To make a breakthrough in the digital transformation era, Vietnam needs to clear strategic bottlenecks, make good use of the "giant role" of global technology, international capital flows, cross-border knowledge... But if we stop there, we will forever be in the position of "followers".

According to analysts, the most fundamental and sustainable driving force must still come from internal strength, in which pioneering enterprises - those who dare to take the lead and create trends - are the "triggers" that pave the way for a profound transformation of the Vietnamese economy.

Besides, to develop science and technology, each country needs key factors such as financial resources, high-quality human resources, effective cooperation mechanisms and international integration capacity.

However, in Vietnam, small and medium enterprises often face many challenges when accessing this environment.

Therefore, pioneering enterprises are those who dare to pave the way, choosing to enter new fields, new technologies or business models that have never been seen before in Vietnam. They are often the ones who take the most risks, but also have the potential to create the greatest impact.

These companies are not waiting for a “red carpet” policy, nor are they just waiting for a market to mature. They are the ones who are willing to create the market – setting new standards, pulling the entire supply chain up.

In an innovative economy, pioneering enterprises play a role as "breakthrough spearheads", shaping new directions for entire industries, regions, and even entire countries.

In 1998, at the 10-year anniversary of FPT Corporation, Chairman Truong Gia Binh was quite upset when the software department only had 30 members. "I want to have 1,000 software engineers in front of me and together bring Vietnamese intelligence to the world," he told his colleagues.

Determined to learn from India's successful model, on January 13, 1999, Mr. Binh and his colleagues established FPT Software, a unit specializing in software export, and chose Bangalore, India to step out into the world.

"We failed, failed and failed. We spent 1 million USD and failed", FPT Chairman Truong Gia Binh mentioned the word "failure" 4 times, while sharing about the 25-year journey of "spending 1 million USD, earning 1 billion USD", since carrying the bell to strike foreign lands.

The series of "failures" that Mr. Binh repeatedly mentioned was that FPT groped its way abroad using "industrial" standard models and processes such as ISO or CMM, opening offices in Bangalore (India - 1999), then in Silicon Valley (USA - 2000). These investments cost 1 million USD. This was the corporation's loan capital.

India and the US were just “romantic dreams” for FPT in the early stages of globalization. Unable to find work, the cost of hiring Indian programmers and the cost of rent became a burden. The Bangalore office quietly closed after a year of operation, and the global crisis also forced the Silicon Valley office to close in early 2002.

FPT only really took off when it successfully conquered one of the most difficult markets, Japan, in 2005, and the opportunity came after the 2011 tsunami disaster in this country.

"In the past, FPT always had to proactively seek partners and customers, but now many large customers and partners are proactively seeking Vietnam and FPT. It is time for the world to need Vietnam. Vietnam is becoming a new destination for the world, rising to number 2 in the world in software, just behind India," said Mr. Truong Gia Binh.

FPT today has become a large technology corporation, reaching out globally with a presence in 30 countries, including the most developed markets such as the US, Japan, Singapore, and Europe.

FPT has invested heavily in AI, semiconductors and core technology. From an initial group of 17 employees, FPT's IT service staff for foreign markets has now reached 30,000 people of 70 nationalities. From having no customers, FPT has become a trusted partner of nearly 100 companies in the Fortune Global 500...

Mr. Nguyen Van Khoa, General Director of FPT said: "FPT is aiming for the dream of having one million digital transformation employees. We will continue to focus on key technology areas such as AI, semiconductor chips, automotive technology... to aim for the next billion USD in one industry, one market, one single contract".

Temporarily closing the FPT story, we come to the story of a business considered as the "technology unicorn" of Vietnam: VNG Corporation.

VNG has gone beyond its initial core business of gaming to become a multi-industry technology corporation. Not only stopping at online entertainment, VNG has invested heavily in the fields of platform and future technology.

A typical example is the development of Zalo Cloud, providing cloud computing services for the domestic market, meeting the increasing demand for digital infrastructure.

At the same time, VNG is also promoting research and application of artificial intelligence in its products, aiming to improve user experience and optimize operations. The financial technology (Fintech) sector is also a strategic investment area, demonstrated through the development of the ZaloPay payment platform.

