Vietnam Approves National Data Strategy with 2045 Goals, Boosting AI Integration

The Vietnamese government has approved a national data strategy aiming to establish a unified, modern, secure, reliable, interconnected, and shared national data ecosystem. The strategy seeks to synchronously develop national databases, sectoral databases, data repositories, data platforms, and shared computing infrastructure based on a unified architecture. The strategy envisions data as a strategic resource, a critical factor of production, and a new driver of national governance, the digital economy, and the digital society. It will promote the application of AI, high-performance computing (HPC), and other strategic digital technologies in data analysis, forecasting, policymaking, and the delivery of smart public services. Concurrently, the country will foster the development of the data economy, data industry, and data market. It aims to gradually achieve technological self-reliance and mastery in AI technologies, HPC infrastructure, and core data platforms and products, while ensuring cybersecurity and national data sovereignty. By 2045, all leadership, direction, governance, and administrative activities of Party and State agencies are expected to be supported by data, with at least 90 percent of major decisions and policies formulated, evaluated, and forecasted based on data analytics and AI. Furthermore, all eligible public services will be delivered entirely online, and public and business satisfaction with public services is projected to reach 99 percent or higher. To achieve these objectives, the strategy outlines eight key tasks and solutions. These include developing and improving institutions and policy frameworks; developing national data infrastructure and data platforms; advancing data development; promoting the data economy and data market; developing a skilled data workforce; strengthening cybersecurity, data security, and national data sovereignty; expanding the application of the national integrated database; and enhancing international cooperation on data. This strategy signals Vietnam's ambition to accelerate digitalization while maintaining data sovereignty and establishing itself as a regional data hub. This aligns with Vietnam's long-standing goals of enhancing the efficiency of state governance under its one-party system and strengthening the digital foundation supporting its rapid economic growth. Particularly, in the context of increasingly complex relations with China, achieving technological self-reliance and ensuring data sovereignty are considered crucial for national security. Source: Bao Chinh Phu