The latest statistics from the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam (IPVN) provide an overview of domestic invention, utility solution, and industrial design filings in the first half (H1) of 2026. The data illustrate key developments in Vietnam’s intellectual property (IP) filing landscape and can serve as a useful resource for IP professionals, rights holders, and potential applicants assessing the Vietnam market.
Invention and utility solution applications
Chart 1. Comparison of domestic invention and utility solution applications filed in H1 2026 and H1 2025
Table 1. Number of domestic invention and utility solution applications filed in H1 2026
In H1 of 2026, a total of 850 invention applications and 359 utility solution applications were filed nationwide, with increases of 25% and 38%, respectively, compared with 679 invention applications and 261 utility solution applications in the same period of 2025. This is an encouraging result, indicating growing awareness of IP and a greater focus on sustainable socio-economic development in an era of rapid advances in digital technology and artificial intelligence.
Leading in terms of the total number of applications were once again the three largest cities representing the country’s three regions: Hanoi in the North, Ho Chi Minh City in the South, and Da Nang in the Central region. Hanoi accounted for approximately 44% of all invention and utility solution filings, followed by Ho Chi Minh City with approximately 26% and Da Nang with approximately 7%. With a combined share of 83% of the total applications filed nationwide, these three major cities continue to serve as the principal hubs of IP activity in Vietnam.
Ranking next in terms of the number of invention and utility solution filings filed were Can Tho, Khanh Hoa, and Bac Ninh with 30, 23, and 21 invention and utility solution applications, respectively. Notably, these three localities have maintained their positions among the top 10 localities with the highest numbers of invention and utility solution applications filed since 2025, behind only the three major cities. This suggests that the development of IP in these localities is not merely temporary but is becoming increasingly systematic, supported by strategic orientations to make science, technology, and innovation key drivers of economic growth.
Industrial design applications
Chart 2. Comparison of domestic industrial design applications filed in H1 2026 and H1 2025
Table 2. Number of domestic industrial design applications filed in H1 2026
Vietnam also recorded a 12% increase in the number of industrial design applications filed in H1 of 2026, with 935 applications compared with 835 in the same period of 2025. Ho Chi Minh City continued to lead in industrial design filings, recording a growth rate of 41% from H1 of 2025, while Hanoi saw a modest 4% decline. The data highlights Ho Chi Minh City’s undisputed superiority as the country’s manufacturing, commercialization, and consumer goods center.
Other localities that maintained stable filing volumes among the leading group included Hai Phong, Hung Yen, Dong Nai, and Tay Ninh. These provinces and municipalities are all home to numerous industrial parks and have strong manufacturing activities in sectors such as mechanical engineering, manufacturing, and textiles and apparel, among others. These sectors also offer considerable potential for the creation of new industrial designs.
Overall, the overview presents a picture of steady growth in IP activity in Vietnam. In addition to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, a number of provinces and municipalities are beginning to develop more systematic approaches to IP protection, as reflected in relatively stable filing volumes and year-on-year growth.
However, IP filing activities in the remaining provinces have yet to achieve such systematic stability, particularly in the area of industrial design registration. For example, Long An and Binh Duong recorded 85 and 27 industrial design applications, respectively, in H1 of 2025, but neither locality recorded any applications in H1 of 2026. In addition, 30 out of 63 provinces and municipalities recorded no invention, utility solution, or industrial design filings. This indicates that awareness of IP remains uneven across provinces and that filing activities continue to depend largely on the major cities.
Outlook
Alongside the growing number of applications filed, the ratio of invention applications to utility solution applications has remained stable at 2.37. This indicates continued efforts to develop and innovate technical solutions that not only meet the requirement of novelty but also satisfy the inventive-step requirement.
Several questions remain to be answered in the near future.
– First, will the ratio of invention applications to utility solution applications break through the stable mark of around 2.5 from the past years to increase as applicants pursue stronger and more technologically advanced forms of protection? A consistently high ratio indicates an increasing capacity to generate breakthrough inventions rather than minor technical improvements.
– Second, will more localities be able to establish a long-term and sustainable system for IP development in the years to come? If other provinces and municipalities are able to develop such stable systems, the distribution of applications may become more balanced, rather than remaining heavily concentrated in the major cities.
By Nguyen Thai Quang Minh and Nguyen Quoc An
Patent Department
