Minister Nguyen Manh Hung: Vietnam must change operational methods to achieve double-digit growth

Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung recently shared his insights with the Vietnamese tech business community in a context where technology is increasingly identified as the foundation of all sectors, playing a pivotal role in boosting labor productivity and creating the momentum for Vietnam to head toward the goal of double-digit growth.

The Vietnam Journal of Science and Technology respectfully introduces the speech by Minister Nguyen Manh Hung at this working session.

On behalf of the Ministry of Science and Technology, I thank the enterprises that have chosen the most difficult path: developing core technology, products, and platforms - things that must stay ahead of the market and ahead of social understanding. For a country to go fast and far, it must possess a force that dares to enter unmapped territories. That force is the Vietnamese technology business community.

Together, we shall look at how much the world is changing, where Vietnam stands, and who Vietnamese tech firms must become in this new era.

1. Times have changed: Technology is no longer a sector, but a foundation for all sectors

For many years, we spoke of information technology and digital technology as a field. Today, that is no longer true. Technology has become the infrastructure for all socio-economic activities, much like electricity and roads. Many say "AI is the new electricity" to emphasize that AI will permeate every industry just as electricity did.

But there is an even more important point: AI does not just automate work; AI is redefining how value is created. It is shifting the world from the era of "command-based software" to the era of "agentic software" -AI agents that can receive a goal and then plan, coordinate, self-check, self-optimize, and execute tasks. This is a total change of the operating system.

And when the operating system changes, the question is not "whether we use AI," but "whether we reorganize the economy according to AI."

2. Key characteristics of the AI era

I want to share three characteristics that I believe will determine the victory or defeat of nations and enterprises in the next 5 to 10 years.

First: Computing becomes a new factor of production. In the AI age, GPUs, data centers, electricity, and computing infrastructure are not just IT costs, but production capacity. The nation that masters computing possesses higher autonomy in innovation.

Second: AI creates both productivity and inequality if institutions are not redesigned. The IMF warns that AI could impact approximately 40% of global jobs—some replaced, some assisted - and the gap may widen without appropriate policies. This means: AI does not automatically create prosperity for all. Prosperity only comes if we design it correctly so that every person and every business can access new capabilities.

Third: Speed becomes the number one competitive advantage. In the AI era, technology lifecycles are so short that "correct but slow" can lose to "imperfect but very fast." Enterprises, and even the state, must learn to operate in weekly and monthly cycles rather than quarterly or yearly ones.

3. Technology does not create growth by itself; changing operations creates growth

Technology has never automatically created growth. Growth only appears when technology changes operations.

• If you have AI but the process still involves 5 steps, 7 signatures, and 3 rounds of "ask-and-give" mechanisms, then AI only speeds up the old ways.
• If you have data but it is not interconnected, shared, or standardized, then data is merely a warehouse.
• If you have 5G but businesses still sell, manage, and produce as they did before, then 5G is just a wide road where the car still runs slowly.

Therefore, the mission of Vietnamese tech firms is not just to build products. The greater mission is: To help Vietnam redesign the operational methods of the economy. This is something very few tech firms think about or consider their own job, especially their main job. If the state and enterprises see no benefit in using technology, they will not buy it. Benefits only come when operations change; thus, we, the tech firms, must also work on changing the operations of other businesses and organizations.

4. What opportunities does Vietnam have for double-digit growth?

Double-digit growth, when GDP per capita has exceeded 5,000 USD, can no longer rely on expansion. It must rely on productivity. And productivity in this era comes from three things: Digital Economy - Digital Services - High-speed Digital Infrastructure, plus a very strong catalyst: AI.

I propose that we collectively pursue five era-defining missions for Vietnamese tech firms:

Mission 1: Building a national digital stack

The world is talking a lot about "digital public infrastructure". Vietnam also needs a digital utility infrastructure including: identity, payments, data, digital signatures, data sharing, cloud, cybersecurity... so that every business can build services as quickly as assembling Legos. When the foundation exists, millions of small businesses can stand on the shoulders of digital infrastructure.

Mission 2: AI-transforming public sector operations

The state must become the first and largest customer of Vietnamese digital products. Applying AI in public administration is not just for "convenience," but to reduce system costs, increase service quality, and most importantly: create an initial market for Vietnamese tech firms.

Mission 3: AI-transforming SMEs to raise national productivity

If AI only resides within large corporations, growth will not be sustainable. We need to bring AI into medium, small, micro-enterprises, and household businesses, like bringing electricity to every home. Platforms like "AI-as-a-service," "agent-as-a-service," and smart tools for accounting, sales, recruitment, and customer service must become universal.

Mission 4: Exporting digital services and digital platforms

Not just exporting goods, Vietnam must export digital capacity, meaning digital platforms. Digital services, platforms, software, cybersecurity, and industry-applied AI must become a spearhead. We must set the goals of "Make in Vietnam to Lead" and "Make in Vietnam to Go Global".

Mission 5: Building green computing infrastructure

AI will drive a sharp increase in energy and data center demand, and the world is debating fiercely over the sustainability of the data center wave.

Vietnam can develop data centers linked to clean energy, optimizing efficiency, mastering cooling technology, and considering green computing as a national competitive advantage. Therefore, corporate data centers must be green, even considering dedicated Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) for data centers.

5. The State commits to being faster, more open, and commissioning more

The State will accompany you in three directions:

One, institutions moving faster than reality. We will expand sandboxes, increase post-checks, and reduce pre-checks, allowing businesses to test fast, fail fast, and scale fast.

Two, more open data and markets. Public data must become a production resource for businesses, based on the principle of being accurate, sufficient, clean, live, and secure.

Three, larger orders. The State will shift from "calling for participation" to "buying and using." Only when the State uses Vietnamese products on a large scale will Vietnamese firms have the opportunity to mature quickly.

The world is entering a phase where technological capacity determines national position. AI will have a massive impact on the labor market; opportunities and challenges go hand in hand.

In that context, a tech firm is not just a business. A tech firm must be a part of "national capacity".

I hope enterprises maintain three qualities:

• Dare to think big: Don't just make products; make platforms, standards, and ecosystems.
• Dare to move fast: Speed is a strategic advantage.
• Dare to move together: Because one enterprise alone cannot create national technological strength.

If Vietnam aims for double-digit growth, it must change the operational methods of the entire economy based on technology. Technology is the necessary condition. Changing operations is the sufficient condition. And it is the Vietnamese technology business community that is the force capable of turning that sufficient condition into reality./.

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