From digital resources to new drivers of development

In the digital era, data is present in almost every aspect of daily life, from healthcare, education, and transport to online public services. When standardised, connected, and effectively utilised, data not only helps improve services for citizens but also becomes a new resource for the digital economy.

An exhibition introduces technology products during the inauguration of National Data Centre No. 1 in August 2025.

Data is becoming the foundation of many strategic technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), 5G/6G, robotics, and biomedicine. In the semiconductor, healthcare, energy, and transport sectors, data helps shorten research time, optimise operations, and improve the efficient use of resources.

According to Major General Nguyen Ngoc Cuong, Director of the National Data Centre and Vice Chairman of the National Data Association, data is moving beyond its role as a support tool to become a strategic resource and a new production factor of the digital economy. Data is no longer merely a source of information but is increasingly regarded as a decisive factor in national competitiveness and innovation capacity.

For data to generate value, a country needs a “data architecture” similar to a transport system. If roads connect goods and people, data architecture connects, shares, and exploits data among agencies, organisations, and businesses. Data can only promote its full value when it is standardised and connected within a unified architecture.

Under Decision No. 2439/QD-TTg dated November 4, 2025, the national data architecture framework was issued to guide the structure, technical standards, and data-sharing models among national, sectoral and local databases, as well as information systems across the entire political system.

Under Decision No. 2439/QD-TTg dated November 4, 2025, the national data architecture framework was issued to guide the structure, technical standards, and data-sharing models among national, sectoral, and local databases, as well as information systems across the entire political system.

Many localities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Phu Tho, Ninh Binh, Lao Cai, Khanh Hoa, and Dak Lak have issued local data architecture or digital architecture frameworks. A common feature of these models is the development of interconnected and secure data systems to support management and improve services for people and businesses.

In the national digital transformation process, data is no longer simply a technical issue; it has become the operational foundation of the digital government, digital economy, and digital society. General Luong Tam Quang, Politburo Member, Minister of Public Security, and Chairman of the National Data Association, has repeatedly stressed a consistent viewpoint: data must be linked to people, for people, and serve people. This is a direction for technological development and a governance principle in the digital era, placing people and businesses at the centre.

The construction of the National Data Centre, the National Integrated Database, and core databases is regarded as the foundation of a modern governance model, helping standardise, authenticate, and connect data to better serve citizens and businesses.

Major General Nguyen Ngoc Cuong said that amid digital transformation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, data is becoming a new production factor alongside land, labour, capital, and technology. The value of data does not lie in storing large volumes of information, but in the ability to exploit, connect, and transform it into knowledge to serve development. For the State, data helps improve forecasting capacity, policymaking, and social governance. For businesses, data is the input resource for AI, digital commerce, digital finance, and smart services. Effective use of data can help optimise operations, better understand market demand, personalise products, and enhance competitiveness.

In practice, data is already present in many areas closely linked to daily life. From smart transport systems that regulate traffic in real time and “digital border gate” platforms supporting import-export management, to AI assistants helping people complete administrative procedures online, these applications show that data only truly creates value when transformed into practical services and utilities.

From practical experience in the credit data sector, Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nhung, Chief Executive Officer of KCI Credit Information Joint Stock Company, said Viet Nam’s data infrastructure still faces three major gaps: a lack of high-quality foundational data, fragmented data, and insufficient standardisation. The current priority is not technology, but data governance. For data to become a development resource, it is necessary to soon establish controlled data-sharing mechanisms and build foundational datasets maintained as essential public infrastructure.

n the digital society, personal data is directly linked to each individual’s privacy and security. If leaked, exposed, or misused, data can cause serious consequences for both individuals and society. Therefore, data sharing and use must be carried out safely, transparently, and in accordance with the law.

Professor Tran Ngoc Anh from Indiana University in the US

According to Professor Tran Ngoc Anh from Indiana University in the US, data and AI are becoming the foundation of a new growth model, determining productivity and competitiveness of countries in the coming decades. Many experts predict that, with an appropriate strategy, the data economy could contribute around 5–8% of Viet Nam’s GDP by 2030 and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs in data and AI-related sectors. However, for data to become a sustainable driver of development, exploitation must go hand in hand with protection. In the digital society, personal data is directly linked to privacy and individual security; if leaked, exposed, or used for the wrong purposes, data may cause serious consequences for both individuals and society. Therefore, data sharing and use must be conducted safely, transparently, and in compliance with the law.

Source: NDO