a close, KisStartup believes that if done right, Vietnamese rice will travel far not only because it is fragrant and delicious, but because it can prove it was grown with respect—for the land, the water, and the climate. And that may be one of the most meaningful legacies today’s generation can leave for the next.

© Copyright belongs to KisStartup. Any reproduction, citation, or reuse must clearly acknowledge KisStartup as the source.

References

[1] Vietnam Agricultural Extension, “Breakthrough Technologies for the One Million Hectares of High-Quality, Low-Emission Rice Program,” 2025.

[2] Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, “Reducing Methane Emissions in Rice Cultivation in Vietnam,” 2024–2025.

[3] HATRI, “Applying Advanced Technologies in Breeding Low-Methane-Emission Rice Varieties,” 2024.

[4] MARD, “New Rice Varieties with Reduced Methane Emissions for Climate Change Adaptation,” 2025.

[5] Government Newspaper, “Technology Paving the Way for High-Quality, Low-Emission Rice Production in the Mekong Delta,” 2025.

[6] Vietnam Clean Energy, “Scaling Up Low-Emission Rice Farming Models,” 2025.

[7] Nature & Environment Magazine, “Applying Digital Technologies in Rice Farming Management,” 2024.

[8] VJOL, “Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) of Emissions in Agriculture,” 2024–2025.

[9] State Audit Newspaper, “High-Quality Rice Production Linked to Environmental Protection,” 2025.

[10] VOV, “Unlocking the Value of Rice Straw in the Journey toward Low-Emission Rice Cultivation,” 2025.

[11] Agribank, “Green Credit for Low-Emission Rice Development,” 2025.

When looking at the global map of biodiversity tech startups, it is easy to notice that most market leaders today come from Europe, North America, and Australia. This often leads to a quick conclusion: Vietnam and ASEAN can only be technology users, not technology creators. However, if we look deeper into the economic logic of nature tech, this conclusion is incomplete.

Biodiversity tech is not a game for the countries with the most capital. It is a game for places with real ecological challenges, weak baseline data, and rapidly growing demand for measurement. From this perspective, Vietnam and ASEAN are not outside the wave—the real question is which entry point they choose.

From “global technology” to “local problems that can scale”

A common trait among successful biodiversity tech startups is that they did not begin with global ambitions. They started with a very specific, narrowly defined problem that could be repeated and scaled. NatureMetrics did not begin by “measuring global biodiversity”; it started by addressing the need to assess ecological impacts for specific infrastructure and conservation projects, then gradually standardized processes, accumulated data, and expanded to portfolio-level applications [1], [2].

This logic fits ASEAN particularly well. The region has high biodiversity density and large agricultural, fisheries, and forestry systems—but lacks standardized ecological data. This gap is not a weakness; it is a market entry point.

From KisStartup’s perspective, the strategic question is not “what technology to build,” but rather: which problem are people willing to pay to measure better?

Three viable market entry paths for biodiversity tech in Vietnam/ASEAN

First, becoming a local provider of field data and MRV (Measurement–Reporting–Verification). Many conservation, ecosystem restoration, green infrastructure, and regenerative agriculture projects in ASEAN still rely on traditional surveys that are costly and difficult to compare over time. Meanwhile, donors, development banks, and international corporations increasingly demand quantitative evidence of ecological impact [3], [4].

A startup does not need to build a global platform from day one. Doing one ecosystem extremely well—such as mangroves, river basins, or coastal aquaculture zones—with standardized measurement processes, time-series data, and reporting capabilities already turns data into a strategic asset. With sufficient trust, local startups can become data partners to larger platforms rather than direct competitors.

Second, linking biodiversity tech with regenerative agriculture and export value chains. This is where ASEAN—and Vietnam in particular—has clear advantages. Industries such as coffee, tea, cocoa, rice, and seafood face growing international pressure on traceability, environmental impact, and ecosystem restoration [5], [6].

The case of Biome Makers shows how soil biological data can become a direct economic decision-making tool for agriculture [7]. In Vietnam, the goal does not need to be copying BeCrop globally, but starting with concrete questions: where is soil biological function declining in the Central Highlands’ coffee farms, how fast does it recover, and which practices make a difference? Once standardized and linked to production outcomes, such data supports not only farming decisions but also market proof for sustainable exports.

Third, nature intelligence for sectors with high nature-related risks—especially water, fisheries, and ecotourism. ASEAN is highly exposed to climate change, water stress, and salinity intrusion. Investment decisions in water infrastructure, aquaculture, and nature-based tourism increasingly require near real-time ecological data [8].

Monitoring models using sensors, eDNA, bioacoustics, or satellite imagery—already deployed in Europe—can be localized for river basins, lakes, and lagoons in Vietnam. The local startup advantage lies not in core technology, but in field deployment capability, ecosystem understanding, and maintaining long-term data streams.

