ITU Forum 2025: Promoting innovation and digital transformation for sustainable development

With the theme "Innovation and digital transformation for sustainable development", the ITU Forum created a space for connecting the State, businesses and international organizations, discussing solutions for sustainable digital development in Vietnam in the technology era.

On the afternoon of October 28, in Hanoi, within the framework of Vietnam International Digital Week 2025, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) organized the Forum "Innovation and digital transformation for sustainable development". The event brought together many international organizations, experts, managers and technology enterprises at home and abroad to discuss innovation trends in the digital transformation era.

In her opening speech, Ms. Do Quynh Hoa, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation ( Ministry of Science and Technology ) emphasized: "We are living in an era where digital technology not only changes production and business methods but also reshapes the entire society and economy. For developing countries like Vietnam, this is an opportunity to make a breakthrough, but also a big challenge when having to overcome bottlenecks in policy, finance, technology and human resources".

Ms. Do Quynh Hoa, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation, spoke at the ITU Forum.

The Forum aims at three key objectives: Identifying and removing barriers to innovation in the digital transformation process; proposing solutions to create a favorable environment for innovation to develop; promoting cooperation between the State, businesses, research institutes and international organizations to form specific action partnerships.

Mr. Ashish Narayan, ITU Asia- Pacific Regional Programme Coordinator, spoke at the forum.

In his welcome speech, Mr. Ashish Narayan, ITU Regional Programme Coordinator for Asia-Pacific, highly appreciated Vietnam's efforts in promoting international cooperation and developing technology for sustainable goals. Mr. Ashish Narayan said that Vietnam is emerging as a bright spot in the region in digital transformation and innovation.

In his presentation on "Overview of Global Innovation and Digital Transformation", Mr. Ashish Narayan analyzed prominent technology trends, emphasizing the role of GovStack standards in building a comprehensive digital government (Digital Government). At the same time, he introduced the ITU-ASEAN Cooperation Framework on Digital Government, an important initiative to enhance digital capacity and share experiences in the region.

Mr. Dao Trong Trinh, Director of Digital Infrastructure Center, Viettel Group shared at the ITU Forum.

From a business perspective, Mr. Dao Trong Trinh, Director of Digital Infrastructure Center, Viettel Group, shared key factors leading to innovation in the digital transformation process, and pointed out the "bottlenecks" that need to be removed to create a favorable creative environment and sustainable development for Vietnamese technology enterprises.

Dr. Chu Thuc Dat, Deputy Director of the Department of Innovation, Ministry of Science and Technology, presented a paper at the Forum.

Representing the Ministry of Science and Technology, Dr. Chu Thuc Dat, Deputy Director of the Department of Innovation, presented a paper on policies to promote the application of research and development in enterprises, emphasizing the importance of legal corridors and flexible financial mechanisms in encouraging innovation, especially the effective use of state budget resources for R&D activities.

A notable highlight of the Forum was the Open Interactive Session (Innovation Café) chaired by Ms. Akanksha Sharma, Expert of the ITU Innovation Center (India), in coordination with Mr. Ashish Narayan. Here, delegates discussed 4 groups of issues: Institutions, data, digital skills and technology, thereby sharing experiences and proposing solutions to remove obstacles in the practical implementation of innovation in developing countries.

In her closing remarks, Ms. Do Quynh Hoa, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation , emphasized that through the discussion sessions, delegates together identified "bottlenecks" in policy, finance and technology; at the same time, shared pioneering technological solutions, promoting a "community of action" where the State, businesses, research institutes and international partners join hands towards the goal of sustainable development.

Ms. Do Quynh Hoa said that in the coming time, the Ministry of Science and Technology will focus on three main directions: Promoting specific pilot projects such as applying AI, Blockchain, developing digital platforms in priority areas; Creating a regulatory sandbox, allowing testing of new technologies in a controlled environment; Strengthening global resource connections, promoting cooperation between startups, Vietnamese enterprises with investment funds and international experts.

Center for Science and Technology Communication

Source: https://mst.gov.vn/dien-dan-itu-2025-thuc-day-doi-moi-sang-tao-va-chuyen-doi-so-vi-phat-trien-ben-vung-197251028195113975.htm