By building and linking business segments from Zalo, ZaloPay, Zalo Cloud to AI and games, VNG is gradually forming a comprehensive technology ecosystem. This ecosystem not only helps VNG diversify its operations, but also aims for a larger goal: creating a separate technology "land" for Vietnam, where digital products and services can develop independently, reducing dependence on giant foreign technology platforms.

Another example, the Military Industry and Telecommunications Group (Viettel) has made a strong transformation, affirming its position as not only a leading telecommunications network operator but also a pioneering core technology group in Vietnam.

Starting its journey with the research and production of telecommunications equipment, Viettel has created a special position in the world by becoming both a service operator and a self-producing equipment vendor, competing directly with global giants such as Ericsson, Huawei, and Nokia.

An important milestone marking technological autonomy was in 2017 with the successful manufacture of the vOCS real-time billing system.

This telecommunications network's "heart" system contains an invention that is exclusively protected in the US, helping to increase processing capacity 5 times and reduce hardware costs by 5 times compared to equivalent systems.

This success has paved the way for Viettel to completely master the 4G network and move towards conquering complex 5G technology.

The big breakthrough came in March 2023, when Viettel cooperated with Qualcomm to announce the world's first 5G base station radio block using ASIC chipsets according to the Open RAN open standard.

This achievement resonated at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023, opening up opportunities to change the telecommunications infrastructure industry, eliminating dependence on proprietary chipsets.

Choosing the Open RAN standard brings flexibility, allowing Viettel's equipment to be integrated with other suppliers, helping the network operator optimize capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expenditure (OPEX). The first export shipment to India at the end of 2023 is a testament to the commercialization potential.

Mastering core technology also brings outstanding advantages in ensuring network security. In early 2023, facing the problem of fraudulent messages from fake BTS stations, Viettel engineers researched and deployed a solution to detect and handle in just 1-2 minutes, much faster and more effective than commercial solutions (requiring 15 minutes) at a significantly lower cost.

This solution not only protects Viettel customers but is also shared with other carriers.

With the spirit of a "soldier", Viettel's research and development team, although only 1% of the size of large vendors, has made constant efforts to master the core components of the 5G network, bringing Vietnam alongside the world in this technological revolution.

Viettel is also investing heavily in other strategic areas such as AI, Big Data, Cloud, and Cyber ​​Security, affirming its determination to transform into a high-tech corporation, creating "Made in Vietnam" products with high intellectual content and international competitiveness.

VinFast has emerged as a unique and ambitious case in the Vietnamese industry, not only manufacturing cars but also creating a comprehensive green mobility ecosystem.

Instead of following a sequential development path through generations of internal combustion engines, VinFast has chosen a bold path of going straight into green technology. This model includes the synchronous development of electric cars, electric motorbikes, battery technology, and the construction of a large-scale nationwide network of charging stations.

Strong investment in infrastructure, typically the plan to cover 150,000 charging ports and the commitment to invest an additional 10,000 billion VND through V-GREEN, shows the determination to build a closed ecosystem, providing maximum support for electric vehicle users.

This approach, from core products to supporting services and energy infrastructure, represents a strategic vision to fully master the green mobility value chain. This is a very "pioneering" and bold step.

Ignoring older generations of engine technology to focus resources entirely on electric vehicles and clean energy solutions is a groundbreaking decision, demonstrating confidence in the future of sustainable transportation.

This approach not only positions VinFast as a key player in the green revolution in Vietnam, but is also a bold effort to put the Vietnamese brand on the world technology map.

In April, at Vingroup’s General Meeting of Shareholders, Chairman Pham Nhat Vuong announced that VinFast’s development strategy has two goals: achieving sales and planting a flag. He said that VinFast has completed its goal of planting a flag in the world when it set foot in the US and many countries around the world.

"Our job is to plant a flag to let the world know that Vietnamese electric vehicles meet world standards. And we have planted the flag, but we have no plans to boost sales in these markets," the Vingroup chairman shared.

He further revealed that the sales orientation will focus on advantageous markets such as India, Indonesia, and Malaysia. VinFast will set up factories in India and Indonesia and promote sales activities and increase sales there.

He said that sales figures in foreign markets will be different from 2026. In the future, foreign markets will be VinFast's main source of sales.

Thaco, a business that started out primarily in the automobile assembly sector, has now made an ambitious strategic shift, rising to dominate the industrial value chain with impressive scale and depth.

