National Assembly Deputy Nguyen Quang Huan emphasized that digital technology plays a pivotal role in Vietnam’s new era.
In his speech at Columbia University during his participation in the High-Level Week of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and his working visit to New York, USA, General Secretary and President To Lam highlighted the message that “Vietnam is standing at a new historical starting point, entering a new era – an era of the nation’s rise.”
Recently, Party and State leaders have frequently emphasized messages such as “a new starting point,” “a new era,” and “the era of the nation’s rise,” particularly in speeches by General Secretary and President To Lam.
An era can be understood as a historical period in a nation’s development during which strategic tasks and objectives are accomplished, marked by events that create a turning point and open a new chapter in the nation’s history.
Each era is shaped, first and foremost, by domestic factors and influenced by global developments and broader trends of the times.
Speaking to Dan Tri Newspaper on the issue, National Assembly Deputy Nguyen Quang Huan, a member of the National Assembly Delegation of Binh Duong Province, reiterated General Secretary and President To Lam’s statement that Vietnam has entered a new era – the era of the nation’s rise.
According to Mr. Huan, digital technology and digital transformation play a pivotal role in this new era. In 2020, the Prime Minister approved the National Digital Transformation Program through 2025, with a vision to 2030.
By 2030, Vietnam aims to become a digital nation and a pioneer in piloting new technologies and business models. This will involve fundamentally and comprehensively transforming the management and administration of the Government, the production and business activities of enterprises, and the ways people live and work.
According to Mr. Huan, the digital transformation of the economy has become an inevitable global trend. In production, emerging digital technologies are becoming increasingly widespread and playing a crucial role, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, the Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain, and automation.
These technologies are transforming the way businesses operate and manage their activities, driving the development of digital business models and e-commerce, and enabling online payment platforms, among other applications.
Digital transformation and the application of digital technologies enable businesses to improve labor efficiency, reduce production costs, increase productivity and the value of goods, expand their markets, and enhance their competitiveness.
In the social sector, digital transformation has contributed to improving people’s quality of life. The Government and businesses have developed various applications that make it easier for people to access information and educational and healthcare services, while also serving as a bridge between citizens and government agencies.
The most noticeable change is the growing adoption of cashless payments. People can access and complete public services online from home, receive medical care through electronic health records, and use apps to book cars and motorbikes, among other digital services.
Mr. Huan noted that, in this context, AI has emerged as a powerful tool, reshaping how businesses and society are organized, produce goods and services, and operate. It is also driving a shift from a finance-based economic model toward a data-capital-based economy, in which data becomes the “new oil” — a vital resource for economic development.
“AI is directly participating in the production process, replacing humans in certain tasks and helping to improve efficiency and the value of human labor. At this point, there are concerns that AI will gradually replace the role of humans.”
“However, if we shift our perspective and view AI as a tool, using it effectively can create many new opportunities and jobs. This is also an inevitable trend that requires us to adapt,” Mr. Huan said.
Looking back at the achievements of Vietnam’s economy in recent years, Mr. Huan affirmed that the country’s economy has not only made remarkable progress but has also demonstrated strong resilience in the face of major disruptions.
Explaining this, the National Assembly deputy said that the major adverse conditions Vietnam has faced have, in a sense, served as a test of the economy’s “health.”
Mr. Huan cited the COVID-19 pandemic as an example. While many countries experienced economic recession and negative growth, Vietnam was among the few countries to maintain positive economic growth.
In 2022, Vietnam recorded GDP growth of 8.02%, followed by 5.05% in 2023, with the economy estimated to be worth approximately US$430 billion. In 2024, the National Assembly set a target of 6–6.5% economic growth, but as of now, Vietnam could potentially finish the year with growth close to 7%.
Similarly, when political and military conflicts around the world disrupt global supply chains, Vietnam has quickly adapted, ensuring the smooth flow of goods and maintaining import and export activities.
Vietnam has even seized these opportunities to strengthen its important role in global supply chains in areas such as food, textiles and garments, and computer components.
“This demonstrates that our economy has developed in greater depth and achieved a higher degree of self-reliance. This is an encouraging sign,” the 15th-term National Assembly deputy assessed.
Entering the new era, Vietnam is also actively pursuing international integration, becoming one of the world’s most open economies. This has created significant opportunities for entrepreneurs and businesses.
Over the years, Vietnam has signed 17 free trade agreements (FTAs) and established comprehensive strategic partnerships with eight countries with leading economies. This has opened wide opportunities for Vietnamese businesses to enter international markets, access advanced technologies, boost exports, and attract investment.
