Grab Vietnam CEO proposes 4 solutions to promote innovation and develop digital economy

The report at the 10th Session of the National Committee on Digital Transformation showed that retail e-commerce revenue in Vietnam reached 25 billion USD; the annual growth rate of cashless payments increased by more than 50%, leading Southeast Asia, and Vietnam's e-government development index was ranked by the United Nations in the "Very High" group for the first time.

As one of the pioneers in the digital economy and sharing economy, Grab is not just a ride-hailing app but has developed into a multi-service ecosystem, a super app present in many Southeast Asian countries. The experience of a technology "unicorn" that has been operating in the Vietnamese market for more than a decade like Grab is an important factor in promoting the development of the digital economy.

Mr. Ma Tuan Trong - CEO of Grab Vietnam shared at the event. Photo: Grab Vietnam.

Sharing at the discussion at the New Economic Forum 2025 "Vietnam's economic resilience: From internal strength to global value chain", Mr. Ma Tuan Trong - CEO of Grab Vietnam affirmed: "Grab is extremely confident when looking at the development potential of the Vietnamese economy. That is the reason why Vietnam is always a key market of Grab Group".

This belief is not just words but has been materialized through strategic actions. The CEO of Grab Vietnam said: "Grab has also chosen Vietnam to establish a Research and Development Center in Ho Chi Minh City since 2017, with the goal of attracting and training technology talents to serve the country. These talents not only work on projects in Vietnam but also gain experience and develop skills through projects working with regional engineers."

This investment shows that Grab sees Vietnam not only as a key market, but also as a center for developing high-tech human resources for the whole region. From that practical experience, Mr. Trong shared some perspectives with the hope of helping Vietnamese businesses in the innovation process.

According to Mr. Trong, individual cooperation between enterprises is not enough. There needs to be a deeper connection, including the relationship between enterprises and the State. He explained that innovation cannot be effective and fast without the resonance of strength.

He emphasized: "Only when we cooperate, share experiences, learn, and take advantage of each other's strengths can we launch innovation promotion programs in the most effective and fastest way."

According to the CEO of Grab Vietnam, building a safe testing environment (sandbox) always goes hand in hand with testing, and testing always carries the risk of failure. This is a major barrier, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. The CEO of Grab Vietnam believes that the Government can play a key role in removing this bottleneck by creating a safe and controlled "sandbox" mechanism.

"A safe, controlled sandbox testing environment will help all businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, to confidently test new technologies, feeling that they are doing the right thing and are protected, thereby allowing businesses to confidently keep up with the region's technology trends," Mr. Trong shared.

A representative of Grab Vietnam said that to increase the expansion of innovation, it is necessary to invest strategically in data infrastructure. The CEO of Grab Vietnam affirmed that data is an important asset in the digital age. Investing systematically in a safe and secure data infrastructure system, while having an effective way to apply data, will help to maximize data exploitation and promote innovation faster.

Mr. Trong also noted that data exploitation must go hand in hand with responsibility: "Enterprises need to ensure safety and security to create trust with consumers and the Government."

This proposal is completely in line with the context of the Government strongly promoting the construction and connection of national data, with the number of transactions via the national data integration and sharing platform increasing from 647 million (in 2023) to 1,013 million (in 2024).

Finally, according to the CEO of Grab Vietnam, technology development must be user-centric. In the technology race, businesses can sometimes get caught up in trends and forget their core goals. The CEO of Grab Vietnam emphasized that the success of innovation is determined by whether it solves the real needs and problems of users.

This mindset explains the success of digital platforms in Vietnam. When technology meets the right needs, people are ready to accept it, as shown by the 55.25 million activated VNeID accounts or the access rate of "Make in Vietnam" digital platforms reaching 25.25%.

It can be said that the combination of the Government's policy vision and practical experience from leading enterprises such as Grab will be an important formula for Vietnam to not only maintain its leading position in the region but also rise strongly on the global digital economic map.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/ceo-grab-viet-nam-de-xuat-4-giai-phap-thuc-day-doi-moi-sang-tao-phat-trien-kinh-te-so-10390693.html