General Secretary Tô Lâm (middle), Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính (second right) and Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Chí Dũng (left) visit an exhibitor's booth at the event on Wednesday's morning.— VNA/VNS Photo

By Ly Ly Cao

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s top leaders have declared that the nation’s long-term prosperity depends on its ability to embrace innovation and digital transformation, urging State agencies, businesses and citizens to turn ambitious visions into concrete action.

The call came at the National Innovation Day event held at Hòa Lạc High-Tech Park on October 1, where senior leaders gathered under the theme 'Innovation for All – The Nation’s Development Engine.'

General Secretary Tô Lâm, who also chairs the Central Steering Committee for Science, Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation, set the tone in his keynote address, framing innovation as both a necessity and an opportunity for Việt Nam’s next stage of development.

According to the General Secretary, Việt Nam can no longer rely solely on traditional growth drivers but must treat science, technology and creativity as decisive levers.

"Việt Nam has no alternative but to consider science, innovation and digital transformation as decisive breakthroughs in changing its development model," he said.

He stressed that innovation must not remain confined to laboratories or high-tech zones but should permeate state management, production processes and daily life.

"Innovation is not merely the task of the science-technology sector but the cause of all people, of the whole society. The spirit of innovation must be imbued in every sphere, from state management and business processes to everyday life," he said.

His remarks highlighted a strategic shift: Việt Nam aims to embed innovation across society, moving beyond rhetoric to foster a culture that rewards creativity, risk-taking and efficiency. Achieving this will require not only political will but also stronger legal and institutional frameworks to encourage investment, protect intellectual property and develop new industries.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Chí Dũng framed the effort as part of a century-long national strategy. He noted that the Party, State and Government had long identified science and technology as core growth drivers but warned that the urgency has never been greater.

"The Party, the State and the Government have defined science-technology, innovation and digital transformation as key domains to realise the country's 100-year strategy," he said.

For Dũng, innovation must no longer be treated as a supplementary policy or a niche initiative. It must be mainstreamed into economic planning, industrial restructuring and education reform. That requires closer coordination between ministries, more flexible funding for research and development, and stronger links between universities, start-ups and private capital.

His remarks reflected the Government’s determination to ensure innovation is not only celebrated at high-level forums but systematically embedded in Việt Nam’s development model.

PM Chính dileveres a speech to conclude the ceremony. — VNA/VNS Photo

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính echoed this urgency while calling for stronger accountability in implementation. Warning against complacency and inertia, he said the country must adopt a "no excuses" mentality.

"We must adhere to the principle of 'three no's': do not say no, do not say it is too difficult and do not make promises that cannot be fulfilled in development of innovation," said the PM.

His message was aimed not only at ministries and local authorities but also at a bureaucracy sometimes criticised for rigidity and caution. Chính called for decisiveness, substance over form and a willingness to give space for creativity.

"Do not allow innovation to be stifled by mental barriers or lack of decisive action and do not hinder the space for innovation of any collective or individual," he added.

The Prime Minister also reached out to international partners, inviting greater cooperation in legal frameworks, finance, technology transfer and support for Vietnamese startups seeking integration into global value chains.

Domestically, he placed a special responsibility on young people, scientists and entrepreneurs, urging them to lead the digital transformation at every level and in every task.

The speeches collectively painted a picture of Việt Nam at a crossroads. Over the past decades, the country has achieved impressive growth by leveraging its young workforce, openness to trade and cost competitiveness in manufacturing.

But as global markets shift and technological change accelerates, those advantages may not suffice. By prioritising innovation, the country aims to move up the value chain, build resilience against external shocks and assert itself as more than a low-cost production base.

Visitors at the exhibition on Wednesday's morning. — VNS Photo Ly Ly Cao

The challenge, however, lies in execution.

Leaders acknowledged that institutional inertia, financing bottlenecks and a cultural reluctance to embrace risk remain hurdles.

Universities produce graduates but pathways to commercialisation are often weak. Policies exist but implementation lags behind the speed of technological change. Without decisive reforms, the gap between ambition and reality could persist.

Still, the strong political consensus expressed at the event marked a turning point.

By placing innovation and digitalisation at the heart of national strategy, Việt Nam is signalling to investors, businesses and international partners that it is committed to a more knowledge-driven growth model.

For enterprises already operating in the country, this could mean new incentives for research and development, more favourable regulatory environments and stronger state backing for digital infrastructure. — BIZHUB/VNS