Innovation determines the nation's position in the next decade

The National Innovation Day 2025 is not only an important event, held for the first time, but also a call to inspire Vietnamese intellectuals and awaken Vietnam's potential to break through, develop quickly and sustainably in the digital age.

On October 1, 2025, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Science and Technology coordinated with the Ministry of Finance to organize the Ceremony to respond to the National Innovation Day 2025 with the theme "Innovation for all people - Driving force for national development".

General Secretary To Lam, Head of the Central Steering Committee on Science and Technology Development, Innovation and Digital Transformation, attended and delivered an important speech, providing strategic direction for the country's development.

General Secretary To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and delegates attend the National Innovation Day 2025.

The General Secretary emphasized that the National Innovation Day 2025 is not only an important event, held for the first time, but also a call to inspire Vietnamese intellectuals and awaken Vietnam's potential to break through and develop rapidly and sustainably in the digital age.

On behalf of the Party and State leaders, the General Secretary sent the warmest congratulations to the team of scientists, engineers, experts, entrepreneurs, managers, young entrepreneurs and international friends. May the flame of innovation in each of us always burn brightly, thereby constantly opening up new knowledge, turning ideas into value, contributing to building a rich and prosperous future for Vietnam.

According to the General Secretary, the world is moving at an unprecedented speed with artificial intelligence, big data, biotechnology, clean energy, and new materials. Countries that are one step ahead in science, technology, and innovation will have a strategic competitive advantage and will move faster and further, while those who are slow to innovate will be left behind.

Vietnam has no other choice but to consider science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as the top important breakthroughs, the main driving force to innovate the development model, realizing the two 100-year goals of becoming a developing country with an upper middle income by 2030 and a developed country with a high income by 2045. This is not only an objective need but also a command of the times that determines the position of the nation in the next decade. No country can take off with poor science and technology and slow innovation activities.

In recent times, our Party and State have issued many major policies and decisions to continue innovating, reforming and developing the country, especially the Politburo's Resolutions on streamlining the apparatus, political system, and arranging administrative units on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation, national digital transformation in international integration, innovation in law-making and enforcement on private economic development, on ensuring energy security, on education and training development, and people's health care. The general spirit is that we have opened up space to remove bottlenecks and unleash resources for national innovation.

General Secretary To Lam delivered a speech at the 2025 National Innovative Team Festival.

With the determination and drastic implementation of the entire political system, we have achieved some initial positive results. The Law on Science, Technology and Innovation, passed by the 15th National Assembly at the 9th session, institutionalized innovation for the first time, making it a national pillar. Framework conditions for the development of the national innovation system have been formed. The local innovation index applied nationwide in the regional and global rankings of innovation on the Vietnamese startup ecosystem has recorded progress and improved rankings. The most important thing is that digital transformation and the application of artificial intelligence are spreading in production management activities and social life. The startup ecosystem is gradually taking shape with a dynamic generation of startups, and some products and services made in Vietnam are gradually reaching out to the region and the world.

In addition to positive results, innovation activities still have many limitations, institutions and policies have not kept up with the pace of technology development and global trends, and have not strongly promoted innovation in enterprises. The level of mastery of technology, especially core technologies and source technologies, is still limited, venture capital for the early stages of start-up projects has not been exploited, high-quality human resources are still lacking, and risk-averse culture is still severe. These are bottlenecks that need to be strongly and synchronously removed to promote innovation in the coming time.

General Secretary To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and delegates visit the International Exhibition on Innovation at the National Innovation Day 2025.

General Secretary To Lam said that the initial results show that we are on the right track, but the speed of change in the world is faster than our ability to keep up. Therefore, from political determination to implementation, from awareness to action, we must transform faster and more strongly to turn ideas into values, and aspirations into reality. The spirit is to talk less, do more, do quickly, do correctly, and do it thoroughly.

In that spirit, the General Secretary proposed focusing on actions according to six key task groups so that innovation truly becomes the central driving force in national development.

6 key tasks for national innovation

Firstly , unity in perception and action according to the viewpoint that innovation is the cause of the entire people to build culture and innovate for the entire people.

Innovation is not the sole responsibility of the science and technology sector but must be the cause of the entire people and society, requiring the participation of all levels, all sectors, the business community of all economic sectors and all people.

The spirit of innovation must be imbued in all areas, from state management, business production activities of enterprises to movements and practical solutions in the daily life of each citizen. We respectfully honor all inventions, innovations, and improvements, even the cheapest ones, that contribute to improving work efficiency, labor productivity in state agencies and service attitudes.

Improving administrative processes and procedures in businesses is a culture of learning, daring to try, daring to do. In schools, it is critical thinking, STEM, digital skills. In society, it is respecting new ideas and honoring creative examples. In each field, each agency and unit, measurement indicators need to be transparent so that those who innovate better will be better recognized.

Press and media agencies need to promote good people and good deeds, tell real stories, and inspire others, contributing to making mass innovation a culture and driving force for national development.

General Secretary To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and delegates perform the launching ceremony of the National Innovation Day 2025. (Photo: VNA).

Second, innovation must go hand in hand with the solid development of science and technology foundations, enhancing the level of strategic autonomy in national technology, first of all core technology and source technology.

It is necessary to urgently implement the Action Program for developing 11 strategic technologies in the spirit of Resolution 57, clearly defining the roadmap for mastery, especially technologies such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, big data, safety, network security and cryptography, biotechnology, biomedicine, new materials, new energy, electronics, sensors, and robots. At the same time, develop fundamental digital infrastructure such as cloud computing, high-performance computing, 5G and 6G network data centers to increase the domestic ratio in key technology systems, ensuring confident integration without depending on expanding cooperation while still maintaining the country's core competencies.

