Permanent Deputy Minister Vu Hai Quan analyzed the theme of the National Digital Transformation Day 2025
"Faster" so as not to miss the rhythm of the times, "more efficient" so that each resource maximizes its value, "closer to the people" so that all Vietnamese people can share the fruits of development. That is the comprehensive digital transformation path that we have and will consistently implement, said Permanent Deputy Minister Vu Hai Quan.
On the morning of October 21, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) organized the 2025 National Digital Transformation Day Celebration Program. The event was directly held in Hanoi and online to 34 bridge points across the country. This is the milestone of summarizing 5 years of implementation of the National Digital Transformation Program (2020-2025) and opening a new period of 2026-2030.
Outstanding results after 5 years of implementation
Speaking at the opening of the program, Permanent Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan emphasized the spirit of this year's theme: In difficulties and tribulations, the spirit of solidarity shines even brighter and it is that spirit that will empower us to accelerate the process of digital transformation to be faster - more efficient - closer to the people.
After 5 years of implementing the National Digital Transformation Program, Vietnam has achieved many outstanding results on 5 pillars: awareness, institutions, digital government, digital economy and digital society. Vietnam has initially created a solid foundation for the digital era.
Vietnam's digital infrastructure has developed strongly, the broadband telecommunications network has covered 99.3% of villages; mobile Internet speed reached an average of 146.64 Mbps, ranking 20th in the world; 5G networks have begun to be deployed, covering 26% of residential areas. These figures show that Vietnam's infrastructure is ready for the digital service boom period.
The digital government has made significant progress, with the proportion of fully online administrative procedures reaching nearly 40% — a nine-fold increase compared to 2019. Vietnam’s e-Government ranking, according to the United Nations, has also risen by 15 places compared to the 2022 assessment, demonstrating the practical effectiveness of ongoing reform and digitalization efforts in public administration.
The digital economy continues to contribute more and more. In 2024, the IT industry's revenue will reach about VND 2,772 million billion (equivalent to USD 118 billion), up 24% compared to the previous year. Exports of hardware - electronics increased by 29%. The digital economy has become the main growth-engine of the economy.
Many national digital platforms have been put into operation, from the National Population Database, the National Public Service Portal to electronic identification and authentication infrastructure, creating a platform for people and businesses to participate in safe and convenient electronic transactions.
In particular, institutions and policies on digital transformation have been being increasingly improved, from Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW of the Politburo to the programs and action plans of the Government, ministries, sectors and localities, creating a synchronous legal corridor for the comprehensive digitalization process.
The above results show that the foundation of national digital transformation has been basically formed, from service infrastructure to institutions. According to the Permanent Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, Vietnam is ready to enter a new phase with higher determination and more drastic action. However, there is still a lot of work to be done on the road to digital transformation to really bring a significant impact on socio-economic development and people's lives.
Digital transformation: Faster - more efficient - closer to the people
2025 is a pivotal year, ending 5 years of implementing the National Digital Transformation and opening Phase 2 (2026-2030). In the new period, Vietnam must focus on substance, creating real impacts on the socio-economy, instead of just stopping at intermediate results.
According to the Permanent Deputy Minister, Mr. Vu Hai Quan, the digital world is moving every second. If we are slow, we will fall behind. Therefore, digital transformation needs to be faster - faster in institutional improvement, in strategy implementation, in technology application and especially in changing ways of thinking and doing.
Along with speed, digital transformation must be more effective - measured by concrete results and value brought to people, businesses and the economy. A co-investment in digital transformation must bring many co-benefits. It cannot be measured only by the number of projects or software deployed, but by the real benefits: how many people are better served, how much costs are reduced, how productivity increases, Permanent Deputy Minister Vu Hai Quan emphasized.
Currently, the Ministry of Science and Technology is presiding over the drafting of the Law on Digital Transformation. This draft law is considered the legal "backbone" for the national digitalization process, not a technical law, but a law that coordinates, organizes and creates a unified digital ecosystem.
The Law will focus on 5 major contents: Forming a unified legal framework for the digital nation; Establishing legal mechanisms for the digital economy and digital society; Establishing a national governance structure on digital transformation; Legislation of financial resources and digital human resources; Stipulate the mechanism for periodic assessment and publicity of digital transformation indicators. This will be a foundational step, creating a legal corridor for Vietnam to move towards a modern, transparent and data-driven governance.
Emphasizing that the content of "Closer to the people" is a core focus in this year's digital transformation theme, Permanent Deputy Minister Vu Hai Quan said that being closer to the people firstly means to narrow the digital gap, ensuring that no one is left behind. All Vietnamese people, whether in rural, mountainous or urban areas, must have the opportunity to access digital utilities. Being closer to the people also means that the government serves the people better thanks to technology.
Vietnam is moving towards a smart and gap-free constructive state, where every management decision is based on real-time data, where people are served by a paperless, personalized online public service.
And finally, being closer to the people also lies in building digital trust in society. People only really actively participate in digital transformation when they find it really convenient for themselves, when they have the belief that the digital environment is safe, and people's rights are fully protected.
We believe that the national digital transformation will have great achievements in 2025 and the following years. Faster so as not to miss the rhythm of the times, be more efficient so that each resource maximizes its value, closer to the people so that all Vietnamese people can share the fruits of development. That is the comprehensive digital transformation path that we have and will consistently implement, said Permanent Deputy Minister Vu Hai Quan.
Spreading the image of Vietnamese digital citizens
A highlight at the Program was the visual demonstration "Digital Citizen Journey", which recreates how people apply technology in their daily lives - from payments, healthcare, education to public administration. That image clearly shows the spirit of digital transformation to be "close to the people, easy to understand, easy to do, practical to effective".
After 5 years of implementing the National Digital Transformation Program, the concept of "digital citizens" has become familiar. They are people who use technology and the internet in a responsible, efficient and safe way, contributing to increasing labor productivity and improving the quality of life.
At the Program, the Ministry of Science and Technology also honored collectives and individuals with good, proactive, creative and drastic ways of doing things in the national digital transformation, recognizing their intellectual and enthusiastic contributions to the country's digital transformation process.
At the same time, the Ministry of Science and Technology has also announced the results of the 2024 Digital Transformation Index (DTI). The annual DTI is considered an important factor for reflecting the readiness and effectiveness of digital transformation implementation nationwide./.
Translated by Vietnam Journal of Science and Technology (VJST - MOST).
