Ho Chi Minh City targets digital transformation for 100,000 SMEs by 2030

Ho Chi Minh City is setting an ambitious goal to achieve digital transformation for 100,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by 2030, aiming to foster new economic growth drivers as part of Vietnam's national digitalization strategy. The city plans to boost investment in high-tech, high-value-added, and environmentally friendly industries, increasing average investment intensity to US$8–10 million per hectare. Improving credit access for SMEs, which often lack collateral, is a key challenge, with suggestions from university professors to study open finance models based on digital data adopted in other countries. In the digital era, building a strong “digital shield” is essential for SMEs' sustainable growth and their stronger contributions to the national digital economy. As Vietnam accelerates its national digital transformation, every correctly verified mobile subscription builds a more comprehensive and reliable telecom database, laying the groundwork for secure, sustainable digital services and public confidence in the country’s digital ecosystem. Nationally, the Politburo’s Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW identifies science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as breakthrough drivers of national development. In this context, the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 21/2026/QD-TTg has added cybersecurity and quantum technologies to the country’s list of 10 strategic technology groups. Under the country’s 2026–2030 digital economy and digital society development programme, the sector has been identified as one of the priority ones for accelerating digital transformation to improve governance efficiency, service quality, and visitor experiences. All administration agencies from provincial to commune levels are now connected to a dedicated data transmission network, while all villages gain access to mobile and internet services. Vietnam called for enhanced cooperation and the establishment of common regional frameworks for emerging strategic technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, space technology and cybersecurity to create a secure digital business environment and improve ASEAN's overall competitiveness. Vietnam's semiconductor ecosystem now comprises around 60 chip design companies, some 7,000 chip design engineers and 166 universities offering semiconductor-related training programmes. Initial registrations from 12 organisations indicate demand for the prototyping of approximately 30,000 chips. Experts urge that Vietnam should stop simply using technology and start truly mastering artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, clean energy and advanced materials; swap a resource-driven economy for one fired by innovation, knowledge and talent; and ditch cheap labour as its main calling card in favour of real technological competitiveness that lifts the country into higher-value global supply chains. Vietnam should develop a “borderless national intellectual network”, enabling Vietnamese professionals living abroad to contribute as visiting professors, strategic advisers, research leaders or co-directors of key laboratories. Such a model would help tap into global expertise without requiring specialists to return home permanently, according to Assoc. Prof., Dr Nguyen Thanh Phuong of the Department of Information Engineering, Computer Science and Mathematics (DISIM) at the University of L’Aquila in Italy. However, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Le Hung from Gustave Eiffel University (France) noted that many countries have invested heavily in cutting-edge technologies but have failed to achieve expected results. The main constraints, he said, are often not capital or human resources, but regulatory bottlenecks, policy policies and implementation mechanisms. The expert also warned that Vietnam should be particularly wary of what he described as the "technology protectionism trap" - investing heavily in developing products that serve only the domestic market but lack the competitiveness to succeed on the international markets. Information source: VietnamPlus English