Biodiversity credits: a major opportunity—but not for those lacking data discipline

Biodiversity credits are often mentioned as a promising market. In theory, they are highly attractive. In practice, global experience shows that the biggest risk is not lack of capital, but lack of credible data [9], [10].

For ASEAN startups, the opportunity is not issuing credits at all costs, but becoming measurement and verification infrastructure for restoration projects. As international biodiversity credit standards are still forming, organizations with strong MRV capabilities, time-series data, and independent audit readiness will hold a powerful position.

Biodiversity tech is a game of accumulated data, not tech demos

Looking at NatureMetrics and Biome Makers, one common pattern stands out: DNA sequencing or AI is not the hardest part to replicate. What is hardest to replicate is the domain-specific dataset accumulated over time, tightly linked to ecological context and economic decisions.

For Vietnam and ASEAN, this carries an important implication. Instead of rushing to “go global,” a more sustainable strategy is to go deep into one ecosystem, measure it well, measure it long enough, and connect data to real-world actions. Once data is trusted and economically useful, geographic and business model expansion will follow.

You don’t need to be global immediately—but you must deliver valuable local measurement

Biodiversity tech is not about whether ASEAN has enough technology. It is about whether we are willing to treat nature as a system that must be managed seriously. When nature can be measured, reported, and used to make better decisions, it stops being a vague “common asset” and becomes a real part of the economy.

Part 3 will dive deeper into two representative models—NatureMetrics and Biome Makers—to analyze how they build data flywheels, create hard-to-copy competitive advantages, and extract concrete lessons for startups and investors in the region.

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References
[1] NatureMetrics, “NatureMetrics raises $25m Series B to scale biodiversity monitoring,” Jan. 2025.
[2] Renewable Matter, “NatureMetrics: scalable biodiversity metrics powered by eDNA,” 2024.
[3] J. B. S. Cambridge, “Biodiversity startups: emerging forces in conservation,” 2024.
[4] Nature4Climate, “Nature Tech Report 2024,” 2024.
[5] OECD, Data Analytics in SMEs, OECD Publishing, 2019.
[6] VietnamPlus, “Scaling up digitalisation for SMEs requires solid data foundation,” 2024.
[7] Biome Makers, “BeCrop technology overview,” 2024.
[8] Darwin Data, “How AI is revolutionising biodiversity monitoring,” 2024.
[9] Carbon Pulse, “Biodiversity credit markets: integrity challenges ahead,” 2024.
[10] Impact Loop, “Why biodiversity credits need robust MRV systems,” 2024.

From the perspective of an innovation ecosystem like KisStartup, travel tech is not merely about “building a travel app” or “digitizing bookings”. At its core, it is a challenge of designing business models based on data, value flows, and scalability in an industry characterized by thin margins and strong dependence on seasonality, policy, and consumer behavior.

1. Global travel tech: from transaction platforms to data and operations platforms

Over the past decade, the dominant business models in global travel tech have revolved around commissions and transaction fees. OTAs, travel marketplaces, and booking platforms grew rapidly thanks to their ability to aggregate demand, standardize experiences, and optimize distribution costs for suppliers. However, this model has also revealed its limits: fierce competition, high marketing costs, heavy reliance on scale, and vulnerability during market downturns.

A notable shift in recent years is the move from “earning per booking” to “earning across the entire travel lifecycle”. Subscriptions, B2B SaaS, APIs, anonymized data, post-booking revenue, and white-label models are increasingly becoming more sustainable revenue sources, less dependent on pure traffic. Travel tech is no longer just about selling tickets, but about becoming the operational infrastructure behind the tourism industry.

2. Common models in the Vietnamese context

In Vietnam, simply “copying” global OTA models is highly risky. The domestic market is moderate in size, average spending remains relatively low, while international platforms already dominate in brand recognition, data, and budgets. Pure commission-based models easily fall into price wars and cash-burning cycles.

Subscription-based B2C models are also difficult unless the added value is very clear. Vietnamese users are accustomed to “free – indirect payment” models, while willingness to pay is higher among businesses, destinations, and service providers.

By contrast, B2B SaaS, data, and APIs remain a largely untapped space. Tens of thousands of small and medium tourism businesses, homestays, community-based tourism initiatives, and local tour operators lack tools for operations management, customer data analysis, dynamic pricing, digital marketing, and channel integration. This is a gap where Vietnamese travel tech startups can compete more effectively than global platforms.

3. Positioning Vietnamese travel tech within national tourism strategy

Vietnam’s tourism strategy emphasizes green tourism, community-based tourism, local experiences, visitor dispersion, higher spending, and longer stays. This requires travel tech to go beyond booking optimization and instead help local ecosystems create and retain value.

