Transforming data into resources

With the goal of having the digital economy contribute over 30% to GRDP by 2026, Ho Chi Minh City is resolutely implementing strategies to clean up, standardize, and interconnect data, transforming this resource into a core growth driver based on science, technology, and innovation.

Shift from “storage” to “service”

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has issued Plan No. 127/KH-UBND on promoting the development of the digital economy in 2026. This is considered a strategic plan to concretize the goal of making science, technology, innovation, and especially digital data truly become the main driving force for growth, improving total factor productivity (TFP). In 2026, the city will focus on creating a breakthrough in the scale and quality of digital economic development, striving for the digital economy to contribute 30% or more to the GRDP, gradually affirming its role as the core of the economy.

At the Ho Chi Minh City Intelligent Traffic Control Center, all data is updated in real time, contributing to socio-economic development. PHOTO: KIM THANH

According to Ms. Vo Thi Trung Trinh, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Digital Transformation Center, data services can become a new driving force for the urban digital economy if the city can shift data from a "storage" state to a "service" (DaaS) state, ready for integration and sharing. Ho Chi Minh City aims to build a data platform and develop a shared data warehouse to optimize resources in areas such as public services, smart logistics, and an international financial center linked to digital assets.

Ho Chi Minh City's roadmap is also very clear: in 2026, focus on standardizing and cleaning core data; in 2027, pilot a data exchange platform; in 2028, connect data across the entire Southern economic region; and by 2030, achieve comprehensive smart governance goals, with the digital economy expected to account for 40% of GRDP…

Simultaneously, the city is focusing on investing in fiber optic networks and 5G/6G with the goal of achieving over 95% 5G coverage; aiming to build a regional data center, a high-performance computing center, a digital twin, and a "super digital port" powered by big data and artificial intelligence (AI)... These are crucial infrastructures to promote the development of digital data, making it a digital resource serving the digital economy.

However, according to experts, there is currently a lack of high-quality baseline data, and data remains scattered and unstandardized. Therefore, the priority now is not only investing in technology but also addressing data governance. For data to become a resource for development, it is necessary to quickly establish a controlled data interoperability mechanism and build baseline datasets that are maintained as essential public infrastructure.

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Data interoperability

According to the National Data Association, the issuance of digital architecture frameworks by Ho Chi Minh City and many other localities is a step towards building an interconnected and secure data system. Decision No. 1293/QD-UBND dated March 5, 2026, of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City on the Data Architecture Framework and the City's Data Governance and Management Framework (Data Architecture Framework)... aims to build a unified data platform to serve the operation and development of the digital economy, digital society, and digital government.

The Ho Chi Minh City Data Architecture Framework establishes a comprehensive data plan to ensure data consistency, synchronization, and interoperability between state agencies in the city and national data systems. This forms a solid data foundation to support the city's leadership in directing and managing operations, developing the digital economy, digital society, and digital government, and providing public services and data services to citizens and businesses.

“The city's data architecture framework is built on seven layers: technology infrastructure; data sources; data integration, sharing, and coordination; data storage; data exploitation and application; data governance and management; and security, confidentiality, and compliance. Notably, the city's data governance and management framework also establishes a framework for data governance and deployment, including governance models, mechanisms for data exploitation and sharing, open data development, and enhancing data governance capacity at agencies and units.”

"At the same time, building a data culture and enhancing data cleaning, standardization, and integration are also emphasized to effectively serve the work of analysis, management, and operation," a representative from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology shared.

* Major General NGUYEN NGOC CUONG, Director of the National Data Center, Vice President of the National Data Association:

Data is moving beyond its role as a supporting tool to become a strategic resource, a new productive factor in the digital economy. More than just a source of information, data today is considered a decisive factor in determining a nation's competitiveness and innovative capacity.

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* Major DAO DUC TRIEU, Secretary General of the National Data Association:

The new era of technological development has given rise to new types of resources, among which data is a strategic resource for the digital economy and national digital transformation. Therefore, enhancing the capacity for data analysis, processing, and management is an urgent requirement for all organizations, businesses, and individuals.

BA TAN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/bien-du-lieu-thanh-nguon-luc-post857906.html