Vietnam - Singapore promote core technology cooperation in the new development phase
On 9 January, Minister of Science and Technology (MST) Nguyen Manh Hung held a meeting and received the Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam, Rajpal Singh.
New development phase, digital ASEAN and requirement to upgrade technology cooperation
During the meeting, Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung emphasized that the growth model based on agriculture or assembly and outsourcing has fulfilled its historical mission, and Vietnam is compelled to shift to a development model based on technological capacity and endogenous innovation.
According to the Minister, this shift entails a requirement to upgrade the approach to international cooperation, particularly with partners possessing strengths in technology and governance like Singapore.
Minister Nguyen Manh Hung emphasized: “Vietnam does not only view Singapore as an investment partner, but as a partner with whom we can combine strengths to create new capacities, jointly targeting regional and global markets”.
From Singapore's perspective, Ambassador Rajpal Singh believed that Vietnam is at a pivotal moment to break through in the new era of development.
The Ambassador appreciated the elevation of the two countries' relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership and the signing of cooperation frameworks on the green economy and digital economy, which have created an important political and institutional foundation to promote substantive technological cooperation.
“We look forward to accompanying Vietnam on this journey, as Vietnam prepares to enter a new stage of development”, shared Ambassador Rajpal Singh.
The two sides spent significant time discussing the pillars of a digital ASEAN, including artificial intelligence (AI) governance, cross-border data flows, and regional digital infrastructure.
The Singaporean Ambassador mentioned three current major priorities for ASEAN: perfecting guidelines on submarine cable repairs, promoting mechanisms for cross-border data flows, and developing a set of common guidelines on AI governance and AI ethics.
Minister Nguyen Manh Hung stated that Vietnam supports the creation of a common ASEAN digital space, but emphasized the principle of balance between integration and sovereignty.
The Minister clearly stated that cross-border data flows must always be accompanied by an element of trust, while noting that promoting the regional digital economy is only sustainable when linked to data safety, security, and respect for national laws.
Ambassador Rajpal Singh also shared the view that common ASEAN guidelines are not intended to replace domestic laws, but play a role in supporting member states to implement policies more effectively.
“The diversity in development levels and policy priorities among ASEAN countries is not a barrier, but can become an advantage if we coordinate well”, Ambassador Rajpal Singh remarked.
Cooperation must go into depth, from semiconductors to digital government
Besides strategic orientations, the discussion focused on specific areas of cooperation with the potential for breakthroughs. Minister Nguyen Manh Hung stated that the semiconductor industry is one of Vietnam's major priorities in the coming period. Currently, Vietnam has many enterprises involved in chip design, but lacks domestic tape-out capacity, causing a fragmentation in the semiconductor value chain. Vietnam wishes to cooperate with Singapore in supporting tape-out for chip design enterprises, moving toward forming a cooperation mechanism with the participation of both governments.
Another focus is the construction of a unified digital government platform. According to Minister Nguyen Manh Hung, Vietnam is aiming to develop a shared government platform for ministries, sectors, and localities, rather than each agency operating an individual system.
The Ministry of Science and Technology expects to implement a pilot in the first half of 2026, considering this an important experimental step before expanding nationwide.
On Singapore's side, Ambassador Rajpal Singh expressed readiness to share experience and provide technical support through GovTech models.
The Ambassador believed that Vietnam could become a suitable testing environment for new digital governance initiatives, emphasizing: “If the model is successful in Vietnam, we can absolutely learn from it and apply it back in Singapore”.
Concluding the reception, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung affirmed that MST is ready to act as a focal point to support Singaporean digital technology enterprises operating in Vietnam.
Ambassador Rajpal Singh expressed confidence that, with the new approach, Vietnam - Singapore cooperation in science, technology, and digital transformation will soon be materialized with substantive results, rather than just remaining at the level of diplomatic statements./.
Copyright belongs to the Vietnam Journal of Science and Technology (VJST-MOST).