In this context, suitable business models should not start with the question “what percentage do we take per transaction?”, but rather: who does the travel tech help make better decisions, which costs does it reduce, which revenues does it increase, and what data is generated in the process?

4. Strategic directions for Vietnamese travel tech

First, prioritize B2B and B2G2B models. Instead of competing head-on with OTAs, Vietnamese travel tech can provide SaaS tools for local tourism businesses, destinations, community tourism cooperatives, or local governments managing tourism data. Revenue can come from subscriptions, add-on modules, and implementation services, rather than short-term booking volume.

Second, design hybrid models from the start. A planner or discovery platform can be free for end users, while monetizing through affiliates, anonymized data, APIs for partners, or fees for visibility in curated experience packages. Hybrid models help startups survive early stages and unlock “hidden” revenue streams with higher margins.

Third, treat data as a product, not just a by-product. Behavioral, seasonal, pricing, demand, and experience feedback data—when standardized and anonymized—can become valuable insights for businesses, destinations, and policymakers. This aligns well with Vietnam’s data-driven tourism direction and creates long-term competitive advantages.

Fourth, tightly integrate sustainability and inclusiveness. Travel tech can generate revenue by measuring impact, providing certifications, ESG reporting, experience traceability, or smart visitor distribution. These values are hard to replicate and well-suited to community-based tourism and remote destinations—areas where Vietnam has strong advantages.

Finally, do not start with technology—start with the business model. Many travel tech startups fail because they build beautiful apps but cannot answer the question: “who pays, and what do they pay for?” In a more cautious venture capital environment, clear, multi-stream revenue models tied to real needs of businesses and localities will determine survival.

5. KisStartup’s perspective

From its experience working alongside tourism enterprises, agricultural businesses, and local destinations, KisStartup believes Vietnamese travel tech must shift from a “service booking platform” mindset to a “capability-building platform” approach. Those who help local businesses better understand their customers, operate more effectively, and sell higher-value offerings will build more sustainable models.

In the next 5–10 years, successful Vietnamese travel tech may not be OTA unicorns, but rather “invisible infrastructures” supporting green tourism, community-based tourism, and data-driven tourism—where revenues are quiet, but resilient and hard to replace.

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KisStartup – Compilation and Analysis

A rather unusual moment is unfolding in global business: nature—once discussed mainly through emotions, ethics, or social responsibility—is increasingly being spoken of in the language of data. Not because humanity has suddenly become more romantic, but because markets have reached a threshold: if nature-related risks are real risks, then they must be measurable, trackable, and manageable.

This is where a new group of startups is emerging: nature tech / biodiversity tech. They are not doing conservation in the traditional sense. What they build looks closer to fintech: measurement infrastructure that brings nature into corporate boardrooms, bank audit reports, and investor metrics.

When nature becomes “a system to be measured”

For years, questions like “Is this area biodiversity-rich?” were answered through time-consuming field surveys, heavily dependent on experts and difficult to compare across projects. Yet modern economies follow a simple rule: what cannot be measured is very hard to manage.

Today, markets are beginning to demand metrics on the state of nature, not just commitments or CSR narratives. New frameworks such as TNFD – the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures are explicitly designed to help companies and investors identify dependencies, impacts, risks, and opportunities related to nature in a decision-useful way—that is, usable in financial decision-making [1], [2].

As reporting frameworks and expectations take shape, the question shifts from “Do you care about nature?” to “How are you measuring nature?” From KisStartup’s perspective, this is the inflection point: a new governance demand is creating a new data market.

Capital is flowing—but cautiously

Recent reports show that venture capital investment in nature tech is growing rapidly. According to Serena Capital, total VC funding into nature tech reached approximately USD 2.1 billion in 2024, up about 16% compared to 2023 [3], [4]. While still small compared to AI or broader climate tech, this signals something more important: investors are beginning to see a new layer of data infrastructure around nature, similar to how financial data once formed its own market.

However, the funding structure reflects an early-stage reality. Most deals remain at seed and Series A, indicating that the market is still testing a very practical question: can nature data become a repeatable, subscription-based service, or will it remain limited to research projects and pilots?

NatureMetrics: when biodiversity data becomes a commercial product

A representative example of biodiversity tech is NatureMetrics (UK). In January 2025, the company announced a USD 25 million Series B round led by Just Climate, with participation from EDF Pulse Ventures and Monaco ReOcean Fund, alongside existing investors such as BNP Paribas, Ananda Impact Ventures, and SWEN Blue Ocean [5], [6].

What matters is not the USD 25 million figure itself, but how NatureMetrics packages nature as a data product. Using eDNA (environmental DNA)—DNA found in water, soil, or sediment—they detect species presence and transform complex biological results into nature intelligence for businesses [7], [8].

