Affirming the driving role of science, technology and innovation in national development

Institutional and policy breakthroughs: A historic turning point in the 2020-2025 period

After more than a decade of implementing the Science and Technology Development Strategy, Vietnam entered the 2020-2025 period with the aspiration to make science, technology and innovation the central driving force of socio-economic development.

On December 22, 2024, the Politburo issued Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on "Breakthrough in science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation". This is a strategic resolution, which for the first time clearly identifies three pillars of development: science and technology as the foundation of knowledge; innovation as the driving force for growth; digital transformation as the way to operate a modern nation.

Immediately after the Resolution was issued, the Government launched a large-scale legislative program, submitting to the National Assembly for consideration and approval of five laws in the same field at the same time - a record in the history of science and technology development in Vietnam. Specifically, including: Law on Science, Technology and Innovation; Law on Digital Technology Industry; Law on Digital Transformation; Law on Artificial Intelligence; and Law on Intellectual Property (amended).

The simultaneous development and submission of these five important laws has created a historic institutional step forward, demonstrating the strong political determination of the Party and State in creating a legal corridor for a new development stage - the stage of open science, innovation and comprehensive digital transformation.

Vietnamese science moves up the world map

According to the SCImago 2024 Ranking, Vietnam has risen to the top 50 countries in the world in science and technology, with many fields achieving high rankings and remarkable growth compared to the previous period. In particular, the fields of economics and finance ranked 22nd, business administration and accounting ranked 25th, mathematics ranked 37th, chemistry ranked 38th, life sciences ranked 41st, earth sciences ranked 44th, social sciences ranked 46th and physics ranked 49th.

Khẳng định vai trò động lực của KH,CN&ĐMST trong phát triển đất nước- Ảnh 1. — The Prime Minister and delegates visited the Exhibition of achievements in science and technology, innovation and digital transformation within the framework of the Government Party Congress.

These results show that Vietnam’s research and international publication capacity has been significantly improved. Domestic research institutes and universities have formed strong research groups, publishing regularly in prestigious international journals such as Nature, Science, and Cell. The average growth rate of international publications is 10–12% per year, reflecting the maturity of the Vietnamese scientific community and its increasing position in the international arena.

Six key scientific fields for comprehensive development

During the 2020-2025 period, Vietnam's six key scientific fields will develop synchronously and comprehensively, contributing to creating a solid knowledge and technology foundation for socio-economic development.

Social sciences and humanities continue to play an important role in theoretical, political, historical and cultural research, clarifying the path to socialism in Vietnam, consolidating the ideological foundation and system of national cultural values. Typical works such as "Vietnamese Political History (1945-2015)", "Ho Chi Minh's Complete Works" or "Socialism and the Rule of Law State of Vietnam" contribute to affirming the position of social sciences in the national political life.

Natural sciences have made great progress in research on energy, new materials, biology and climate. Research projects on natural disaster forecasting, geological mapping, climate modeling, and the application of nanotechnology and molecular biology have been widely deployed to serve sustainable development, resource and environmental protection.

Science and technology have become the pillars of the country's industrialization and modernization. High-tech centers have been established in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Thai Nguyen. Many large projects on semiconductors, precision mechanics, renewable energy, and new materials have been implemented, contributing to improving production capacity and technological autonomy.

Agricultural science continues to promote Vietnam's tropical biological advantages. Many high-yield crop and livestock varieties that adapt to climate change have been successfully selected. Biotechnology, microbiology, smart farming and circular agriculture are being strongly applied, helping the export value of agricultural products in 2024 exceed 53 billion USD.

Medical and pharmaceutical sciences have achieved many important achievements in vaccine research, pharmaceutical materials and biotechnology. Vietnam has mastered the technology to produce disease-preventing vaccines, research biological drugs to treat cancer, antiviral drugs and apply stem cells in disease treatment. Self-sufficiency in producing COVID-19 vaccines is an important step forward, affirming Vietnam's independent capacity to ensure national health security.

Defense and security science and technology have achieved many results in manufacturing military equipment and security technology. Defense research institutes have produced surveillance radars, drones, reconnaissance robots, electronic warfare systems and cyber security solutions, contributing to strengthening defense power and protecting sovereignty early and from afar.

Khẳng định vai trò động lực của KH,CN&ĐMST trong phát triển đất nước- Ảnh 2. — The Prime Minister and delegates visited the Exhibition of achievements in science and technology, innovation and digital transformation within the framework of the Government Party Congress.

In particular, based on Resolution 57-NQ/TW, Vietnam has identified 11 national strategic technology groups as the foundation for development until 2045, including: artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, big data, new generation mobile networks (5G/6G), robots and automation, semiconductor chips, advanced biomedical technology, energy and new materials, quantum technology, cybersecurity, aviation and space.

Innovation and digital transformation - new growth drivers

The 2020-2025 period witnessed a breakthrough in Vietnam's innovation ecosystem. By 2025, the country will have more than 4,000 innovative startups, 124 investment funds, 208 incubators and 9 technology unicorns. Vietnam maintained its position in the Top 3 ASEAN in innovation, ranking 44/139 countries according to the Global Innovation Index (GII 2024).

Along with that, national digital transformation has achieved many outstanding achievements. Digital infrastructure has been expanded rapidly, mobile Internet and telecommunications speed has increased by more than 40 places compared to 2020. The e-Government Development Index has increased by 15 places; the rate of online public services at level 4 has increased by 9 times. The digital economy accounts for 20.5% of GDP, reaching a revenue of 185 billion USD, an increase of 48% compared to 2020. The digital society has clearly taken shape, with more than 24 million people having digital signatures, 100% of citizens having VNeID identification codes and 87% having electronic payment accounts.

Seven national databases have been built and operated effectively, of which the Population and Citizen Identification Database is considered one of the most synchronous, secure and large-scale systems in the region.

From scientific foundation to the aspiration for power

The outstanding achievements in the 2020-2025 period affirm the strong change in Vietnam's development thinking, taking science, technology and innovation as the foundation, taking digital transformation as the method and taking people as the center. From an applied science, Vietnam is transforming itself into an innovative country, where knowledge and ideas are respected, protected and commercialized, creating new competitive strength for the economy. This is a solid foundation for Vietnam to move towards the goal of becoming a developed, high-income industrialized country by 2045.

The period 2020-2025 is a particularly important period, marking a remarkable growth of science, technology and innovation in Vietnam. The combination of modern institutions, strong scientific potential, high innovation capacity and political determination of the Party and State has created a new driving force for the country's development.

Vietnam's science and technology is entering a period of convergence between knowledge - technology - creativity and people, affirming its role as the foundation for rapid, sustainable and self-reliant national development in the digital age.

"Science and technology are not only tools of development, but also the spirit of the new era – the spirit of creativity, openness and service to the Fatherland."

Center for Science and Technology Communication

Source: https://mst.gov.vn/khang-dinh-vai-tro-dong-luc-cua-khcndmst-trong-phat-trien-dat-nuoc-197251013213909062.htm