On March 20, Phase one of the “Capacity Enhancement Program for Patent and Trademark Examination at the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam,” implemented by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), officially concluded today, achieving significant results and contributing substantially to improving patent examination capabilities, particularly in the pharmaceutical and medical sectors.

On this occasion, Ogawa Akira, JICA’s patent expert, was commended by the leadership of the Intellectual Property Office (IPVN) for his outstanding contributions during the implementation of phase one of the Program. Previously, in 2023, Koji Nishimoto, the predecessor expert, and the JICA Vietnam Office were awarded Certificates of Merit by the Director of the Intellectual Property Office for their contributions to the development of Vietnam’s intellectual property sector.

In 2025, the Intellectual Property Office recorded notable achievements: processing 250,916 applications across all categories, a 75.1% increase compared to 2024, and granting 83,383 intellectual property rights, up 55.4%. Notably, the number of patent applications filed by Vietnamese organizations and individuals rose by 36%, while granted patents increased by 134.2%, far exceeding the annual growth target of 16–18% set by Politburo Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW.

Ogawa Akira, a long-term JICA expert, served at the Intellectual Property Office from April 2024 to April 2026 and led the implementation of phase one of the Program. To ensure effective execution, the Intellectual Property Office established a Program Management Board led by the Deputy Director, along with a ten-member Patent Working Group.

At the 2025 year-end review meeting, Deputy Director Tran Le Hong, Program Director, praised the results achieved and emphasized the close and effective coordination among JICA experts, the Program Management Board, and the Patent Working Group. He called for continued collaboration and the development of detailed plans for the next phases.

Phase one of the Program focused on three main outputs. The first output aimed to improve patent examination management methods, contributing to shorter processing times and addressing pending applications through the trial use of patent search reports. The second output involved developing and finalizing examination guidelines for patents related to biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. These guidelines were officially approved by the Intellectual Property Office and implemented from March 10, 2026. The third output emphasized enhancing the expertise of examiners through specialized training, workshops, and field visits to enterprises, thereby strengthening their ability to exploit and apply patent information.

The Program, funded by JICA, was approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology under Decision No. 182/QD-BKHCN on February 21, 2024. It is scheduled over four years (2024 - 2028) and divided into two phases: the first two years focus on patents, while the following two years will concentrate on trademarks. Phase one, focusing on patents, officially concludes in March 2026, with the Program moving into phase two on trademarks under a new JICA expert, whose tenure runs until March 2028.

Regarding the results of phase one, Nishikawa Naotaka, representative of the JICA Vietnam Office, stated that the Program effectively supported the Intellectual Property Office in shortening processing times and improving the quality of patent examination in the pharmaceutical sector, laying a foundation for subsequent improvements in Vietnam’s intellectual property system.

Over the past 25 years, JICA has supported the Intellectual Property Office in implementing five ODA projects in the field of intellectual property, demonstrating the Japanese Government’s long-term commitment to accompany Vietnam in developing a modern and effective intellectual property system.