NatureMetrics’ clients are not buying “DNA.” They are buying the ability to see and manage nature-related risks in a way that integrates into ESG frameworks, risk reporting, and decision-making processes. The Nature Intelligence platform is positioned as a subscription service, allowing companies to track biodiversity over time, compare across sites, and generate reports aligned with emerging disclosure requirements [5], [9].

At this point, biodiversity tech begins to resemble a data services industry, rather than a purely biological discipline.

Why the technology is “just mature enough” to leave the lab

The rise of nature tech is not driven by a single breakthrough, but by a sufficiently mature technology stack. eDNA enables faster, less invasive, and more standardized measurement. AI processes massive volumes of biological and image data that previously relied heavily on expert interpretation. Satellites, drones, and sensors provide spatial and time-series data, turning isolated observations into dynamic systems. Cloud infrastructure allows all of this to operate as a service.

Yet from KisStartup’s perspective, the decisive factor is not technology—but trust in data.

“Trust in data”: the biggest barrier—and the strongest competitive advantage

Nature data only becomes valuable when it is trusted enough to inform major decisions: project approvals, credit allocation, risk insurance, or supply chain restructuring. As a result, biodiversity tech startups must win on three fronts simultaneously:

1. Methodological standardization: sampling, error control, and QA/QC.
2. Interpretability: what the data says—and equally important, what it does not say.
3. Acceptance: by regulators, consultants, investors, and standards such as TNFD [1], [2].

It is no coincidence that many nature tech startups adopt a “ground-truth first, scale later” strategy—running pilots with credible institutions, participating in standard-setting, and building scientific legitimacy before expanding commercially.

When nature enters Excel, the key is acting on the numbers—correctly

Turning nature into a measurable system may sound cold, but it could mark a positive turning point. Measurement enables better governance, more efficient capital allocation, and reduced “greenwashing by narrative.” The challenge is not converting nature into numbers, but converting numbers into the right decisions and actions.

In Article 2, we will dive deeper into the most clearly emerging segments (eDNA, MRV, biodiversity credits, regenerative agriculture) and address a critical question for Vietnam and ASEAN: where are the real entry points for participation—beyond merely buying technology?

© Copyright KisStartup. Any reproduction, citation, or reuse must clearly acknowledge KisStartup as the source.

 References
[1] TNFD, “Recommendations of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures,” 2023. [Online]. Available: https://tnfd.global
[2] TNFD, “Nature-related risk & opportunity management and disclosure,” 2024.
[3] Serena Capital, “VC Funding Trends in Nature Tech – H1 2024 Update,” 2024.
[4] Nature4Climate, “Venture Capital Funding in Nature Tech Startups Increased in 2023,” 2024.
[5] NatureMetrics, “NatureMetrics raises $25m Series B to scale biodiversity monitoring,” Jan. 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.naturemetrics.com
[6] Renewable Matter, “NatureMetrics: scalable biodiversity metrics powered by eDNA,” 2024.
[7] NatureMetrics, “Species detection using environmental DNA,” 2024.
[8] UPM, “Applying environmental DNA analysis to measure and protect biodiversity,” 2023.
[9] NatureMetrics, “Nature Intelligence platform overview,” 2024.

KisStartup – curated and introduced

In our “Afternoon Tea with KisStartup” series, we often choose one product to pause with, to look beyond the numbers and into the ecosystem behind it. Today’s story is about Vietnamese macadamia nuts—a product whose name is becoming familiar, yet whose value chain is still in an early stage, leaving significant room to grow.

Macadamia did not arrive in Vietnam very early, but it has found rare ecological conditions that suit it naturally. The Central Highlands, with basalt soil, cool plateaus and stable temperature ranges, and the Northwest, with its altitude and distinctive climate, have become promising growing areas with yields and quality comparable to traditional macadamia-producing countries. In just a few years, macadamia planting area has exceeded 46,000 hectares, concentrated in Lam Dong, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Son La and Dien Bien. This rapid expansion raises a critical question: are we growing to sell raw materials, or to build a real industry?

Encouragingly, the quality of Vietnamese macadamia is being positively assessed. Kernel ratio, oil content and sensory quality suit multiple segments—from roasted in-shell nuts and whole kernels to ingredients for confectionery, plant-based milk, nut butter and macadamia oil. VietGAP, organic standards and food safety certifications are increasingly applied at farm level, while some processing facilities have achieved HACCP, ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000, ensuring better consistency and quality control—an essential foundation for sustainable exports.

However, the value chain remains largely upstream. Varieties are not fully standardized, planting is still partly spontaneous, and productivity varies widely. Deep processing exists but is fragmented; most value still lies in raw nuts or basic kernels. Meanwhile, global markets capture the highest value in downstream products such as macadamia butter, oil, premium snacks, functional food ingredients and cosmetics—where the real opportunity lies.