Third, focus on perfecting institutions and outstanding policies for science and technology development and innovation. It is necessary to urgently institutionalize the Party's policies with clear laws, decrees and circulars with high practicality, focusing on land credit tax incentives for research and development activities for new products and services.

Expand public orders to attract markets for Vietnamese technology. Develop start-up capital markets, venture capital fund mechanisms and financial instruments suitable for innovation, while also strengthening intellectual property protection, data protection and information security, controlling risks without stifling innovation, designing a legal laboratory mechanism SANDBOX for new fields so that new things can be tested, measured and matured.

Fourth , implement the National Strategy on innovative startups, build a national innovation ecosystem that connects regionally and globally.

Each ministry, sector and locality strives to form at least one innovation center, linked with a network of research and incubator accelerators and technology exchanges. The ecosystem must have full links, sources of ideas, research facilities, standardized laboratories for business incubation, a network of legal, financial and intellectual property consultants, angel investors, venture funds and especially domestic, regional and international market outlets.

Closely connect with overseas Vietnamese, international experts, and leading technology corporations to take shortcuts to new knowledge and technology; foster a culture of accepting risks, respecting failure, and having control as part of learning, and encourage startups on digital platforms with products based on artificial intelligence data, biotechnology, and environmental technology.

Universities and research institutes need to promote technology transfer and create conditions for research groups to establish businesses to commercialize research products. The goal is to form a generation of fast-growing technology businesses, gradually creating technology unicorns with Vietnamese brands.

Fifth , effectively operate the three pillars of the creative state, enterprises, centers, institutes, and schools as sources of knowledge. Enterprises must put research and development as a strategic focus and dare to invest in the future. The state is responsible for creating institutions with standard digital infrastructure, open data, and convenient digital public services.

Institutes and schools improve the quality of training, linking research with market demand, encouraging international publication along with commercialization of results. When the three pillars work together harmoniously, knowledge materials will flow into the value production machine, creating productivity of new competitive strength for the whole economy.

Innovation needs to spread and permeate all areas of social life and the economic sector. The state needs to create institutions to ensure fairness, protect intellectual property rights, invest in digital infrastructure, and pave the way for breakthrough innovation to bring new value or solve previous persistent problems.

Enterprises become the center of innovation, where ideas are turned into products, knowledge is turned into value, and technology is turned into competitive power.

Experts, researchers, and scientists are the torch that lights the way, dedicating themselves to contribute, bringing knowledge to serve the Fatherland, putting the national interests of the nation above personal interests. Focusing on research to be able to be strategically autonomous in core technology, strategic technology, supporting businesses, public service systems, applying science and technology in socio-economic development and serving the people, responding to new production and new development environments.

The young generation nurtures great aspirations, dares to dream, dares to start a business, dares to take risks, considers innovation to contribute to the country's development as an ideal in life, must be brave, pioneers, and pave the way into the vast sky of science, technology, and engineering that lies ahead.

Farmers, workers, laborers , the large and direct production force proactively grasps and equips knowledge, skills, and tools to improve production, turning every drop of sweat into greater value for the country. Machinery and production labor equipment are not only the end tools for workers, but workers can improve and create new generation versions, more efficient and better.

Overseas Vietnamese forces Representing the intelligence and national character of people across the five continents, be a bridge of knowledge, technology, and resources, contributing to building the Fatherland, and be a force connecting the great circle between the inside and the outside.

International friends, share knowledge and experience and together with Vietnam, innovate and popularize new technology and advanced models, while expanding connections and the innovation ecosystem globally.

Sixth, linking innovation with sustainable development and international integration.

Every innovation must solve social problems, increase productivity but reduce emissions, increase area but ensure data security, grow rapidly but leave no one behind.

The system of standards and regulations needs to be updated in the direction of international practices, taking advantage of new generation free trade agreements to improve product and service quality management standards, build and promote the Vietnamese innovation brand Vietnam Innovation associated with the image of a dynamic, trustworthy Vietnam, rich in cooperation potential, proactive in science and technology diplomacy, attracting strategic investors, research and development centers of large corporations, organizing international events that contribute to promoting Vietnamese enterprises to participate more deeply in the global value chain. A strong brand will attract resources and quality, creating a strong effect for the Vietnamese innovation ecosystem.

The General Secretary affirmed that the spirit of smart and creative labor is the endless source of our nation since the founding of the country, helping us turn difficulties into opportunities, turn potential into strength, overcome countless difficulties and challenges to have the potential and position we have today. Nothing can prevent Vietnam from developing richly and prosperously.

The National Innovation Day is not simply an event, a workshop or a movement activity, but must identify the spirit of taking action to bring value regularly, practically and sustainably.

Innovation is not the destination of a nation, but must be a process of improvement that is repeated over and over again, without stopping. The origin of that process is the spirit of daring to think of extraordinary things, daring to do the most difficult things, daring to take responsibility before the people and history, daring to break through to open up paths that have not been touched by humans.

The General Secretary called on all cadres, civil servants, public employees, workers, farmers, engineers, teachers, doctors, armed forces soldiers, the elderly, students and all Vietnamese people at home and abroad to uphold the spirit of patriotism and constantly innovate in daily work.

Each civil servant improves the process, each teacher innovates the method, each engineer writes more code, each entrepreneur ventures into the market, each young person dares to challenge his own responsibility. Let each person have a useful idea, each agency a specific improvement, each locality a leading product so that the whole country becomes a vibrant, creative innovation ecosystem.

Let's turn challenges into opportunities, ideas into values, aspirations into reality, and bring the country to prosperity and development in the new era.

Center for Science and Technology Communication

Source: https://mst.gov.vn/doi-moi-sang-tao-quyet-dinh-vi-the-cua-dan-toc-trong-thap-ky-toi-197251003120927081.htm