Many Vietnamese businesses have seized the opportunities created by globalization to “plant their flags” in international markets. However, Mr. Huan noted that the more open the market becomes, the fiercer international competition will be, requiring Vietnamese businesses to strengthen their competitiveness in terms of product and service quality, pricing, and management capabilities.
He noted that in the new context, if Vietnamese businesses compete in traditional sectors where developed countries have long held an advantage, backed by greater resources and extensive experience, they would be at a significant disadvantage. However, the digital era presents tremendous opportunities for Vietnam — a country with a large, young, dynamic population that is able to rapidly embrace advances in science and technology.
“This is a great opportunity for us to make a breakthrough and move faster and further. In the past, we had to play catch-up, but in the context of the digital revolution, Vietnam has a starting point similar to other countries. We can move alongside, and even move ahead of, many more developed nations in certain areas such as artificial intelligence, Big Data, software technology, and 5G technology,” Mr. Huan said.
However, to achieve this, Vietnamese businesses need to make thorough preparations. This includes adapting their business models and embracing digital transformation; researching and mastering technologies; attracting and training highly skilled talent; and conducting careful market research and developing specific strategies before entering new markets.
The success of entrepreneurs and businesses represents a significant contribution to the new era — the era of the nation’s rise.
Echoing the message of General Secretary and President To Lam, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinh Trong Thinh, an economic expert, said that the new era represents a new period, marked by new plans and a determination to achieve greater accomplishments than those achieved today.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinh Trong Thinh, under the leadership of the Communist Party, Vietnam has gone through several historical eras and achieved major victories. The success of the August Revolution in 1945 and President Ho Chi Minh’s reading of the Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945, which marked the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, ushered in an era of national independence.
After nearly a century under French colonial rule, the Vietnamese people rose up to take control of their own destiny, affirming to the world that Vietnam was an independent and sovereign nation. To safeguard independence and freedom, the Vietnamese people and armed forces waged two prolonged wars against French colonialism and American imperialism, while also striving to build socialism in the North.
On April 30, 1975, the Ho Chi Minh Campaign ended in complete victory, the South was liberated, and the entire country embarked on the path of building socialism. This event also marked an important milestone, affirming that the strategic mission of the era of gaining and safeguarding national independence and freedom had been fully accomplished.
National reunification and peace provided the foundation for Vietnam to focus on building socialism. However, after 1975, the economy fell into extremely difficult conditions due to the consequences of the war. This was followed by nearly a decade of “groping our way across the river,” as the country had yet to find a development model that was appropriate for the prevailing social context.
Mr. Thinh said that at the time, Vietnam had placed high hopes on economic development, leveraging the country’s existing conditions and advantages, as well as the economic circumstances of both the North and the South. Unfortunately, the international environment was unfavorable, while the socialist bloc was facing severe difficulties and a crisis.
The United States and several allied countries imposed economic sanctions on Vietnam. Domestically, the economic development strategy based on a centrally planned and subsidized system failed to deliver clear results.
In December 1986, the Party and State launched a comprehensive national reform program, recognizing a multi-sector economy and encouraging foreign investment. As a result, the economic crisis was gradually brought under control.
From a country where supply once fell short of demand, Vietnam gradually achieved greater self-sufficiency and became the world’s second-largest rice exporter. By 2010, Vietnam had moved out of the low-income category and risen to become a middle-income country.
After nearly 40 years of reform, Vietnam has transformed from a poor and underdeveloped agricultural country with an economy worth just US$26.3 billion into an economy valued at US$430 billion as of 2023. GDP per capita has reached approximately US$4,300, a 58-fold increase compared with the early years of the reform period. Total import-export turnover reached nearly US$700 billion in 2023, while foreign investment stood at US$23 billion — the highest level ever recorded in Vietnam. Inflation has also remained under control at a safe level.
At present, Vietnam is gradually shifting its economic model from extensive growth to more intensive, quality-driven growth.
Previously, to generate resources for development, we relied heavily on natural resources such as minerals, coal, and oil; human resources in the form of low-cost labor; and foreign direct investment (FDI). However, these resources are limited.
Therefore, in the new era, Vietnam must shift toward an economy based on advanced science and technology, train and employ a highly skilled workforce, and direct economic activities toward high-value industries and sectors.
According to Mr. Thinh, Vietnam’s economy must now face another major challenge: the middle-income trap.
This is a challenge faced by many countries around the world. Once they reach the upper-middle-income threshold, their growth rates tend to slow, while they face mounting challenges such as population aging, climate change, environmental pollution, and resource depletion. Only a limited number of countries have successfully overcome the middle-income trap and gone on to become developed economies.
