Vietnam Announces Preliminary Results in Decoding 1,000 Human Genomes

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Huy Hoang, Deputy Director of the Institute of Biology under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, and his research team conducted a project titled “Genetic mutation analysis in Vietnamese patients with selected rare diseases using whole-exome sequencing technology.” The project, implemented from 2022 to 2024, aims to clarify the genetic causes of these diseases within the Vietnamese population. As of 2023, Vietnam had collected and preserved nearly 81,000 endemic, precious, and rare genetic resources, including genetic resources of agricultural plants, forestry plants, medicinal plants, animals, aquatics, and microbe. The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) on July 29 organised a conference to evaluate the programme to use genetic resources sustainably in the 2015-2024 period and orient its implementation in the 2025-2030 period. As a leading centre for science, technology, and innovation, Ho Chi Minh City is taking proactive steps to build capacity for the quantum computing era, with a strong focus on developing talents to seize arising technological opportunities. The signing and implementation of the five projects mark a concrete step toward realising the Party and State’s policies on science – technology development, innovation and digital transformation, with the semiconductor industry identified as one of strategic technologies fundamental to national competitiveness and technological autonomy. Data has become a strategic asset and a key resource for socio-economic development, as well as a foundation of national competitiveness. As a result, effective data governance, utilisation and protection have become increasingly urgent for organisations and businesses. Building a national talent ecosystem is a long-term development strategy that will underpin Vietnam's competitiveness and innovation-driven growth. Building a national electronic archives system is not merely a matter of investing in technological infrastructure. It must be designed in an integrated manner from the outset, encompassing system architecture, governance procedures, and data protection mechanisms, to ensure long-term security, integrity, and data sovereignty. Vietnam’s biggest takeaway from Taiwan isn’t just cutting-edge technology alone, but how to build an entire semiconductor ecosystem from the ground up, said Dr. Vo Duc Thang, Assistant Professor at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech) and President of the Vietnam Innovative and Intellectual Network in Taiwan (China) (VIN Taiwan) told the Vietnam News Agency. Vietnam aims to become a developed digital nation where digital transformation is implemented comprehensively across all sectors and serves as the country's principal development model. The strategy envisions a modern system of national governance powered by data and AI, strong domestic capabilities in strategic digital technologies, platforms and products, and firm protection of national digital sovereignty. Vietnam possesses significant advantages for deeper participation in the global technology value chain. Its young engineering workforce, strong capacity to absorb new technologies and strategic location have made the country an increasingly attractive destination for technology-related foreign direct investment.