Vietnam's impressive rise on the global innovation map

(Dan Tri) - Science and technology, innovation and digital transformation form a resonant ecosystem, promoting each other's development and playing a key role in the national development strategy.

This is the content stated by Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung at the 1st Congress of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Science and Technology, term 2025-2030. The Congress took place on the afternoon of August 16.

Attending the Congress were Comrade Pham Minh Chinh, Politburo member, Secretary of the Government Party Committee, Prime Minister; Comrade Nguyen Chi Dung, Party Central Committee member, Deputy Prime Minister; along with comrades of the Party Central Committee, leaders of central and local departments, ministries, branches.

Meet and exceed targets

Minister of Science and Technology (MOST) Nguyen Manh Hung delivered the opening speech at the congress (Photo: Organizing Committee).

Looking back on the 5-year journey of implementing the Resolution of the Party Congress of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Party Congress of the Ministry of Information and Communications, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung affirmed that, basically, the set targets have been completed and exceeded.

Science and technology (S&T) has made an important shift towards innovation. Post and telecommunications infrastructure (PTI) has shifted to digital infrastructure and become the infrastructure of the economy, becoming strategic infrastructure like electricity and transportation infrastructure.

"The application of information technology has transformed into digital transformation. The above three changes have created the foundation for a breakthrough development period for the country," Minister Hung emphasized.

According to the report at the Congress, on the global innovation map, Vietnam has impressively increased its ranking with 5/7 pillars increasing in rank, of which infrastructure increased by 14 ranks and market development level increased by 6 ranks.

In 2024, Vietnam will be among the top 10 countries in terms of labor productivity growth, number of mobile applications, and ratio of business R&D expenditure. In 2024, Vietnam's innovation index will rank 44/133 economies, up 4 places compared to 2022.

The number of international publications increased by 22.4% compared to 2020; In 2023, 38% of enterprises had innovation activities, an increase of 9.5% compared to 2021. The startup ecosystem ranked 55th in the world, with total capital raised by startups reaching 3.45 billion USD in 5 years.

In 2024, Vietnam successfully auctioned 5G frequencies for the first time, increasing the total mobile frequency band to 660 MHz by 2025, an increase of 94% compared to 2020.

The telecommunications infrastructure index ranked 67th out of 193 countries, up 7 places compared to 2022. Vietnam's mobile and fixed Internet speed ranked 19th in the world, up 41 and 40 places respectively compared to 2020.

The congress took place on the afternoon of August 16 (Photo: Organizing Committee).

The fiber optic broadband subscription rate per 100 people reached 23.1%, far exceeding the global average of 14%. 4G mobile coverage reached 99.8% of the population, higher than the average of developed countries in the world at 99.5%.

As of June 2025, network operators have deployed a total of 12,263 5G broadcasting stations nationwide. The population coverage rate of 5G reached 26%.

Vietnam also affirmed its leading position in the world in new generation Internet connection, with IPv6 usage reaching 65%, ranking 7th globally, up 3 places compared to 2020.

Regarding national digital transformation and digital government, the e-Government Development Index in 2024 increased by 15 places after only 2 years, ranking 71st globally. In the field of information security, in 2024, Vietnam ranked 17th out of 194 countries in the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) of the International Telecommunication Union - ITU.

Vietnam is in the "Model" group, up 8 places compared to 2020 and ranked 4th in Southeast Asia.

The digital technology industry continues to grow strongly. In 2024, its scale will reach 158 billion USD, an increase of 26% compared to 2020. The hardware and electronics industry will become Vietnam's largest export industry, with a turnover equivalent to about 30% of GDP.

Vietnam ranked 7th globally in the Services Location Index, making it the top software outsourcing destination in Asia.

Comprehensive digital transformation for all people

According to Minister Hung, in the coming time, science and technology will focus on mastering strategic technologies and products.

Innovation must bring science and technology to touch, change and solve practical problems in Vietnam, form the spirit of innovation among all people, make innovation a way of life and lifestyle of all people and organizations, and form a startup nation based on digital technology and innovation.

Postal infrastructure is transformed into logistics infrastructure and becomes a national essential infrastructure, ensuring physical flow in addition to data flow.

Telecommunications infrastructure converted into digital infrastructure, serving national digital transformation, must ensure universality, ultra-wide bandwidth, ultra-large capacity, green, open, smart, safe and sustainable.

Developing the CNS industry into a foundational and spearhead industry, mastering core technology, ensuring digital sovereignty and becoming the driving force for national digital transformation. Comprehensive digital transformation for the development of CPS, KTS and XHS.

Standards are the orientation for national development, regulations create national protection barriers; Intellectual property is the lever to increase intangible assets and national competitiveness; Atomic energy is the strategic foundation to ensure energy security and improve the level of national science and technology," Minister Hung emphasized.

According to Minister Nguyen Manh Hung, the spirit of innovation is to closely link science and technology, innovation and digital transformation, forming an ecosystem of technology - innovation - and data, shifting from process management to goal and result management.

Vietnam also affirms its leading position in the world in new generation Internet connection (Photo: Getty).

It is necessary to take enterprises as the center of the national innovation ecosystem, institutes and schools as the source of knowledge and the state as the creator and supporter, connecting the whole people and the whole society to participate in innovation and digital transformation.

According to the Minister of Science and Technology, this Congress has a particularly important responsibility: to deeply and objectively summarize the past term; to correctly assess the context and development requirements; to determine goals, directions, tasks, and solutions that are strategic, innovative, and feasible.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc/viet-nam-tang-hang-an-tuong-tren-ban-do-doi-moi-sang-tao-toan-cau-20250816174940673.htm