The Politburo’s Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation identifies data as a key production resource and a central driver for rapid and sustainable development. In parallel, the National Assembly’s issuance of the Law on Data, along with related legislation such as the Law on Digital Technology Industry, the Law on Personal Data Protection, and the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation, as well as guiding decrees from the Government, has helped establish a comprehensive legal framework for data governance, utilisation, and protection.
This legal framework not only facilitates the development of a data market and promotes data sharing among the State, businesses, and society, but also ensures information security and safeguards the legitimate rights of citizens and enterprises.
In practice, Viet Nam has accelerated the development of an integrated national database system in 2025, with the national population database—managed by the Ministry of Public Security—serving as its core. This system is not only a tool for administrative management but also a strategic platform to enhance national competitiveness in the digital era.
Beyond that, sectors such as e-commerce, digital finance, digital healthcare, and digital education are increasingly built upon electronic identification systems to verify users, prevent fraud, and strengthen market trust. When leveraged through advanced technologies like AI and Big Data, data generates significant added value, becoming a vital “resource” for innovation, enabling the creation of new products and services, and directly contributing to economic growth.
Notably, the implementation of Prime Minister’s Decision No.06/QD-TTg on approving the national project on developing population data, identification, and electronic authentication applications for digital transformation (during the 2022–2025 period, with a vision to 2030) has marked a clear turning point.
According to the Ministry of Public Security, the national population database has collected data on approximately 107 million citizens, connected with 15 ministries, sectors, and 34 localities, and processed more than 2.1 billion authentication requests. The VNeID application has reached around 67 million user accounts, integrating 50 utilities. Meanwhile, the National Public Service Portal provides about 4,700 administrative procedures and processed 11.5 million online applications in 2025, saving over 4 trillion VND (151.7 million USD) in social costs.
VNeID alone has supported the disbursement of approximately 33 trillion VND (1.25 billion USD) in social welfare payments to 675,000 citizens. These results affirm that accurate, standardized, and regularly updated data serves as a foundational pillar for governance, enabling the development of a transparent, efficient, and interconnected digital society.
From a local perspective, Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People’s Committee Ho Quang Buu noted that the city has prioritised unlocking public data as a central mission. As a result, information on urban planning, land, and the environment has been made public and transparent, supporting monitoring, access, and the development of practical applications such as disaster prevention systems, epidemiological mapping, and healthcare data platforms. Building on this foundation, in the 2026–2030 period, Da Nang aims to develop an open data portal not only as a technological solution but also as a new governance model and a key driver of economic growth.
It can be affirmed that data is a critical driver of growth and competitiveness in the digital era. However, Viet Nam is still in the early stages of building a data-driven economy, largely relying on the national population database. Limitations such as incomplete digital infrastructure, the lack of unified governance mechanisms, and insufficient strategic investment remain significant barriers, preventing data from fully becoming a powerful engine for growth.
Major General Nguyen Ngoc Cuong, Director of the National Data Centre, noted that among the 12 key databases under Decision No.02/QD-TTg, eight have yet to develop shared platforms or remain at a low level of completion. This highlights a persistent paradox: “having data but lacking living data.” At the same time, another gap of “having platforms but lacking an ecosystem” remains evident.
Although the VNeID application has reached approximately 67 million users, it has yet to evolve into a fully-fledged “super platform” capable of delivering seamless user experiences. Mechanisms to leverage data from the National Data Centre for innovation, particularly through public–private partnerships, remain limited. Data incubation initiatives and the development of a data industry are still in their infancy. More importantly, Viet Nam has yet to clearly define a national data economy model and continues to explore an appropriate development pathway.
Among the 12 key databases under Decision No.02/QD-TTg, eight have yet to develop shared platforms or remain at a low level of completion. This highlights a persistent paradox: “having data but lacking living data.
Major General Nguyen Ngoc Cuong, Director of the National Data Centre
Reiterating this reality, Major General Nguyen Ngoc Cuong stressed the need to promptly remove existing bottlenecks. A key priority is the formulation of a Politburo resolution on developing the data economy. In parallel, it is necessary to build an open data ecosystem to support businesses and innovation, and to upgrade VNeID into a national digital super platform, serving as a seamless hub connecting the State, enterprises, and citizens, rather than remaining merely an identification application.
Alongside this, it is essential to roll out a strategy for the development of digital citizens, supported by sufficiently strong incentive mechanisms, in order to address the human resource challenge of the digital society. At the same time, the national data architecture framework must be refined and effectively implemented, providing a foundation for ministries, sectors and localities to build synchronised and unified data architectures.
Emphasising the need to further improve the national legal framework on open data, Vice Chairman of Da Nang People’s Committee Ho Quang Buu proposed that the Government, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Public Security should promptly promulgate a National Open Data Strategy along with detailed technical guidelines. This would establish a clear legal and technical basis for local authorities in publishing and reusing data. In addition, greater efforts are needed to promote the application of new technologies in data governance. The Ministry of Science and Technology should issue technical standards for open data portals, including data formats, levels of granularity and update frequency, ensuring the principles of “accurate, sufficient, clean and live” data, and enabling consistent and unified use.
To effectively build an open data ecosystem serving businesses and innovation, the Ministry of Public Security is currently advising on the development of a decree providing breakthrough mechanisms for innovation activities in data exploitation from innovation incubators, as well as the utilisation of data from the National Data Centre. It is envisaged as an incubator offering comprehensive support to enterprises, including infrastructure, investment connectivity and professional consultancy, thereby facilitating start-ups and the commercialisation of products.
This model has proven successful in Singapore and Estonia, and is expected to help Viet Nam develop multi-billion-dollar data industries, contributing directly to the digital economy, which is projected to account for 30% of GDP by 2030.
