According to the assessment of the National Data Association, if two decades ago, the mettle of Vietnamese entrepreneurs was measured by intuition, experience and relationships, then today in the digital age - the new measure of success is the ability to master data.
Data is not just a tool, but a strategic energy, a fuel source for businesses to go faster, go further, and go more accurately in the journey of global integration. From here, data becomes a new “language” that shapes modern business thinking.
When data speaks
In the first 9 months of 2025, 231,337 enterprises entered and re-entered the market, an increase of 26.41% compared to the same period in 2024. In the third quarter of 2025 alone, this number reached 97,347 enterprises, an increase of more than 54% compared to the same period.
In particular, June 2025 recorded more than 24,000 newly established enterprises, reaching a record high. The sectors with the most impressive growth rates include education and training, up 63.93%; finance-banking-insurance, up 57.85%; agriculture, forestry and fisheries, up 55.39%; manufacturing and processing industry, up 48.78%; science, technology and professional services, up 47.28%.
These numbers are not only a sign of recovery, but also a sign of confidence, affirming that Viet Nam’s business investment environment is increasingly strong.
More importantly, behind these numbers is a profound movement: businesses are gradually realising the true power of data in every business decision.
Experts from the National Data Association have believed that as the Vietnamese economy transforms strongly in the digital age, Vietnamese entrepreneurs are entering a new phase, where success is no longer determined by capital size or market expansion speed, but by information and knowledge management capacity.
Reality has shown that today, every investment decision, every marketing campaign, every business strategy needs to be guided by data. Vietnamese entrepreneurs are not only “doing business”, they are mastering knowledge, creating the future with data.
Policy to “awaken” business data
One of the breakthrough innovations is Resolution No.68-NQ/TW dated May 4, 2025 of the Politburo on private economic development, paving the way for the private sector to develop based on science, technology, innovation and digital transformation. Thanks to that, Viet Nam’s economy continues to grow positively. GDP in the third quarter of 2025 reached 8.22%, an impressive increase in the context of the world still facing many uncertainties.
However, behind the encouraging numbers, there is still a big challenge. According to research by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), most domestic enterprises have not yet formed a data culture, mainly making decisions based on intuition or personal experience.
Many businesses only apply technology in a few separate departments, causing data to be fragmented and unconnected. Data exists, but is not standardised, integrated or analyzed to create value, turning it into a “dead asset”.
Therefore, the story is not just about having data, but knowing how to awaken, organise and turn data into strategic assets.
Practical lessons show that: “IA must come before AI” means that there must be a unified information architecture (IA) before deploying advanced technologies such as AI, Big Data or predictive analytics… Without a data platform, businesses find it difficult to operate intelligently; without internal data, businesses will forever depend on external platforms and cannot shape their own digital identity.
From data to action
Data is considered the new energy of entrepreneurial thinking. Specifically, a successful entrepreneur in the digital age is someone who can read data like reading people, understanding the needs behind behaviour; connecting data like a neural network, linking financial, production, customer, logistics sectors...; turning data into action because data has no value if it is not transformed into decisions...
Many pioneering Vietnamese enterprises have demonstrated that. Typical examples include: Viettel building a data ecosystem to serve socio-economic development; FPT pioneering the creation of a “big data lake” (Data Lake) to support AI enterprise; Momo processes millions of transactions per day using a user data analysis system...
These success stories have proven one thing: data is not only a competitive advantage, but also a “core competency” in the digital age.
In the context of the global restructuring of the value chain, Vietnamese entrepreneurs need to shift from “running fast” to “running smart”. This is a paradigm shift in thinking, from instinct to data, from experience to evidence, from emotion to science.
The National Data Association believes that, to do that, businesses need to build endogenous data, master their own data sources; apply artificial intelligence and predictive analysis, support strategic decision making; train human resources to know how to tell stories with data, form a data culture throughout the organisation; connect business-state-community data, create a transparent and trustworthy ecosystem...
