However, for research initiatives to yield products with commercial potential, it is essential to concentrate resources, enhance the technological mastery of enterprises, and establish investment mechanisms tailored to specific technology sectors.
Initial progress
As of September 25, 2026, 14 strategic technology projects have been approved. Throughout November and December, the Ministry of Science and Technology will select the lead organisations and sign contracts for their implementation.
Projects with an 18–24 month duration are expected to conclude between 2027 and 2028, while those spanning 36–60 months are slated for completion between 2029 and 2031. These represent the initial outcomes in the implementation of Decision No. 21/2016/QĐ-TTg, which outlines the list of strategic technologies and strategic technology products.
To ensure that research projects deliver substantive results, it is necessary to address ongoing limitations—specifically regarding research capacity, the scale of domestic enterprises, access to long-term capital, and the commercial viability of research outcomes.
According to experts, Viet Nam’s current research capacity and level of technological mastery should be evaluated not only by the scale of production and business operations within strategic technology sectors, but also by the composition of participating enterprises, their positioning within the value chain, and the commercial readiness of specific product categories.
In reality, a significant number of enterprises are engaged in activities related to strategic technologies and products, generating a combined annual revenue in the tens of billions of USD. However, the majority of revenue is generated by foreign-invested enterprises.
According to Nguyen Phu Hung, Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Engineering under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Vietnamese enterprises now have a presence across most strategic technology sectors and have begun to successfully commercialise some of their products.
Nevertheless, the scale of operations remains limited; large-scale production chains or robust, well-recognised brands have yet to emerge. Furthermore, the level of commercial readiness varies significantly across different product categories.
Consequently, for products with a relatively clear market, support should be prioritised for product refinement, trial production, testing, and market expansion. For foundational technologies, it is essential to establish long-term investment mechanisms that account for research-related risks and allow for the concentration of substantial resources.
Professor Nguyen Van Noi from the University of Science, Viet Nam National University, Ha Noi, emphasised another prerequisite: the urgent need to select and prioritise investment in shared research infrastructure—including national-level research centres, testing facilities, and key laboratories, as outlined in Decision No. 1483/QD-TTg.
This initiative aims to optimise the utilisation of equipment and facilities across research institutes, universities, centers, and enterprises, thereby strengthening autonomy in science and technology.
Supporting patent protection for strategic technologies
Another critical requirement is to enhance capabilities in the creation, protection, and economic exploitation of technology-based value. The 2026 Global Innovation Index report by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) indicates that, among the 139 countries and economies included, Viet Nam held relatively high rankings for trademark applications (29th), utility model applications (33rd), and industrial design applications (48th).
In contrast, the country ranks 63rd for patent applications, 77th for international patent applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), and 110th for receipts from the use of intellectual property rights.
These metrics highlight the need to focus on enhancing capabilities to generate technological solutions eligible for patent protection, expanding such protection into international markets, and capturing the economic value of intellectual property rights.
These are also critical requirements for the development of strategic technologies. According to leadership at the Intellectual Property Office of Viet Nam, the country has established a foundational base for research, technological development, and the securing of intellectual property rights within sectors currently identified as strategic technologies.
As of September 14, 2026, there were 1,430 patent applications filed by Vietnamese entities in fields related to strategic technologies. This foundation provided a basis for the expectation that new mechanisms and resources will enable research institutes, universities, and enterprises to further transform research outcomes into strategic technological products.
Given this reality, according to Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Hoang Minh, it is essential to shift from merely assembling products designed abroad toward in-house design, ownership, and commercialisation of technology, the development of domestic brands, and the integration of Vietnamese enterprises into global value chains.
Specifically, to improve the commercialisation of research outcomes, it is necessary to further refine institutional frameworks and develop long-term capital sources. This will enable universities and research institutes to establish spin-off companies based on their research findings and intellectual property.
Currently, the Intellectual Property Office of Viet Nam has initiated tasks to support the establishment of patent rights—focusing on simplifying administrative procedures, promoting the electronic filing and processing of applications, and enhancing digitalisation and the application of information technology throughout the application-handling process.
Furthermore, the Office is providing consulting services, assisting with patent searches, conducting preliminary assessments of protectability, offering guidance on identifying subject matter for protection, and helping with the preparation of patent applications.
In the coming time, the effectiveness of strategic technology development policies should be evaluated not merely by the number of research projects, patent applications, or support programs implemented, but rather by the extent to which technologies are mastered, products are successfully commercialised, and domestic technology enterprises mature.
These outcomes will serve as key indicators for determining how effectively investment resources are transformed into technological capabilities and tangible economic value.
