Vietnam Pushes for Accelerated Development of National Databases and Strategic Technologies

Vietnam is pushing for accelerated development of national databases and strategic technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and clean energy, as outlined in Resolution 57-NQ/TW, identified as a key engine for realizing the nation's strategic blueprint for its next growth phase. Prime Minister Le Minh Hung stressed the importance of a national digital architecture framework that is unified, shared, and interoperable across the entire political system, from central to grassroots levels. This framework is intended to connect government systems with citizens and businesses, thereby establishing a foundation for secure and sustainable digital services and fostering public confidence in the country's digital ecosystem. Vietnam has also called for enhanced cooperation and the establishment of common regional frameworks for emerging strategic technologies such as AI, big data, space technology, and cybersecurity. The goal is to create a secure digital business environment and improve ASEAN's overall competitiveness. In the semiconductor sector, Vietnam's ecosystem currently comprises approximately 60 chip design companies, around 7,000 chip design engineers, and 166 universities offering semiconductor-related training programs. Initial registrations indicate a demand for the prototyping of approximately 30,000 chips. In agriculture, the Plant Production and Protection Department reported that improved crop varieties have increased yields by 8–15%, depending on the crop, while enhancing farmers' incomes and supporting the restructuring of the agricultural sector. The Dien Bien provincial People's Committee has authorized a controlled pilot program for digital technology-based products and services using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), targeting a flight safety rate of over 99% during the trial period. Experts suggest that Vietnam should move beyond simply using technology to truly mastering AI, semiconductors, clean energy, and advanced materials. They advocate for a transition from a resource-driven economy to one fired by innovation, knowledge, and talent, and for shifting away from cheap labor as a primary competitive advantage towards real technological competitiveness that can lift the country into higher-value global supply chains. Furthermore, the development of a "borderless national intellectual network" is proposed, enabling Vietnamese professionals living abroad to contribute as visiting professors, strategic advisers, research leaders, or co-directors of key laboratories. This model would tap into global expertise without requiring specialists to return home permanently. Drawing from international experiences, experts like Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Le Hung from Gustave Eiffel University note that many countries have invested heavily in cutting-edge technologies but have faced constraints not from capital or human resources, but from regulatory bottlenecks and policy implementation mechanisms. Vietnam is also advised to be wary of the "technology protectionism trap" – investing heavily in products that serve only the domestic market and lack international competitiveness. Strengthening international cooperation is viewed as essential not only for mobilizing research resources but also for enabling Vietnamese scientists to integrate more deeply into global research networks, access advanced technologies, and gradually enhance the country's innovation capacity. Source: VietnamPlus English