Household businesses are encouraged to use technology for business management. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — As entrepreneurial spirit is increasingly fostered through the implementation of Resolution 57 on promoting science, technology, innovation and digital transformation, the one-person enterprise model is emerging as a new approach, enabling citizens to harness technology and digital platforms to engage in transparent and flexible production and business.

With little more than a laptop and the skills to use artificial intelligence tools effectively, an individual can now operate an entire company, from marketing, promotion and sales to customer service and accounting.

Technology is helping individuals establish and operate start-ups more efficiently, lowering traditional barriers to entry.

Old model but new thinking

According to Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Hoàng Minh, the one-person enterprise model can be seen as a vivid example of the nationwide entrepreneurship movement in a new context.

“Technology and digital platforms allow an individual to register a business and manage operations, including financial management and tax payment, through applications,” Minh said. “The fact is that for many years, household businesses have accounted for a large proportion of the economy.

“However, the sector has faced shortcomings in expanding and participating in modern value chains. Therefore, promoting the ‘one-person’ enterprise is expected to create a new business model that is more transparent and flexible compared with current household businesses.”

The Ministry of Science and Technology has set a target of forming one million one-person enterprises in the coming years and views this model as one of the pillars for realising the aspiration of all citizens to start businesses, while also creating additional momentum for the growth of the digital economy.

Technology assistance

Assessing entrepreneurship, Minister of Science and Technology Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng said innovation capacity and the start-up ecosystem play an important role in enhancing national competitiveness.

Việt Nam’s Global Innovation Index currently ranks 44th worldwide and the country has been recognised as one of nine middle-income economies with the fastest improvement in ranking over the past decade.

At present, the way the State serves citizens and businesses has changed markedly.

Administrative procedures and public services have become more convenient and transparent thanks to digital transformation, with paperwork, travel and waiting times significantly reduced.

By 2025, the proportion of fully online applications among total applications for fully online public services reached nearly 78 per cent, while the proportion of public services generating online applications stood at nearly 84 per cent.

These figures show that the handling of administrative procedures is shifting decisively from queuing and waiting to the digital environment.

Business capacity and productivity have also improved significantly and in greater depth through the application of technology and process innovation.

Automation, digital governance and data utilisation help enterprises optimise operations, shorten production time, reduce errors, save materials and energy and enhance supply chain management efficiency.

From the citizens’ perspective, as digital transformation advances comprehensively, the digital space is becoming a new living environment where essential services in education, health care, finance and commerce are delivered quickly and in a personalised manner, ensuring broad participation and benefit from the digital ecosystem.

Thanks to these developments, barriers related to capital and costs, long considered the biggest obstacles for start-ups, are gradually being dismantled.

According to the Department of Start-ups and Technology Enterprises under the Ministry of Science and Technology, the ministry has proposed content for the Government’s Resolution on the National Strategy for Innovative Start-ups, alongside suitable policy orientations for this type of enterprise.

The focus is on simplifying procedures, strengthening management on digital platforms, applying controlled regulatory sandboxes and designing support policies that closely align with the characteristics of enterprises owned by a single individual.

In the next phase, once the resolution is approved, the ministry will co-ordinate with ministries, sectors and localities to develop and propose pilot support mechanisms, including appropriate tax incentives, flexible access to credit and assistance in legal matters, intellectual property and technology application.

This approach will help assess real-world impacts, providing a basis for refining policies and organising suitable implementation, while ensuring encouragement of innovation alongside compliance with State management requirements.

Responding to the emerging trend of one-person enterprises, many experts have proposed solutions such as free accounting software integrated with citizen identification codes and the banking system.

Under this model, individuals would only need to input income and expenditure data via a mobile application, with the system automatically calculating figures and supporting tax declaration and payment. This would significantly reduce costs related to hiring staff and purchasing accounting software, while going hand in hand with simplified seals and signatures and the use of digital signatures in place of paper-based procedures.

The one-person enterprise model also aligns with the goal of building a national start-up and innovation ecosystem, underpinned by the principle that every citizen can start a business based on digital technology and innovation across all areas of socio-economic life. Technology-based and innovative start-ups play a core role, with entrepreneurial spirit spreading throughout society, starting with each individual.

Promoting one-person enterprises is no longer a distant ambition but an urgent requirement as Việt Nam transitions towards a growth model driven by science, technology and innovation.

When the State equips citizens with appropriate tools, removes unnecessary barriers and creates a transparent environment, millions of individuals can become dynamic and creative economic actors, contributing to growth, expanding the tax base and strengthening the resilience of the economy. — VNS