Party General Secretary and State President To Lam speaks at the working session. Photo: VNA 

Chairing a meeting of the standing board of the Central Steering Committee on Science, Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation to review a draft national project on quantum technology development.

The project on research, application and development of quantum technology serving socio-economic development and ensuring national defence and security aims to build Vietnam’s long-term capabilities in the emerging field.

The Party and State leader emphasised that quantum technology is an entirely new, highly complex and rapidly evolving field closely linked to science and technology, national security, digital transformation, strategic industries and the country’s long-term competitiveness.

He said that quantum technology should be recognised as a matter of national strategic importance rather than merely a scientific research issue. He underlined that development efforts must be integrated into the implementation of the Politburo’s Resolution 57 and aligned with broader national strategies related to national security, data governance, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and space technology.

General Secretary and President Lam underlined the need for a balanced approach, urging Vietnam to avoid both hesitation and unrealistic ambitions.

Vietnam may come later, but it must not move slowly, he said, warning against inferiority complexes, superficial movements, fragmented investment and goals that exceed the country’s actual capacity.

Instead, he called for selecting practical development directions suited to Vietnam’s conditions, focusing on building genuine national capabilities in areas where the country has the potential to participate and achieve mastery.

According to the leader, priority should be given to safeguarding national security and digital sovereignty to ensure Vietnam remains proactive and avoids strategic dependence.

He also stressed that international cooperation in quantum technology must be strong, selective and substantive, aimed at strengthening Vietnam’s self-reliance rather than creating new forms of dependency.

He stressed the need for focused investment instead of spreading resources thinly across multiple institutions and projects. He urged the establishment of strong research centres, key laboratories, leading research groups and effective coordination mechanisms linking research institutes, universities, businesses and defence-security agencies.

Alongside, it is crucial to reform the evaluation of scientific research outcomes, highlighting the importance of long-term capability building and acceptance of controlled risks in high-level scientific research. Management mechanisms, he said, must clearly distinguish between genuine scientific failure and wastefulness caused by formalism or irresponsibility.

The leader highlights the importance of human resources and innovation ecosystems, the leader added, calling for a national programme to train quantum technology, along with stronger international cooperation, including efforts to attract overseas Vietnamese scientists and foreign experts to contribute to Vietnam’s quantum technology capabilities.

Alongside basic research, he stressed the need to build a practical quantum innovation ecosystem involving the State, research institutes, universities, enterprises and defence-security units, with policies encouraging businesses to participate in research, application and commercialisation.

On workforce development, he noted that a successful national quantum programme must rest on a strong scientific culture marked by integrity and academic discipline.

He stressed the importance of inspiring younger generations to pursue frontier scientific knowledge and nurturing a new generation of scientists with professional expertise, academic integrity, global thinking, creativity and a strong sense of responsibility to the nation.

The Party and State leader also called for major reforms in implementation mechanisms, noting that quantum technology is an interdisciplinary field requiring highly coordinated governance.

He asked the Party Committee of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology to continue refining the project to ensure it is strategic, scientifically grounded and closely aligned with practical realities before submission to the Secretariat for consideration in accordance with regulations./.