Da Nang’s Startup Tech Grows With Libraries and Robots
Da Nang startup technology grows through Skoolib and delivery robots, backed by universities, investors and a stronger innovation ecosystem.
DA NANG — Da Nang is showing how startup technology can move from concept to daily use, with Skoolib and autonomous delivery robots emerging as two of the city’s most visible examples. Both projects were built around problems people already know: slow, manual library management and the high cost of small-package delivery.
That matters because Da Nang is trying to do more than produce prototypes. The city wants startups that can be used, sold and scaled. So far, these two products offer a practical glimpse of what that ambition looks like on the ground.
Startup technology built from real pain points
Bookshare Co., Ltd., founded by Ngo Tan Tien, started with a simple goal: make library work less messy and more useful. In many small libraries, schools and community collections, staff still record loans by hand or in spreadsheets. The result is familiar. Data gets scattered. Searching for a book takes too long. Usage reports are hard to generate.
That gap led Bookshare to develop Skoolib, a web-based and mobile intelligent library management platform. The company had earlier released Handy Library, a mobile app for personal library management. Handy Library has surpassed 1 million downloads, supports 25 languages and is available in more than 100 countries. That reach helped the team understand what users actually wanted, not what a pitch deck said they wanted.
Skoolib now serves a range of libraries, from personal collections to school and community libraries. Its functions include document management, ISBN scanning, borrowing and returns, access control, statistics and online search. One small but useful feature stands out. Users can check materials before they even step into the library. Simple. Handy.
“We want to make library management simpler and more relevant to real-world needs,” the Bookshare team said in material shared with the local startup community. For schools, the benefit goes beyond convenience. Students can reach reading materials more easily, while administrators get clearer data on how often the library is used and which resources matter most.
Autonomous delivery robots face a harder road
Alpha Asimov Robotics is tackling a tougher problem: an autonomous delivery robot that can operate in Vietnam’s street environment. CEO Nguyen Tuan Anh chose the project after seeing how inefficient short-distance delivery can be, especially for small orders. If the system works and remains affordable, both consumers and businesses could benefit from lower costs and faster service.
The challenge is bigger than warehouse automation. Alpha Asimov wants the robot to move on roads in conditions closer to a motorbike’s route, which means it must deal with pedestrians, vehicles, obstacles and sudden changes in traffic. The machine has to know when to speed up, slow down or stop. One mistake can create a safety risk.
At the center of the project is artificial intelligence. The robot needs to read its surroundings, map routes and make movement decisions in real time. According to the material provided, it has already been tested in several urban areas, university environments and controlled spaces. That testing step matters. A lab is one thing. A busy street is another.
Alpha Asimov began with a narrow use case: short-distance transport and repeated routes in complex areas with clear delivery points. From there, the company is building out a wider system that covers AI, mapping, coordination and fleet management. The pace is measured. The ambition is not.
In the longer term, the company wants to develop a Vietnam-made autonomous robot platform for broader use. A security patrol robot is also being prepared for factories, warehouses and other sites that need constant monitoring. The message is clear. The company is not chasing a demo. It wants a product that can stay in service.
Why Da Nang’s startup technology ecosystem matters
Da Nang’s story is not just about two products. It also shows how the city is trying to build a stronger startup technology ecosystem. According to the Da Nang Center for Innovation and Startup Support, the city’s young technology startup community reflects a drive to innovate, access new technologies and build businesses with a Da Nang identity.
Many local startups now focus on digital transformation, artificial intelligence, smart tourism and technology for everyday needs. But the road from idea to business is still steep. Startups need stronger management, product commercialization, market expansion and investment. Without those four pieces, a promising project can stall at the prototype stage.
That is where the support system comes in. The innovation center says it helps connect resources across the city’s ecosystem. Annual events such as the Da Nang Innovation and Startup Festival, known as SURF, and the Da Nang Venture Capital and Angel Investment Forum, or DAVAS, bring together founders, investors, support organizations and technology companies from inside and outside Vietnam.
Those events do something many startups struggle to achieve on their own: they create access. Access to capital. Access to mentors. Access to people who can help turn technical work into a market-ready product. For a young company, that can make the difference between a pilot project and a business that actually reaches users.
Nguyen Viet Toan, director of the Da Nang Center for Innovation and Startup Support, said universities and research institutes play a basic role in the startup technology ecosystem because they supply skilled human resources and a place for ideas to be researched, tested and commercialized. “Strengthening ties between schools, businesses and the startup ecosystem is a key factor for technology transfer,” Toan said.
That link is more than a slogan. Universities can produce research. Startups can shape it into products. Local government can help connect those products with market needs. When those parts move together, the chances of local technology reaching wider markets improve sharply. And that is the real test for Da Nang: whether these products can leave the prototype shelf and become part of everyday life, with Handy Library already passing 1 million downloads.