From KisStartup’s perspective, the greatest potential of Vietnamese macadamia is not scale alone, but value-chain organization. With well-planned growing areas linked to nearby processing, standardized varieties and standards built from the start, macadamia could follow the path of specialty coffee or cashews—from a raw commodity to a nationally branded industry. Reaching hundreds of millions of USD in export value is not unrealistic; it is a matter of smart organization and long-term investment.

In today’s afternoon tea, macadamia appears not just as a nutritious nut, but as a snapshot of Vietnam’s agricultural transformation—calling for vision, stronger linkages and investors willing to go the long way together.

© KisStartup. All rights reserved. Any reproduction or citation must credit KisStartup.

KisStartup – Compiled and Analyzed

Global tourism is entering a phase of deep transformation, where new business models are no longer centered solely on traditional tours, tickets, and hotel rooms. Instead, revenue streams are expanding into data, micro-experiences, access rights, digital content, and large-scale personalized services. At the heart of this shift is technology—particularly AI, digital platforms, extended reality (XR), big data, and “phygital” operating models that blend physical and digital experiences. These innovations emerge as travelers increasingly expect tailored, sustainable, convenient, and community-oriented journeys.

1. Travel super-apps and digital platforms: From inspiration to post-trip support in one closed loop

The new generation of OTAs and travel super-apps is evolving from simple “booking platforms” into integrated ecosystems covering the entire travel lifecycle. Travelers can find inspiration through short videos and AI-driven recommendations, auto-generate itineraries, book services, make payments, and receive post-trip support—all within a single app. AI enables seamless personalization by analyzing preferences, behavior, weather, and budget to create tailored journeys. Social-integrated travel platforms are also rising, allowing users to “watch – like – book instantly,” turning social commerce into a powerful travel sales channel.

Rather than competing directly with major OTAs, many startups adopt a B2B2C strategy—selling APIs, white-label booking systems, and AI tools to boutique hotels, DMCs, and small destinations, enabling digital participation without heavy infrastructure investment.

2. Travel subscriptions and the rise of “Travel as a Service”

Subscription consumption models are entering tourism, creating what some call the “Netflix of travel.” Users pay monthly or annually for access to discounted hotel rates, fixed annual stays, cheaper flights, or exclusive travel clubs. Airlines, hotel chains, and OTAs leverage subscriptions to generate stable year-round revenue, reduce seasonality, and increase loyalty.

Beyond products, the model is shifting toward selling access: airport lounges, wellness retreats, nomad communities, creative workshops, and concierge services. As tourism becomes an experience economy, value lies not in individual services but in exclusivity and community quality.

3. Micro-experiences, niche tourism, and the rise of local platforms

Post-pandemic travelers increasingly seek authentic, short, and local experiences. Platforms connecting visitors with local hosts—craft workshops, farm tours, cooking classes, market visits, nature experiences, and wellness retreats—are booming globally.

Micro-tours lasting 2–4 hours suit business travelers, transit passengers, or urban residents seeking brief escapes. AI plays a key role by continuously analyzing context to recommend relevant activities based on location, weather, and past behavior, boosting conversion rates and enriching destination value chains.

4. The digital travel era: VR/AR, gaming, and phygital models

Virtual and augmented reality are transforming how travelers engage with destinations. Museums, heritage sites, and cities now sell VR/360° tours and paid digital events, often linked to upselling strategies—virtual previews that lead to physical bookings, workshops, or digital souvenirs such as NFTs and in-game items.

Meanwhile, tourism linked to gaming and e-sports is expanding rapidly. Gaming-optimized hotels, international e-sports events, and game festivals are driving next-generation MICE tourism, with revenue extending beyond tickets to room bundles, entertainment services, and digital content.

On-site, AR recreates historical narratives, offers real-time guidance, and blends physical–digital environments, opening new revenue streams from content licensing and in-space digital advertising.

5. Smart tourism and the expansion of B2G/B2B models

Cities and destinations are deploying smart tourism platforms to manage visitor flows, analyze behavior, control crowds, and operate e-ticketing systems. Technology is becoming core infrastructure for sustainable tourism management.

Tech companies monetize through B2G contracts, system operations, data analytics, and digital marketing services. At the same time, Mobility-as-a-Service enables travelers to access public transport, on-demand buses, and shared mobility within a single app—offering optimized routes and unified payments while supporting low-carbon tourism.

6. Sustainability, digital nomads, and purpose-driven travel: New traveler values

Sustainable tourism is shifting from a marketing highlight to an operational standard. Platforms now allow travelers to check green ratings, choose low-carbon tours, calculate and offset emissions. Revenue comes not only from booking commissions but also ESG consulting for tourism businesses.

