Vietnam has approved a national digital transformation strategy for 2026–2030, with a longer-term vision extending to 2045.

Alongside accelerating economic growth through data and artificial intelligence, the strategy aims to build a prosperous, secure and people-centered digital nation.

Residents and businesses are its central focus: they are identified as the main drivers of digitalization and its principal beneficiaries.

Vietnam aims to become an advanced digital nation where transformation reaches every sector and becomes a key driver of development. The strategy envisages modern, data- and AI-driven government, stronger domestic capabilities in strategic digital technologies, platforms and products, and reliable protection of national digital sovereignty.

Its objectives are organized around three pillars: digital government, the digital economy and digital society.

Under the digital government program, all administrative processes and associated documents will be fully digitalized by 2030.

The goal is to raise public use of online government services to 99 percent. All ministries, agencies and local authorities will be required to use shared national digital platforms for administration and service delivery.

All government information systems will be integrated through national data exchange services. Shared national, sectoral and regional databases will be standardized, interconnected and made ready for AI use.

The strategy also provides for upgrading all regional intelligent operations centers, using AI for analysis, forecasting, early warning, monitoring and decision support.

An electronic personnel record will be maintained for every civil servant and official, and all staff will receive digital skills training. Specialists responsible for digital transformation and IT will regularly update their technological knowledge. Every civil servant will also receive an AI assistant account and training in using AI tools in government.

In addition, 70 percent of official statistical indicators are expected to be generated from administrative data, reducing the need for traditional surveys.

Vietnam thereby aims to enter the world’s top 50 countries in the UN’s electronic and digital government rankings.

By 2030, the digital economy is expected to account for at least 30 percent of Vietnam’s GDP.

At least 500,000 small and medium-sized enterprises will receive support for digital transformation.

At least five secure, legally compliant data exchange platforms are planned to encourage data sharing and innovation.

E-commerce is expected to account for 15–17 percent of total retail and consumer service revenue.

The strategy also expects 45 percent of small and medium-sized commercial businesses to join major domestic and international e-commerce platforms.

It envisages a sharp expansion in cashless payments, with total transaction value reaching up to 30 times GDP.

To improve productivity and competitiveness, more than 40 percent of small and medium-sized enterprises are expected to adopt model-as-a-service platforms, AI agents or shared AI-based solutions.

To narrow the digital divide, efforts to connect every household nationwide to fiber-optic broadband will be expanded.

At least 95 percent of people aged 15 and over are expected to have accounts at banks or other authorized financial institutions.

More than 70 percent of people aged 18 and over will have personal digital or electronic signatures, while electronic health records are intended to cover the entire population.

Under the program, at least 10 million working-age Vietnamese people will receive basic digital skills training during 2026–2030.

Data designated as a national strategic resource

The strategy defines data as a strategic resource underpinning digital government, the digital economy and digital society.

It calls for a unified national data governance system based on accuracy, completeness, authenticity, regular updates, standardization, openness to sharing, reliable protection and effective use.

Priority will be given to completing and connecting national, sectoral and local databases. Another priority is a unified, integrated national database using AI to support policymaking, government administration and service delivery.

The most important databases will cover population, land, business, finance, insurance, healthcare, education, labor, social protection, civil servants, transport, natural resources and the environment.

The strategy emphasizes accelerating the digitalization, standardization, cleaning and reuse of administrative data to simplify service procedures, shorten processing times, increase fully online services and improve user satisfaction.

Vietnam will also continue expanding shared national digital platforms with integrated AI. These include data integration and exchange, digital identity and authentication, digital payments, digital mapping, management and reporting, AI assistants and open data, together with sectoral platforms serving healthcare, education, trade, logistics, agriculture, tourism and smart cities.

Encouraging a Made in Vietnam digital technology ecosystem

Vietnamese digital technology enterprises are designated as the leading force in mastering and developing technologies and delivering key national digital transformation tasks.

By deploying technology across sectors and regions, they are expected to lead the development of digital government, the digital economy, digital society and the digital technology industry.

The focus is on a competitive Made in Vietnam ecosystem. This includes developing companies specializing in digital platforms, data, AI, cybersecurity, cloud computing, semiconductors, software, digital content and sector-specific digital transformation solutions.

The government also commits to acting as a major customer and core market for domestic technology companies.

Public procurement, government contracts, service outsourcing and regulatory sandboxes will help domestic digital products and services reach the market faster. These opportunities will particularly apply to online public services, shared digital platforms, national databases, cybersecurity, digital healthcare, digital education, digital payments and digital administration.

Digital technology businesses will also receive support for research and development, product design, intellectual property protection, compliance with quality standards, cybersecurity, commercialization and market expansion.

The strategy additionally aims to create domestic digital technology value chains and increase the local value added in Vietnamese digital products and services. Close cooperation among major corporations, small and medium-sized businesses, research institutes, universities, innovation centers, high-tech parks and government agencies will be encouraged.

Source: egov.uz