Vietnam has good improvement in innovation index

The recently released Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025 report by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) shows that Vietnam has many indicators with growth.

The progress that Vietnam has achieved affirms that the Party and Government's development orientation based on science , technology and innovation is correct.

Operating modern machine learning at Da Nang High-Tech Park. Illustration photo: Quoc Dung/VNA

Regarding the Global Innovation Index 2025 Report, Dr. Nguyen Huu Xuyen, Deputy Director of the Institute of Strategy, Academy of Science and Technology Strategy (Ministry of Science and Technology) said: Vietnam ranks first in the world in the index of creative goods exports. This is the first time Vietnam has topped this index. Creative goods exports are one of the indicators of innovative output products in the Global Innovation Index Report.

The higher the index of creative goods exports to total trade, the higher the score and ranking in the Global Innovation Index Report. According to the Global Innovation Index Report 2025 of the World Intellectual Property Organization, Vietnam leads the world in creative goods exports, which shows that Vietnam is not only growing in volume or production value, but also starting to have creative capacity, meaning that products are not only made but also creative, designed, and have identity.

The leading position in creative exports can be seen in the following aspects: Vietnam is gradually reducing its dependence on simple labor and processed products, while increasing the proportion of high-tech products and goods with creative elements, thereby showing the diversification of export products. In addition, the level of creative exports is accompanied by high-tech exports, which shows that Vietnamese enterprises have participated and integrated in the global production chain, aiming at creative design and high quality requirements.

When Vietnam has the capacity to export creative products, it will stimulate the domestic market to invest more in design, research, intellectual property protection, and brand building, which reflects the potential and opportunities to develop endogenous capacity. However, Dr. Nguyen Huu Xuyen commented: The creative goods export index is only an index in the Global Innovation Index Report 2025, which does not reflect the overall innovation strength of Vietnam, especially this index has a high ranking that still depends on FDI enterprises.

In fact, Vietnam's input indicators such as research and development (R&D) capacity, education, high-quality human resources, research infrastructure, etc. have not improved much, ranking 50th in the input group despite increasing 3 places compared to 2024. Therefore, Vietnam needs to have policies to maintain and continuously innovate, especially in the context of countries around the world also promoting innovation, building brands, and protecting intellectual property rights.

According to Dr. Nguyen Huu Xuyen, in the Global Innovation Index Report 2025, Vietnam ranked 44th out of 139 countries/economies and is currently ranked 2nd in the global innovation index in the group of lower-middle income countries. This proves that Vietnam has made efforts to surpass many countries with similar income conditions to demonstrate better innovation capacity, innovation performance exceeding income growth and Vietnam is among the countries that have maintained this achievement for many consecutive years.

This ranking reflects Vietnam's efforts in improving institutions, attracting investment in research and development, developing technology enterprises, supporting innovation activities and creating better legal and policy conditions in promoting the application of science, technology, innovation and digital transformation. However, Vietnam still has a gap compared to upper-middle or high-income economies when indicators such as research infrastructure, patents, high-quality human resources, higher education, and investment in research and development compared to GDP are still low.

To maintain the ranking and move up in the coming time, Dr. Nguyen Huu Xuyen said that Vietnam should pay attention to factors of increasing investment in research and development, especially from the private sector, improving the quality of research in educational institutions and research institutes; increasing the number of international patents; increasing international cooperation and increasing the connection between institutes, schools and enterprises. At the same time, perfecting policies and laws on intellectual property, effectively enforcing intellectual property rights to better protect creative rights, shorten the time to establish rights, handle violations more effectively, promote the commercialization of inventions and creative products.

In particular, it is necessary to develop high-quality human resources, especially in the fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education); design, digital innovation, high technology, strategic technology, creative arts. In addition, focus on supporting start-up businesses, creating a creative business environment, accessing capital, supporting design, brand protection, and accessing international markets.

According to the Global Innovation Index 2025 Report, in the ASEAN region, Vietnam surpassed Thailand to rise to 3rd place, after Singapore and Malaysia. This shows that Vietnam is making good improvements in its innovation index compared to countries in the region that have traditionally been stronger than Vietnam in the past. Surpassing Thailand can increase the confidence of domestic and foreign investors, promoting competition in the region. Compared to Thailand, Vietnam has clearly reflected remarkable results in the transformation and positive impact of state management policies, especially policies on the development of inventions, technology, creative startups, and brand development.

Dr. Nguyen Huu Xuyen said that, along with the Party's important Resolutions, especially Resolution 57-NQ/TW on science-technology development and innovation, which are being strongly implemented, Vietnam hopes to continue to change its ranking in the Global Innovation Index Report 2025. However, whether or not it continues to maintain its ranking depends on many factors.

Vietnam can absolutely maintain its ranking and make further progress if it continues to stabilize and increase the effectiveness of its policies; continues to maintain incentives for innovation, intellectual property protection, improves the business environment, shortens procedures, increases transparency, and puts businesses at the center of innovation. At the same time, it promotes investment in research and development, increases the quality of human resources, develops science and technology infrastructure, and improves the effectiveness of STEM education.

In particular, pay attention to and invest in brand development because Vietnam not only produces under contracts and processing, but also needs to develop creative brands, design creative products based on indigenous knowledge, and develop creative industries. In addition, Vietnam needs to strongly promote the science and technology market, strengthen intellectual property rights and commercialize intellectual assets, especially quickly convert intellectual assets, knowledge, and research results into economic value through innovation.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/viet-nam-co-su-cai-thien-tot-ve-chi-so-doi-moi-sang-tao-20250919160323279.htm