Simultaneously, the digital nomad movement fuels demand for long-stay accommodation, co-living/co-working models, flexible visas, and “work-from-anywhere” packages—supported by subscriptions, long-term bundles, and local partnerships.

Alongside this is the rise of purpose-driven tourism: volunteering, healing retreats, learning bootcamps, and work–study–experience models. This fast-growing segment values personal meaning and social impact as much as the journey itself.

Tourism is shifting from a service industry to a data–experience–platform economy

Technology trends are not only reshaping traveler behavior but fundamentally transforming tourism business models. Competition is no longer about price, but about ecosystems, content, data, personalization, and sustainability.

Destinations, companies, and startups that effectively leverage AI, digital platforms, data, and agile product thinking will lead the tourism market in the coming decade.

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Compiled and presented by KisStartup

Using AI to make decisions that are more accurate, faster, and smarter

In an era where data has become a core asset, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) now have access to an unprecedentedly powerful “analytical assistant”: AI combined with strong prompt-writing skills.

When pricing products and services, instead of relying on intuition or time-consuming manual models, businesses can leverage well-designed prompts to:

• Clearly understand cost structures and break-even points
• Analyze the market, competitors, and optimal pricing levels
• Test customer price acceptance
• Create multiple pricing scenarios
• Reduce risk and make data-driven decisions

A good prompt does not merely help AI generate accurate answers; it also enables business owners to think more strategically about price, value, and market positioning.

Why do businesses need good prompts for pricing?

Pricing is always a difficult challenge:
price too high, and products are hard to sell; price too low, and profits shrink or brand value is diluted.

However, AI cannot truly help if the prompt is too generic, such as:

“Help me price this product.”

This type of question is insufficient.

A good prompt must clearly define the context, objectives, data, and constraints, enabling AI to deliver recommendations that are practical and actionable.

The structure of a good prompt for product and service pricing

Below is the “B.O.S.T” framework, standardized for SMEs:

B – Background

• What is the business selling?
• Which market segment?
• What competitive advantages does it have?
• What is the current price level?

O – Objective (Pricing Objective)

Do you want to:

• Calculate production cost?
• Propose a retail price?
• Benchmark against competitors?
• Optimize profit or accelerate sales?

S – Specific Data

The more specific, the more accurate:

• Costs of materials, packaging, labor, utilities
• Target profit margin
• Customer segments
• Current market prices

T – Target Output

What kind of result do you want AI to deliver?
For example: a cost breakdown table, break-even analysis, three pricing options, and pricing strategy recommendations.

Examples of effective prompts
Sample Prompt 1 – Cost calculation and suggested pricing

“Act as a product pricing expert. Based on the following data:

• Raw material cost: 140,000 VND/kg
• Waste rate: 10%
• Packaging: 5,500 VND per 200g pack
• Labor + utilities: 12,000 VND per pack
• Target profit margin: 30%

Please calculate the cost per 200g pack and propose three suitable retail price options for the mid-range and premium markets. Present the results in a table and provide explanations.”

Sample Prompt 2 – Competitive pricing strategy

“Analyze appropriate pricing for Service X, given that Competitor A charges 2.5 million VND and Competitor B charges 3 million VND. My service has two key advantages: … and … The target customers are SMEs. Please propose three pricing strategies and explain the rationale behind each.”

Sample Prompt 3 – Testing customer price acceptance

“Simulate feedback from target customers (office workers – middle-income – quality-oriented). Given three price points of 150k, 180k, and 220k VND for a Tet gift product, identify the optimal price and explain why.”

Benefits for businesses that master prompt writing

When businesses master effective prompt design, they can:

• Make more accurate decisions without hiring expensive consultants
• Save time on analysis and forecasting
• Quickly test multiple pricing scenarios
• Reduce mistakes when expanding products or entering new markets
• Shift from intuition-based thinking to data-driven decision-making

Pricing is no longer a matter of “guesswork”; it becomes a scientific, executable process.

AI does not replace business decision-makers—but a good prompt can turn AI into the strongest collaborator in every strategic decision.

A business that knows how to use prompts effectively is faster, smarter, less risky, and more profitable.

If your business wants to learn how to build standardized prompts for management, marketing, sales, and pricing, let KisStartup accompany you on this journey.

Keep Innovation Simple, Stupid – Simplify to break through.

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KisStartup – Compiled and Edited

Today, many global online communities are open and free for persons with disabilities from any country, including Vietnam. These platforms offer safe spaces to connect, learn, share experiences, amplify voices, and access valuable resources on rights, health, employment, and education.