Instead of just stopping at the assembly role, Thaco has boldly invested more than 400 million USD to create Thaco Industries and the leading Mechanical Center in Vietnam, laying a solid foundation for the journey from a "skilled worker" to a true "creator".

This Mechanical Center is not just a single factory but a complex industrial complex, including: Mechanical complex, specialized equipment factory, Semi-trailer factory, precision mechanical and mold factory, and electromechanical refrigeration company.

This large-scale investment allows the company to control a closed production process, from the supply of raw materials, steel billets, billet processing, welding, surface treatment, coating, to complete assembly and installation.

A key highlight in this transformation is the mastery of technology and research and development (R&D) capacity.

This center owns a system of modern production lines and machinery imported from industrial powers such as the US, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Korea. At the same time, it gathers a team of experienced experts and engineers who constantly research, improve, and develop new products to meet strict international standards and the specific requirements of each market and user.

This shift does not stop at expanding the company's product portfolio, but also demonstrates the rise to mastery of core processes, from manufacturing basic components, precision mechanics, machine manufacturing, to developing integrated industrial solutions.

This not only meets domestic demand but also helps the company confidently export products and solutions to many demanding markets such as the US, Australia, Europe (Sweden, Finland), Canada, Japan, Korea...

Currently, the company continues to aim to expand its scale, upgrade automation technology, promote localization of auto mechanical components and specialized machinery and equipment, and develop the material supply chain.

This journey affirms Thaco's strong transformation from an assembly unit to a multi-industry industrial corporation with creative capacity, technology mastery and active participation in the global supply chain.

These businesses have innovated not only by investing in technology, but also by mastering processes, upgrading management capacity, and creating sustainable value chains.

The aspiration to escape the middle-income trap and build a self-reliant and sustainable economy is the overarching driving force and has pushed Vietnam to focus on mastering core and strategic technologies such as the semiconductor industry and artificial intelligence.

Mastering these technologies is considered the key to creating products with high added value, enhancing national competitiveness and repositioning Vietnam on the world technology map.

According to analysts, an undeniable advantage is the large domestic market with nearly 100 million people. This is a solid "launching pad", providing enough space for businesses to experiment, develop products, build brands and accumulate initial resources. Successfully conquering the domestic market creates momentum and confidence for businesses to step into the global playing field.

Besides, Vietnam with its increasingly developed information technology infrastructure and the digital transformation process taking place strongly nationwide plays a key role.

It not only helps optimize operations and improve productivity in traditional industries, but also facilitates technology businesses to develop and apply new solutions.

More importantly, the digital platform gives Vietnam the opportunity to "take a shortcut", shorten the technological development gap compared to leading countries, and quickly access the world's latest technology trends.

In particular, the human factor with a generation of young, dynamic, well-trained and internationally-minded business leaders plays a decisive role.

They have great aspirations, innovative thinking, dare to take risks, and invest heavily in research and development (R&D). This generation of leaders is not only sensitive to the global market but also has the ability to connect and cooperate internationally, leading businesses to overcome barriers, including policy challenges or the shortage of highly qualified human resources, to compete fairly in the international arena.

Finally, Resolution 57 issued by the Party and State is like "Contract 10" in science and technology, helping to remove all bottlenecks and creating motivation for business development.

The convergence of these factors: national aspirations, potential domestic market, digital technology platform and visionary leadership team, is creating a strong driving force, helping Vietnamese enterprises become more confident on their journey to the big sea.

In every period of transformation, there are always pioneers, who venture out before the rest. They are the ones who suffer the most when the market is still unfamiliar. But they are also the first to reap success when the wave of transformation reaches its peak.

Pioneering enterprises are not the best, but the ones who dare to go first. And they are gradually building "the shoulders of giants" for the next generation to stand on.

If Vietnam wants to become a dragon, it cannot rely solely on FDI or the global "east wind". Every pioneering enterprise, big or small, is the innovation cell of an economy that can evolve itself. We need to identify them, empower them, and let them pave the way for the future.

Next: Vietnam's science and technology from past challenges to historical opportunities

Content: Bao Trung, Nam Doan, The Anh

Design: Thuy Tien

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/cong-nghe/nhung-doanh-nghiep-tien-phong-dong-luc-tu-noi-luc-viet-nam-20250429093922199.htm