For example, the four “Asian Tigers” — South Korea, Hong Kong (China), Taiwan (China), and Singapore — are widely regarded as having overcome the middle-income trap in the late 20th century.
However, these economies spent 25–30 years of sustained effort to reach high-income status. During the same period, countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines were still unable to overcome the middle-income trap.
“We have about 16 years left to make a breakthrough and rise to become a developed country. This is in line with the Party’s goals: by 2030, Vietnam is to become a developing country with a modern industry and upper-middle income, and by 2045, a developed, high-income country,” Mr. Thinh said.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinh Trong Thinh said that signs of the new era had begun to emerge as early as 2018 and 2019, becoming most evident in late 2024 and 2025 as Vietnam’s economic infrastructure was modernized and further developed.
To be fully prepared to enter the new era and achieve the targets and milestones that have been set, we must first make thorough preparations in every respect.
First, the Party and State need to formulate new plans and strategic visions that clearly define economic and social objectives, while flexibly studying and applying lessons from countries around the world that have already achieved significant development — particularly those at a comparable level of development and with conditions similar to Vietnam’s.
In terms of human resources, Mr. Thinh said that Vietnam needs to develop a highly skilled workforce. This should cover everyone from government managers to those directly involved in research, labor, and production. This is not something that can be achieved overnight; rather, it requires a specific training strategy for each stage, tailored to Vietnam’s actual conditions.
Regarding economic infrastructure, including power transmission systems, roads, industrial parks, ports, and other facilities, Mr. Thinh said these should be developed in a coordinated, interconnected, and modern manner.
In recent years, this issue has received significant attention from the Party and State. This is reflected in a series of major projects currently underway, including Long Thanh International Airport, the North–South Expressway, and the 500kV power transmission line. Looking ahead, the North–South high-speed railway project is expected to break ground in 2027.
Alongside this, Vietnam should develop digital science and technology infrastructure, with a focus on telecommunications and internet infrastructure, data infrastructure, utility infrastructure, and the digitalization of services.
According to Mr. Thinh, economic development should also focus on emerging economic models such as the green economy, circular economy, and sharing economy. Vietnam should invest in new, high-tech sectors, including the semiconductor industry, artificial intelligence, clean energy, and renewable energy. Advances in science, technology, and high-tech industries will help increase labor productivity and create greater value.
“This is the decisive factor driving the transformation of the new era. It will enable Vietnam to gradually enhance its position and play an increasingly important role in global value chains, while achieving the goals set for the new era ahead,” Mr. Thinh said.
Sharing the same view as Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinh Trong Thinh, Colonel Pham Truong Dan, a 13th-term National Assembly deputy and former Deputy Director of the Quang Nam Provincial Police, said that General Secretary and President To Lam’s message that “Vietnam is at the threshold of a new historical starting point, a new era — an era of the nation’s rise” carries broad significance, is centered on the people, and has received support and positive responses from many countries around the world.
In particular, the message has had a significant impact on society, enhancing Vietnam’s image and raising the international profile of its economy.
Mr. Dan said that, in practice, economic development must go hand in hand with safeguarding economic security and combating corruption and wastefulness.
According to Mr. Dan, effectively combating wastefulness is also a means of combating corruption. To effectively prevent wastefulness, it is necessary to translate this goal into concrete actions, such as organizing study and research programs for Party members and ensuring serious and coordinated implementation.
“If we effectively safeguard the economy, we can promote economic development, and vice versa. We must find a harmonious balance between economic development and national defense and security.”
“National defense and security create the conditions for economic development, while economic growth must, in turn, contribute to strengthening national defense and security. This is essential to safeguarding the country’s territorial integrity and fulfilling President Ho Chi Minh’s aspiration to ‘rebuild our country to be more prosperous, dignified, and beautiful,’” Mr. Dan said.
He said that Vietnam’s entry into a “new era, an era of the nation’s rise” involves not only economic and social development but also the synchronized development of infrastructure. In particular, the country’s transportation system must be comprehensively invested in to ensure seamless and modern connectivity, spanning maritime, road, air, and the high-speed rail networks that are soon to be built.
In Mr. Dan’s view, Vietnam must maintain political and security stability in order to focus on economic development as well as national defense and security.
“The Vietnamese economy has its strengths and weaknesses, but the country’s stable security and political situation is one of its key advantages compared with other countries, and it has received the support and approval of friends from around the world,” Colonel Dan said.
Source: Dan tri Newspaper