The digital economy drives innovation in growth models.

Vietnam is entering a strategic acceleration phase to successfully achieve its goals of becoming a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income by 2030, and a developed country with high income by 2045.

Technological solutions for electric cars are on display at the National Achievements Exhibition "80 Years of Independence-Freedom-Happiness Journey". (Photo: The Dai)

Vietnam is entering a strategic acceleration phase to successfully achieve its goals of becoming a developed country with a modern industrial base and upper-middle income by 2030, and a developed country with high income by 2045. In this journey, the digital economy is identified as one of the pillars creating new, high-quality productive forces and production methods.

In Vietnam, during the period 2021-2025, the digital economy emerged as a crucial pillar in the National Digital Transformation Strategy, experiencing rapid development across many sectors, especially after the Politburo issued Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on December 22, 2024, on breakthroughs in the development of science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation.

The role of growth drivers

In 2025, the digital economy will continue to make a significant contribution to Vietnam's economic growth, with its value added estimated at 14.02% of GDP, equivalent to approximately US$72.1 billion, 1.64 times higher than in 2020 (US$43.8 billion). The country currently has around 80,000 digital technology businesses, a significant increase from 58,000 in 2020. Notably, the contribution of the digital economy in the service sector to GDP has increased from 6.5% in 2020 to 7.2% in 2025, confirming the initial results of efforts to promote the application of technology and the digitalization of economic sectors.

According to the General Statistics Office (Ministry of Finance), the digital economy is developing both in breadth and depth; the level of digitalization in various sectors and fields is expanding, especially in trade, finance, administrative services, and energy infrastructure. The digital economy has also become a differentiating factor in the growth of many localities, contributing over 20% to their GRDP (Gross Regional Product), for example, Bac Ninh at 46.3%; Thai Nguyen at 29.53%; Hai Phong at 22.28%; and Phu Tho at 22.71%.

It is clear that the digital economy plays a crucial role in shaping modern productive forces, serving as a foundation for Vietnam to prevent falling behind and to achieve breakthrough development and prosperity in the digital age.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also affirmed that developing the digital economy is essential for innovating the growth model, restructuring the economy, and enhancing productivity and competitiveness. However, Vietnam's digital economy currently focuses primarily on digitizing existing industries and sectors, and has not yet strongly shifted towards creating a new growth model. Furthermore, while the digital economy's share of GDP is increasing rapidly, domestic added value remains low, heavily reliant on foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprises and cross-border platforms.

To achieve the goals set out in Resolution 57-NQ/TW, which aim for the digital economy to reach at least 30% of GDP by 2030 and at least 50% of GDP by 2045, future digital economic development must be more substantive, more "deep," and create more added value from groundbreaking innovations.

Digital businesses are the core force.

Based on new production tools such as data, new production machinery such as digital infrastructure, and technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), and digital platforms, the digital economy is a decisive driver of Vietnam's double-digit growth, by promoting the restructuring of the entire economy from production, distribution, and consumption to market organization and corporate governance.

According to Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung, in the coming time, instead of digitizing individual sectors in a fragmented manner, the State needs to play the role of "chief architect" in building an overall structure for the national digital economy. In this structure, digital technology corporations and enterprises will be the strategic production force, undertaking the task of developing the "backbone" of the national digital space, including telecommunications infrastructure, data centers, cloud computing, digital platforms, and cybersecurity solutions…

Technology companies must take a leading role, mastering core technologies from design, architecture, algorithms, data, intellectual property rights, and large-scale deployment capabilities. From there, they can not only provide solutions for the domestic market but also create products that hold a significant position in the global value chain. In this regard, the State needs to create and pave the way through institutions, standards, and ordering mechanisms; developing the digital market to create demand for Vietnamese businesses, helping them gradually grow in the domestic market, then expand globally, becoming large technology corporations capable of competing globally.

Often described as a "lever" for the digital economy, the low-level economy is emerging as a promising new direction for development. This ecosystem integrates both the green and digital economies, encompassing drones or electric aircraft capable of carrying people or goods, thereby forming new economic zones within spaces under 1,000 square meters (or up to 5,000 square meters depending on demand).

Chairman of the Board of Directors of CT Group, Tran Kim Chung, shared: The low-income economy brings many strategic benefits to Vietnam, such as creating enormous added value from new business models; providing tools to address major national challenges such as food security, traffic congestion, climate change response, and national defense; and helping to enhance technological self-reliance.

According to experts, Vietnam has a great opportunity to develop its low-space economy, projected to reach $2 to $3 billion by 2030. To seize this opportunity, Arnaud Ginolin, CEO of Boston Consulting Group (BCG), recommends that Vietnam needs to build a clear and realistic national low-space economy development strategy; promote mastery of core technologies through strategic cooperation; accelerate investment in modern infrastructure and human resource training in robotics, AI, and aviation; and promptly implement pilot models with the direct participation of businesses before expanding nationwide.

VIET HAI

Source: https://nhandan.vn/kinh-te-so-thuc-day-doi-moi-mo-hinh-tang-truong-post939552.html