General Secretary and State President To Lam asserted above at the conference evaluating the first 18 months of implementing the Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation, and national digital transformation.
Looking back on the country's 40 years of reform (1986–2026), particularly in the field of science and technology, the milestones achieved during the past 18 months of nationwide efforts to promote science, technology, and innovation are monumental. Over the past four decades of reform, the Party and the State have promulgated numerous pivotal guidelines and resolutions to propel science and technology. Among these was the Resolution of the 2nd Plenum of the 8th Party Central Committee in 1996, the first foundational document to identify science, technology, and education and training as the country's "top national policy".
Since 2000, science and technology have continued to receive unwavering support through the institutionalisation of the Party's policies into a comprehensive legal framework. This includes Resolution No. 20-NQ/TW, dated November 1, 2012, of the 11th Party Central Committee on the development of science and technology to support industrialisation and modernisation in the context of a socialist-oriented market economy and international integration. Other seminal documents include Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW, dated November 17, 2022, adopted at the 6th Plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee on promoting industrialisation and modernisation to 2030, with a vision to 2045; Resolution No. 45-NQ/TW of the 8th Plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee on building and promoting the role of intellectuals to support the country's rapid and sustainable development in the new period; and the Politburo’s Conclusion No. 69-KL/TW, dated January 11, 2024, reviewing 10 years of implementing Resolution No. 20-NQ/TW, which acknowledged that science, technology, and innovation had yet to fully realise their role as the country's top national policy. Most notably, Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, issued by the Politburo on December 22, 2024, represents a landmark policy document released at a crucial time as Viet Nam prepared to review 40 years of reform (1986–2026).
Although 18 months is not long enough to forge extraordinary triumphs, the entire political system has been steadfastly pursuing the goal of making science and technology the central driving force of the country's new growth model. Breakthroughs in science, technology, and innovation cannot rely solely on financial investment or slogans; they must begin with institutional and a paradigm shift in management.
The conference reviewing the first 18 months of implementing Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW also frankly pinpointed existing bottlenecks and highlighted many urgent and important tasks that demand resolute and sustained efforts across the political system. Without decisive action, Viet Nam risks lagging behind and missing valuable opportunities, as science and technology continue to evolve rapidly and competition intensifies every day, even every hour. Once robust institutions and solid foundations are in place, achieving further breakthroughs will depend heavily on people and on translating determination and policy goals into concrete action.
To achieve tangible and sustainable results, it demands perseverance in tackling long-standing internal challenges that cannot be remedied overnight. One major issue is the escalating deficit of hi-tech human resources, while demand from society continues to rise and cannot be met immediately. The policy of conducting scientific research while accepting risks is also an crucial dimension that requires practical experience to prove and clarify related issues. It also necessitates coordination, consensus, and mutual trust between the state, scientists, and businesses, along with strong innovative policies in research and empowering autonomy.
To make science, technology, and innovation the driving force of the country, we have been resolute in reforming mechanisms, vigorous in implementation, systematically eradicating the culture of shifting responsibility, but we also need to persistently cultivate and build Viet Nam's scientific and technological strength and innovative fortitude.
