Science and technology, innovation and digital transformation: The inevitable path for Vietnam's development

From March 1, 2025, the new Party Committee of the Ministry of Science and Technology was established on the basis of merging the Party Committee of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Party Committee of the Ministry of Information and Communications . This congress aims to evaluate the leadership results of the 2020-2025 term and set out directions and goals for the 2025-2030 period.

Speaking at the opening of the Congress, Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung shared the achievements that the Party Committee of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Party Committee of the Ministry of Information and Communications have achieved in the past 5 years, especially the over-fulfillment of targets such as the proportion of digital economy in GDP in 2025 estimated at 20.5% and the contribution of total factor productivity to growth reaching 46.2% in the period 2021-2024.

Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung speaks at the Congress. Photo: Center for Science and Technology Communication

Minister Nguyen Manh Hung emphasized that the 2025-2030 term is especially important: This is the first term of the unified Ministry of Science and Technology; it is also the stage to begin implementing Resolution 57 of the Politburo on developing breakthroughs in science and technology, innovation and national digital transformation (ST&T, ST&T); marking a comprehensive transformation in the second innovation in science and technology and telecommunications; at the same time, it is the first term when the three strategies of ST&T, ST&T are brought together; in particular, ST&T, ST&T will play a key role in realizing Vietnam's aspiration to become a developed country with high income, following the socialist direction.

Science and technology, innovation and digital transformation will form a resonant ecosystem, promoting each other's development, contributing a decisive role in the national development strategy. Science and technology provide the knowledge foundation and technical tools; innovation will transform that knowledge into new products, services and business models; digital transformation creates opportunities to expand the scale of application at high speed and low cost.

Minister Nguyen Manh Hung said that the core goal of fundamental innovation is science and technology, innovation and digital transformation, which must focus on improving national competitiveness, labor productivity, national governance capacity, economic growth, ensuring national security and defense, and improving people's quality of life. Science and technology, innovation and digital transformation must contribute at least 50% to GDP growth.

Science, technology, innovation and digital transformation will address national strategic issues, such as promoting double-digit growth, effectively implementing the two-tier local government model, improving institutional quality, human resource quality, infrastructure, public service quality and products.

The spirit of innovation is the close combination of science and technology, innovation and digital transformation, building a technology - innovation - data ecosystem, shifting from process management to goal and result management, taking enterprises as the center of the national innovation ecosystem, universities as the source of knowledge and the state as the creative and supportive force, connecting the entire population and society to participate in innovation and digital transformation.

In the context of international fluctuations and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Science and Technology has made great strides. The field of science and technology has achieved many remarkable achievements: The national innovation index has increased, with Vietnam ranked 44/133 countries and economies (2024), up 04 places compared to 2022; the number of international publications in 2024 is 22,259, up 22.4% compared to 2020; the rate of enterprises with innovation activities is 38% (2023), up 9.5% compared to 2021 (reaching 28.5%); the national quality infrastructure index is ranked 52 (2023), up 2 places compared to 2020; The rate of international harmonized standards reached 63.6% (in 2024), an increase of 3.6% compared to 2020 (reaching 60%); The number of Vietnamese standards announced reached 14,159 TCVNs (in 2025), an increase of 15.22% compared to 2020; The number of applications/patents reached 1226/308 (in 2024), an increase of 20.2%/121.6% compared to 2020. The field of information and communication technology also made remarkable progress: The postal development integration index ranked 31 (in 2024), an increase of 18 places compared to 2020; the telecommunications infrastructure index ranked 67 (in 2024), an increase of 7 places compared to 2022; e-Government Development Index ranked 71 (2024), up 15 places compared to 2022. compared to 2020; IPv6 usage rate reached 65%, ranked 7th in the world, up 3 places compared to 2020; mobile internet speed ranked 19th in the world and up 41 places compared to 2020; 5G mobile coverage rate: reached 99.6%, higher than high middle-income countries (99.4%)...

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the Congress. Photo: Center for Science and Technology Communication

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also directed 5 key tasks for the Party Committee of the Ministry of Science and Technology in the 2025-2030 term, including: doing well the Party building work, improving the leadership capacity and fighting strength of the entire Party Committee, improving the quality of Party members; reforming leadership thinking, improving the capacity to plan and implement science and technology policies; encouraging diversified investment resources for the fields of science and technology, innovation and digital transformation, especially private investment, developing the national innovation ecosystem; promoting comprehensive digital transformation, developing digital government, digital economy, digital society, modern digital citizens; contributing opinions to the documents of the 14th National Party Congress, contributing opinions to documents and electing a delegation to attend the 1st Government Party Congress.

The Prime Minister affirmed that science and technology, innovation and digital transformation are not only a trend, but also an "inevitable path" for Vietnam to rise up in the new era and become a developed country.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presented flowers to congratulate the Party Executive Committee of the Ministry of Science and Technology for the 2025-2030 term. Photo: Science and Technology Communication Center

The Congress also announced the Government Party Committee's Decision on appointing the Party Executive Committee of the Ministry of Science and Technology, with comrade Nguyen Manh Hung appointed as Secretary of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Science and Technology for the 2025-2030 term.

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/cong-nghe/khoa-hoc-cong-nghe-doi-moi-sang-tao-va-chuyen-doi-so-con-duong-tat-yeu-de-viet-nam-phat-trien/20250817082834195