Digital economy could reach 39 billion USD by 2025

VTV.vn - Vietnam's digital economy is expected to reach 39 billion USD by 2025, continuing to be among the fastest growing in the region.

On the morning of December 3, speaking at the Industry and Trade Digital Transformation Forum 2025, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan emphasized that Vietnam's digital economy is continuing to improve significantly and becoming a new pillar to help improve productivity, expand markets and increase the resilience of the economy. Retail e-commerce is forecast to exceed the 25 billion USD mark and continue to be the main pillar of the Internet economy.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan

The Deputy Minister pointed out that the Government has identified 2025 as the year to accelerate the implementation of Resolution 57 on digital transformation, with the consistent view that digital transformation is an important driving force to develop the productive forces and enhance national competitiveness. The year 2025 requires the industry and trade sector to innovate more strongly and comprehensively to take advantage of opportunities from dual transformation - digital transformation and green transformation.

Reporting on “Orientation for digital transformation of the Industry and Trade sector by 2026”, Mr. Hoang Ninh, Deputy Director of the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy , Ministry of Industry and Trade, affirmed that digital transformation continues to be identified as a strategic task, closely linked with green transformation and sustainable development, and at the same time is an important driving force to promote comprehensive restructuring of the Industry and Trade sector by 2030.

Mr. Hoang Ninh, Deputy Director of the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy, Ministry of Industry and Trade

In the development of the digital economy, Mr. Hoang Ninh said that e-commerce continues to be the main growth driver with the B2C scale in 2024 reaching about 25 billion USD, accounting for 10% of total retail sales of goods and consumer services. Digital transformation in industry - smart manufacturing recorded many positive signals with the IIP index increasing by 8.4% - the highest level in 5 years; about 90% of processing - manufacturing enterprises have partially deployed digital solutions; 35% applied robots and sensors in production; and 10-12% reached the level of smart factory 3.0.

Mr. Ninh also emphasized that Vietnam's digital economy is expected to reach 39 billion USD by 2025, continuing to be among the fastest growing in the region; more than 40 AI startups have attracted 123 million USD in private capital; 81% of users interact with AI daily and 96% expressed trust in AI agents.

“Safety first – transformation later”

Regarding the digital transformation process, at the forum, Ms. Nguyen Nhu Quynh, Co-founder and Operations Director of the Anti-Fraud Organization, assessed that as the Industry and Trade sector promotes digitalization on a comprehensive scale, the risk of cyber attacks also increases accordingly, especially with high-tech crimes such as online fraud, fake email/partner information to change payment terms (BEC), attacks on industrial operating systems and cross-border trade fraud.

As AI technology rapidly develops, new forms of attack such as automated phishing and real-time deepfakes – from voice-spoofing to fake images and videos of leaders – make the risks more serious and directly target humans, the most vulnerable link in the cybersecurity system.

To respond, Ms. Quynh recommends that businesses need to build an active defense system, apply a multi-layered defense model including infrastructure, data and people; apply AI in cybersecurity to monitor and warn of abnormalities early. At the same time, strengthen public-private cooperation to share data, experience and attack models.

Improving human capacity through regular training, practical simulation and building a culture of “safety first – transformation later” is considered the key to ensuring that businesses can implement sustainable digital transformation. According to Ms. Quynh, information security is not only a technical issue but must become a core management capacity of businesses in the digital age.

Source: https://vtv.vn/kinh-te-so-co-the-dat-39-ty-usd-nam-2025-100251203141502024.htm