UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) are the main pillars of the low altitude economy (LAE), exploiting airspace under 1,000m to 5,000m. In Vietnam, UAVs promote logistics, agriculture, surveillance and security, and are forecast to reach 10 billion USD, creating jobs and becoming a new driving force for growth.
Over the past time, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology has coordinated with the Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Park Management Board and technology, logistics, and retail enterprises such as Saolatek, Robotics and Di Dong Viet to organize a number of UAV delivery test flights, focusing on verifying automatic operation and real-time monitoring capabilities.
The testing is the basis for Ho Chi Minh City to assess the applicability of unmanned aerial vehicles in postal, urban logistics and short-distance cargo distribution operations. In addition, the level of safety, stability, and operational efficiency are also carefully considered before being able to operate in practice.
Sharing at the event "Strengthening the role of the university council in the large urban area of Ho Chi Minh City: Connection - Integration - Innovation" recently, Mr. Vu Anh Tu - FPT Technology Director, FPT UAV Director emphasized that there are 5 fields where low-level economy can contribute to the development of Ho Chi Minh City's economy.
With Logistics - E-commerce, Ho Chi Minh City will be the largest consumer, commercial and logistics center in the country. LAE opens up a "new transportation route" for the city from short-distance delivery - specialized routes; fast delivery with high-value/urgent goods; optimal operation thanks to flying along a controlled corridor, combined with real-time monitoring.
With the new economic sector group and high-tech industrial cluster, LAE will create an industrial - service value chain: design, manufacturing hardware/battery/sensors; flight control software, digital maps, positioning...; operating, maintenance, training, insurance services; low-altitude airspace management system/U-Space/UTM.
In infrastructure - smart city management, drones/UAV create a new layer of data for the city: image/3D; real-time status check; direct application for monitoring works/bridges/roads/flooding..., checking power grids, telecommunications, security and order, rescue support.
For health - emergency response and urban security, drones/UAVs help transport test samples, medicines, and medical supplies between points; support rescue in traffic jams, floods, and divisions.
And in tourism - new services, in the medium term, LAE can create new service products such as drone performances, surveys/tourism filming; in the long term, low-level migration models when technology and legal framework are sufficiently solid.
To bring low-lying economies to take off, according to experts, the companionship and joint creation of the city government, businesses and universities are needed in the process of research and implementation.
For businesses, they are also very excited about being able to soon apply UAV technology to actual delivery needs serving in commerce. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Dat - General Director of Vietnam Mobile Technology Joint Stock Company, a unit that has participated in testing in the past time, emphasized that "flight results show that the delivery process is clear, goods are guaranteed, and there is a very high potential for practical application".
The Low-Elevage Economic Alliance (LAEP) officially launched in October 2025 marking an important milestone in the process of raising Vietnam's position on the global technology map... LAEP was established with the goal of building Vietnam into a regional leader in low-elevage economy, moving towards the world's low-elevage economic center, developing high-tech industries applying UAVs, unmanned aerial vehicles, smart devices, data and automation. The Alliance expects this new economy to promote thousands of supporting businesses, create 1 million high-quality jobs and bring tens of billions of USD to Vietnam in the next 10-15 years. The Alliance gathers leading technology, financial, start-up and expert corporations, sharing the goal of forming a key economic sector.
