Affiliations:
1Office of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee, Lao Cai Province, Vietnam
2Institute for Economic Research and Human Resource Development, Thai Nguyen University of Economics and Business Administration, Thai Nguyen, Vietnam
The aim of this research is to examine how intellectual property (IP) protection affects the entrepreneurial activities of ethnic minority youth in Vietnam’s Northern midland and mountainous regions, where access to innovation resources and markets is limited. Based on institutional theory, the resource-based view, and intellectual capital theory, the study develops and tests a conceptual model that considers both direct and indirect effects of IP protection. Survey data were collected from 386 youth-led enterprises, cooperatives, and startups, and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for analysis. The results indicate that IP protection has a significant positive effect on intellectual capital, entrepreneurial motivation, and innovation capability. However, only intellectual capital and innovation capability positively influence startup outcomes, while entrepreneurial motivation shows no significant effect. In addition, the moderating effects of social network cohesion and local policy support are not confirmed, suggesting a limited role of local interventions. Overall, the findings show that IP protection is effective mainly when it is transformed into knowledge-based resources and innovation capacity. The study recommends increasing IP awareness, simplifying IP registration processes, and strengthening capacity-building programs.
Intellectual property protection, Intellectual capital, Innovation capability, Ethnic minority youth, Startup outcomes
https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2026.02.007
Dang, N. H., & Nam, V. Q. (2026). Intellectual property protection and entrepreneurship among ethnic minority youth in Vietnam’s Northern Midlands and Mountains. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 13(2), 57–69. https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2026.02.007