Vietnam has reiterated its commitment to digitizing key sectors of its economy with emerging technologies, achieving a string of early successes since the start of the year.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh revealed that the next phase of digitization will be characterized by “rapid, robust, and sustainable development,” marked by a special focus on security and safety. Chinh disclosed the government’s stance at the fifth meeting of the Government’s Steering Committee on Science, Technology, and Innovation, urging agencies to be frenzied in their approach.
Going forward, the Prime Minister highlights six priority tasks for government agencies to undertake in the pursuit of national digitization. Agencies will focus on completing all ministry- and locality-level databases, with the second task focusing on strengthening institutions spearheading digital transformation.
The Southeast Asian nation will place a keen focus on the grassroots development of digital systems, advancing the “Digital Literacy for All” in rural areas. In line with the desire to protect enterprises, the government will allocate priority to data security, with relevant agencies mandated to introduce real-time monitoring tools.
The push toward national digitization will be underscored by the measurement of KPIs for evaluation. By the end of November, the Prime Minister expects the restructuring of online public services with full compliance with data-connectivity regulations by the end of the year.
The Prime Minister noted that while previous efforts have yielded impressive results, there are still key loopholes to be addressed in Vietnam’s push. He identified the lack of key national databases and an uneven digital infrastructure as the foundation required to support the digitization drive.
Chinh added that a lopsided resource allocation system and dire shortages in talent, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain, are headwinds affecting nationwide digitization. Furthermore, the Prime Minister decried the fragmentation of data sharing across key sectors, urging authorities to address these challenges going forward.
A cluster of wins
Vietnam’s early attempts at digitization, through legislation and a national roadmap, have yielded a series of positive outcomes for the country. For starters, revenues from the digital sectors have surged by 54% in a year to exceed $152 billion as financial inclusion metrics climbed to a record high.
Meanwhile, cashless payments have reached new highs in 2025, as cash-based payments continue to decline. Zooming out, the country is making significant strides in sustainability and green transformation, turning to AI and DLT to upgrade traditional sector-specific processes.
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SMEs in Northeast China undergo major digital transformation: report
Meanwhile, small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in Northeast China are achieving impressive milestones with the adoption of emerging technologies, with the local manufacturing landscape undergoing the largest changes.
According to a report, the commercial city of Wafangdian is leading the charge for SMEs to pivot to next-generation technologies in the region. Manufacturers of bearings in Wafangdian are relying less on the expertise of veteran employees, outsourcing their services to “precise data metrics.”
At the Jingu Bearing Company, Internet of Things (IoT) technology and sensors have been introduced, enabling the accurate measurement of vibration, temperature, and acoustics on production lines. The use of IoT has led to impressive successes in real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance, resulting in reduced overall downtime and improved output quality.
At another bearing manufacturer in China’s Liaoning province, blockchain is deployed for supply chain efficiency, providing an immutable database for seamless operations. Using AI, the manufacturer can automatically inspect bearings, spotting defects while optimizing production schedules.
“We’ve built a fully automated digital system that streamlines the entire process from order to delivery,” said one company executive. “It intelligently breaks down production processes and schedules equipment, allowing workers to manage required materials more efficiently.”
Other next-generation technologies changing the landscape for bearing manufacturers in the region include robotics and 3D printing. Meanwhile, rising demand for electric vehicles, drones, and industrial robots is fuelling the push for bearing manufacturers to upgrade their internal processes.
The region’s success was not easy, with provincial administrators investing in key technology upgrades for SMEs. Liaoning province has established a robust digital infrastructure system, backed by a staggering 143,000 5G base stations.
Furthermore, the launch of a blockchain network and two intelligent computing centers in key cities in the province provides the computing and data backbones for emerging technologies. Apart from building infrastructure, Liaoning has ensured interoperability between systems and local manufacturers, reducing design-to-production cycles by nearly 40%.
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Not resting on its oars
Already, China’s digitization ambitions have earned it plaudits from its peers after taking the lead in AI and quantum computing. Not keen on losing its momentum, the superpower has begun pushing for AI education in public schools to deepen its talent pool as it goes head-to-head with the United States.
Early in the year, Beijing unveiled a two-year DLT development action plan designed to attain regional dominance. Meanwhile, the country’s attempts to develop a central bank digital currency (CBDC) have set the pace for its neighbors and the rest of the world, which is keen on preventing the “cryptoization” of their local economies.
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Source: https://coingeek.com/vietnam-focuses-on-digitization-china-smes-transform/