1. Open forums and community networks
Among the most accessible options is the Scope Online Community (UK), where users worldwide can discuss life with disabilities—from social support and employment to family relationships and mental health. The Mighty functions like a topic-based social network, hosting hundreds of groups for different disabilities and chronic conditions, allowing members to write posts, ask questions, and find peers. Meanwhile, Disabilities-R-Us, an established community, offers friendly chatrooms and forums for those seeking low-pressure, anonymous interaction.

2. Communities for specific conditions or invisible disabilities
For people with “invisible disabilities” such as chronic pain, autoimmune conditions, or neurological disorders, the Invisible Disabilities Association (via Inspire) provides many specialized support groups. Young users often prefer anonymous Reddit spaces like r/Disabled or r/ChronicPain to exchange practical, lived experiences. EnableMe stands out with its global reach, multilingual access, and strong peer-support model that helps users find empathy and friendships anywhere.

3. Advocacy and disability-rights networks
For those interested in policy advocacy or international collaboration, networks such as the International Disability Alliance (IDA) and the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) are key destinations. They regularly host webinars, global campaigns, and technical resources open to participants from developing countries. Organizations like the World Institute on Disability or the European Disability Forum also offer newsletters, online events, and international initiatives that individuals in Vietnam can follow or join.

4. Communities and resources for low- and middle-income countries
Organizations such as Disability Support International (DSI), CBM Global, and ADD International focus strongly on supporting persons with disabilities and practitioners in low- and middle-income countries. While not purely personal forums, they provide courses, campaigns, resources, and online activities that help Vietnamese persons with disabilities access global knowledge and expand collaboration networks.

5. Tips for joining from Vietnam
Beginners should choose communities with simple English and strong moderation, such as Scope Online Community, The Mighty, or EnableMe. Depending on personal needs, using a nickname can help maintain privacy, and it is essential to read community rules before sharing personal information. Offering brief context about Vietnam can also help expand connections and find international allies.

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KisStartup – Compilation & Analysis

Seen from above, Vietnam’s spice industry presents a paradox. We rank among the world’s top 3 suppliers and processors of pepper, cinnamon, star anise, ginger, chili, turmeric… with an annual export value of 1.3–1.4 billion USD. Many leading factories already meet U.S./EU/Japan-level standards. Yet in terms of business models, most of the value still lies elsewhere—on the buyers’ side, in deep-processing factories, and in seasoning/flavor houses outside Vietnam. We produce a lot, invest heavily, but still capture mainly “raw-material prices.”

To build a new business model for Vietnamese spice startups, the first step is not choosing technology—it is shifting mindset: from “raw material processing” to “value chain design and flavor solutions.” This mindset sounds big, but becomes very practical once we look at what Vietnam already has.

From drying–grinding factories to “flavor & traceability platforms”

Large companies have invested well in washing, sorting, closed-chamber drying, 60–80 mesh grinding, steam sterilization, and ISO 22000, HACCP, even BRC and FDA systems. Some cinnamon, star anise, and ginger regions also have essential oil distillation clusters. The “hardware” is no longer the main bottleneck.

The real bottleneck: most products stop at semi-processed or deep-processed materials for someone else. We sell essential oils, standardized powders, oleoresins—wholesale to foreign flavor houses. They create the value-added seasoning, soup bases, and branded extracts. Our value chain stops at the factory gate. We sell by tonnage, moisture, microbiological specs; they sell by “aroma profiles,” applications, storytelling, and tailored F&B/FMCG/pharma solutions.

A future-ready Vietnamese spice startup should not replicate another drying–grinding plant. Instead, it should act as a “chain designer & owner of formulations”—connecting raw material regions, existing factories, digital traceability, flavor R&D, and end-buyers. Spices become not just a product, but a service and platform.

Suggested model: “Vietnam Flavor Lab + Transparent Supply Chain”

A startup could begin with 1–2 spices where Vietnam truly excels—e.g., ginger and cinnamon/star anise, or pepper and chili.

Key components:

• Strong foothold in raw material areas + partnerships with capable factories
• A small Flavor Lab for R&D: standardizing powders, essential oils, oleoresins, and creating seasoning blends
• A digital layer for farm-to-buyer traceability
• Simple, practical criteria for farmers (variety, harvest timing, primary drying, storage) tied to premium pricing
• Utilizing existing factory capacity instead of duplicating it—outsourcing drying, cold grinding, sterilization, distillation, while retaining control of formulas and traceability
• Selling not “cinnamon powder 12% moisture,” but flavor solutions tailored to specific customer segments

For example:

• A Tea brand might buy a standardized ginger–cinnamon–licorice blend with full technical documentation and origin story.
• A beverage chain might buy premixed syrups with formulas, staff training, and sustainability commitments.
• An international buyer might buy a suite of oleoresins and standardized powders with QR traceability and U.S./EU-compliant lab files.

Revenue then expands beyond raw material margins: formulation fees, batch-standardization services, traceability services, co-branding, even product development consulting.

