The article analyses the dynamics of technological catch-up through entrepreneurship in latecomer firms to emerging markets. With this aim, the article introduces Vietnam’s experience and illustrates the result of three case studies of Vietnamese technology firms at different stages of their evolution. Insights from the cases reveal all follow an incremental innovation model based on business model ‘soft’ innovations, mainly in customer-facing activities and partnering, as well as limited products and technology adaptation to local market needs. Consistently with latecomer firms’ theory, the market drives these firm’s innovation efforts, which are concentrated on developing new services and comprehensive solutions rather than new technologies. Comparisons of the findings with recent and similar experiences of Chinese firms highlight that different stages of catch-up lead to different innovation practices in nature and degree, and the need to strengthen institutions to face competition, rather than use the former to shelter from the latter. The Vietnamese firms’ innovation practices and catch-up patterns found are then discussed under the perspective of reaping the benefits of international knowledge and technology flows and the specific challenges faced by Vietnam. The paper concludes with several reflections, lessons learned and perspectives for other newly industrializing emerging countries.

Environmental issues are taking more attentions from many countries in the world and have forced proactive companies to adopt environmental policy and encourage supervisory support behaviors in an aim to increase employee willingness to promote eco-initiatives. The study assessed environmental policy and supervisory support behaviors as creating an impetus for environmental actions in companies, leading to environmentally proactive firms sending encourgamental signals to employees. Data of 212 mid- and low- level employees was collected from questionnaire survey at three companies located in Hà Nội and Đà Nẵng City in Vietnam during January 2013. By using likelihood ratio tests and logistic regression analyses, the results supported both two hypotheses: Environmental policies will influence on employee willingness to promote eco-initiatives; Supervisory support behaviors will influence on employee willingness to promote eco-initiatives. From then on, some implications were suggested.