Viet Nam's digital overhaul starts to deliver: French newswire

French newswire Inforadar has flagged tangible advances in Viet Nam’s digital transformation, citing a rapid expansion of digital infrastructure, improved online public services and the nationwide rollout of digital identity.

The biometric ticket authentication system using chip-based ID cards is officially operational at Ha Noi Station. (Photo: VNA)
The biometric ticket authentication system using chip-based ID cards is officially operational at Ha Noi Station. (Photo: VNA)

In a July 2 article, Inforadar reported that 18 months after the Politburo issued Resolution 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation, Viet Nam has posted encouraging results across multiple key metrics.

The Central Steering Committee for Science, Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation unveiled an initial set of achievements at a national review conference in Ha Noi on July 1.

Viet Nam’s digital transformation has moved past the planning stage and is now yielding concrete outcomes in various areas, ranging from legal fine-tuning and digital infrastructure expansion to the development of digital platforms for citizens and businesses, the article said.

Inforadar noted that Viet Nam has progressively streamlined its regulatory framework to clear institutional bottlenecks while putting in place mechanisms designed to spur innovation and technology adoption. The process has also pivoted from a resource-heavy approach to one focused on practical results, with stricter monitoring of projects’ progress.

On the infrastructure front, 5G now covers more than 91% of the population and all communes and wards have fiber optic connections. Inforadar called the pairing of high-speed mobile access with extensive fiber backbone a critical enabler for expanding digital services nationwide, well beyond major cities.

Those gains show that digital infrastructure has shifted from an investment target to an operational platform underpinning administrative, economic and social activitiess. The next test, Inforadar said, will be extracting maximum value from that infrastructure by scaling shared digital platforms and upgrading services for both citizens and businesses.

On public services, the National Public Service Portal now gives access to more than 5,100 administrative procedures, over 3,700 of which are fully integrated into the system. Separately, 697 administrative procedures and 1,754 business conditions have been simplified.

Centralising public services on a single digital platform has widened access for citizens while boosting administrative efficiency, Inforadar said, while cautioning that Viet Nam will need to further strengthen interoperability between digital systems and safeguard service quality as the volume of online procedures keeps rising.

On digital identity, Inforadar described the VNeID platform as a pillar of Viet Nam’s digital transformation strategy. The national population database is complete, and more than 71 million VNeID accounts have been verified and activated.

Originally built largely as a digital identity authentication tool, VNeID is evolving into an integrated platform delivering a broad range of essential public services. As uptake grows, Inforadar warned, Viet Nam will need to reinforce cybersecurity and personal data protection to maintain public trust.

In its conclusion, Inforadar said the next phase of Viet Nam’s digital transformation will be judged not merely by infrastructure coverage or the number of digital ID accounts created, but by actual usage, the quality of citizens’ experience and how far digitisation simplifies State-citizen interactions. Sustained investment, stronger data governance and the reliable operation of digital systems will be critical to locking in long-term success.

VNA
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