Mindset shift: from “selling what we have” to “designing what others need”

Traditional processors start with the question: “What do I have to sell?”
Startups must begin with: “What problem does the customer need to solve with spices?”

When the mindset shifts to designing customer solutions, the business becomes: offering a modular “Vietnamese Spice Ecosystem”—standardized ingredients, application formulas, traceability, sustainability, and storytelling.

Deep processing is not more machinery—it’s more intelligence

Deep processing should be seen as a layer of intelligence applied on top of existing industry assets. This includes:

• Understanding active compounds & sensory thresholds
• Designing segment-specific flavor formulas
• Translating raw materials into market language and narratives
• Rapid experimentation and agile collaboration with current factories

A viable early model is a small “flavor studio for Vietnamese spices”—agile, focused on specific B2B segments, building a data foundation on aroma–flavor–market responses. Once validated, the startup can selectively invest in strategic machinery (cold-grinding, blending, essential oil extraction, etc.).

The 5–10 year opportunity

Reports agree: Vietnam’s spice exports remain raw-material heavy, with low deep-processing ratios. At the same time, global buyers increasingly demand traceability, sustainability, natural ingredients, and fewer additives.

This is the window of opportunity for a new generation of Vietnamese spice startups. The industry already has the hardware—farms, factories, equipment. What’s missing is the software—business models, digital platforms, integrated services.

The future belongs to companies that dare to shift from raw materials to solutions, focus deeply on a few spices and customer segments, and build a standardized, traceable, well-told Vietnamese flavor ecosystem.

If Vietnam doesn’t take this role, another “Growcoms or Trianon 2.0” from elsewhere might do it for us.

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(Featuring Vietnamese ginger & DATO’s ginger-based products – a participant of the GEVA program)

On a chilly Wednesday afternoon in Hanoi, winter begins with a violet sky, a touch of mist on your hands, and a warm cup of tea that softens the day. This week, in our Afternoon Tea with KisStartup series, we invite you to savor the gentle warmth of a spice that seems familiar yet carries many untold stories: Vietnamese ginger.

Winter – the season of Vietnamese ginger
It’s no coincidence that ginger becomes the “soul” of cold days. In Northern Vietnam, when the temperature drops below 20°C, the rising heat from a ginger-infused tea brings instant comfort. Vietnamese ginger—especially from Lào Cai, Yên Bái, Kon Tum, and midland regions—is known for its strong aroma, sharp heat, and high essential oil content. These are exactly the qualities favored by buyers in Japan, the U.S., Korea, and the Middle East.

For years, Vietnam mainly exported fresh ginger. But recently, thanks to advances in processing, ginger has taken on new forms: dried slices, ginger powder, essential oils, instant teas, and convenient wellness-focused products.

DATO – Bringing ginger into a “tech-enabled” journey
Within the GEVA – Green Export Incubator & Accelerator program run by KisStartup, DATO stands out—not only for growing and processing ginger, but for telling its story with care, modernity, and responsibility.

They select old, potent ginger grown in Đăk Tô’s mineral-rich soil, where cool mountain air boosts essential oil accumulation. From this raw material, they create a standout product:

Ginger – Ginseng – Honey Extract
While the concept sounds familiar, their approach is different:

• Ginger is vacuum-concentrated at low temperatures to preserve gingerol and shogaol.
• No preservatives.
• No artificial flavoring.
• Just real ginger warmth, natural honey sweetness, and the gentle aftertaste of Ngọc Linh ginseng root.

Convenient single-serve sachets make it perfect for modern lifestyles—just mix with warm water on a cold morning for a soothing, immune-supporting drink.

Vietnamese ginger on its way to the world
What gives KisStartup confidence in DATO—and many GEVA businesses—is their professional production and traceability system:

• ISO 22000
• HACCP
• Regular residue testing
• Registered, QR-traceable growing areas

Thanks to this, DATO’s ginger products are not only sold domestically but also exported to the U.S., Korea, India, and the Middle East.

Zooming out, Vietnamese ginger has rare advantages:

• stronger aroma and heat than many other origins
• competitive production costs
• abundant growing regions
• rapid improvements in deep-processing technology

With companies like DATO entering global value chains with high-quality, story-rich, tech-enabled products, Vietnamese ginger is poised to go even further.

To end—here’s a warm cup of ginger tea for your afternoon
If you’re reading this on a cold afternoon, try:
– heating a cup of water
– adding a sachet of DATO ginger extract
– closing your eyes for a few seconds

You may feel winter soften around you—while contributing in your own small way to elevating Vietnamese agriculture, from highland farms to tea tables around the world.

See you next Wednesday for another Afternoon Tea with KisStartup.
There are many more remarkable Vietnamese agricultural treasures worth sharing.

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