Nguyễn Trường Thắng, director of the Institute of Information Technology.

Mai Hương

Resolution 57 places institutional reform at the centre of Việt Nam's strategy for science, technology, innovation and digital transformation. Nguyễn Trường Thắng, director of the Institute of Information Technology under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), speaks to Việt Nam News about why more flexible regulations are essential to remove barriers, support emerging technologies and strengthen the country's competitiveness.

Resolution 57 has been described as a charter for sci-tech and innovation. Unlike previous policies, it places strong emphasis on institutional reform. What is new about this approach and why is it considered fundamental?

These are fast-changing fields where technological development often moves much faster than existing legal frameworks. Therefore, alongside developing and mastering technology, institutions must become a key pillar that supports and nurtures innovation.

A key difference in Resolution 57 is its recognition that institutional reform can become a foundation for competitiveness for Việt Nam in science, technology, innovation and digital transformation. The resolution calls for improving the regulatory framework and removing barriers that could limit the development of new technologies.

The resolution takes a comprehensive ecosystem-based approach. Institutions are not viewed separately but as one of the pillars supporting other factors, including changes in mindset, high-quality human resources, investment in science and digital infrastructure, technology application, market development and international cooperation.

This means Việt Nam needs a more integrated framework covering areas such as investment, public spending, assets, intellectual property and taxation to create maximum space for innovation while maintaining effective state management.

Another important change is a more open approach to policymaking, including regulatory sandboxes for new technologies where existing regulations have not caught up, as well as greater acceptance of risks in scientific research and innovation.

It also aims to improve state management, strengthen links between research, application and training, and give research organisations greater autonomy. At the same time, Việt Nam seeks to attract not only domestic and foreign investment but also the transfer of strategic technologies.

Resolution 57 also introduces a new mechanism allowing Việt Nam to acquire and learn from advanced technologies from other countries. This is an unprecedented approach that enables faster investment in technologies critical to socio-economic development while gradually building domestic capabilities.

The resolution calls for a comprehensive review of regulations related to science, data, intellectual property and innovation. What are the biggest institutional issues that need to be addressed first?

To create real competitiveness, Việt Nam needs a complete and sustainable ecosystem that enables the country to master strategic technologies, reduce dependence on multinational technology corporations and improve its position in global value chains.

The main bottleneck today is not only individual regulations, but also the weak connection among different pillars of the ecosystem, including institutions, research and development (R&D), human resources, technology application and market development.

The implementation and quality of policy execution are also major challenges.

To implement Resolution 57, it is necessary to establish clear output indicators for each pillar based on investment inputs. R&D organisations, human resources, and the development of domestic and international technology markets should not operate separately. They must be required to connect and support each other to strengthen the overall innovation ecosystem.

Many countries use regulatory sandboxes to provide space for new business models before finalising legal frameworks. Although Việt Nam has discussed this concept for years, implementation remains slow. What needs to change?

The traditional approach in Việt Nam remains relatively cautious and risk-averse, especially for projects involving state budget resources.

Concerns about failure, financial losses or violations of existing spending rules often lead to responsibility being placed on organisations or individuals managing projects.

However, science, technology, innovation and digital transformation involve new and strategic technologies where the possibility of failure is naturally high. We need to accept this reality.

The success stories of major global technology companies represent only the top of the pyramid. Beneath those successes are thousands of start-ups, projects and technology professionals that experienced failure.

Therefore, investment in science and technology using state resources must be approached differently from traditional infrastructure projects where processes and outcomes are already clear.

Sandbox mechanisms should allow a higher level of risk tolerance and provide appropriate exemptions from responsibility for well-managed experiments that do not achieve the expected results.

State funding should act as initial support to stimulate innovation, while the role of private investment should gradually increase over time.

Delegates view exhibits during the launch ceremony of three innovation networks for strategic technology sectors in August 2025. — VNA/VNS Photo Lê Đông

Việt Nam has many research projects and inventions, but commercialisation remains limited. Is the problem mainly the capability of scientists and businesses or institutional barriers?

The issue comes from weak connections among different parts of the innovation ecosystem. Việt Nam has R&D capacity, but its effectiveness remains limited because research activities are not always linked closely with market demand. As a result, many outcomes fail to attract interest from businesses.

At the same time, research organisations are not proactive enough in introducing their products and technologies to enterprises and industries.

The market has also not created sufficient pressure for companies to actively seek advanced technological solutions for their production, business operations and services.

Institutional reform should create both an enabling environment and pressure for different parts of the ecosystem to work together.

Scientists need to conduct research based on practical demand, understand market needs and develop technologies that can strengthen the competitiveness of domestic products.

On the other hand, businesses should actively engage with research institutes and universities, place orders and invest in science and technology projects that serve their operations and digital transformation.

The Government aims for the digital economy to account for around 30 per cent of GDP by 2030. What should be the most important measure of success?

The success of Resolution 57 will be measured by whether Việt Nam can build a complete and sustainable ecosystem for science, technology and digital transformation.

This means Vietnamese technology companies and research organisations should be able to participate more deeply in global value chains and create greater value for the economy.

The digital economy includes not only digital technology industries such as electronics, telecommunications, software, cloud data centres and cybersecurity, but also digital platform-based services such as e-commerce, fintech and new economic models, as well as the application of digital technologies in traditional sectors, including smart agriculture, smart cities and smart manufacturing.

Indicators related to AI, data or digital infrastructure are only parts of this broader picture. The more Việt Nam can master these technologies, the less dependent the country will be on external factors, while strengthening its resilience against global uncertainties, disruptions and rising competition.

The most important measure is therefore Việt Nam’s ability to achieve technological self-reliance in strategic areas that support socio-economic development, national defence and security.

This will be the foundation for improving total factor productivity and ensuring faster, more sustainable economic growth.

In the age of AI, technology is developing much faster than policymaking. Is Việt Nam’s current regulatory approach flexible enough to keep pace with innovation?

The current law-making process is generally appropriate, but the management mindset needs to change.

It is important to distinguish between traditional sectors with stable and predictable operations and new fields with high levels of innovation, uncertainty and potential economic impact.

Sandbox policies must accept risks, failures and investment losses. They should follow shorter testing processes and rely on data-driven assessments to evaluate the real impact of new strategic digital technologies.

A more flexible approach will allow Việt Nam to respond faster to technological changes while still maintaining effective governance. — VNS