Amid a polarised and volatile global landscape, digital transformation, green transition, together with innovation are the pathways for Vietnam to strengthen its internal capacity, expand development space, and reinforce national defence and security in the new context.
Despite slowing global growth and localised downturns in many economies, Vietnam has sustained robust growth, maintained macroeconomic stability, safeguarded key economic balances, recorded rapid gains in per capita income, and further strengthened its international standing.
Digital and green transformation go beyond economic models
Safeguarding the nation is inseparable from development. An unstable, low-growth economy with high public debt and strained fiscal and monetary conditions undermines resources for science, technology, and national defence and security, whereas a stable economy with sound balances underpins sustainable growth and stronger defence and security.
The sharp reduction in public debt and the expansion of fiscal space in recent years reflect not only sound economic management but also a strategic effort to build reserves for proactive responses to contingencies, including natural disasters and epidemics, while gradually redirecting budget spending toward development investment, science and technology, and strategic infrastructure.
With that vision, sustainable economic development goes beyond purely economic objectives; it constitutes an integral part of the strategy to safeguard the nation from an early stage and from afar by strengthening the nation’s overall capacity.
Science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and green transition have been identified as new drivers to achieve the goal of becoming a developed, high-income country by 2045. From an economic perspective, digital and green transformation help boost productivity, reduce costs, improve resource efficiency, cut emissions, and enhance the quality of growth.
Digital and green transformation strengthens economic security by reducing reliance on finite resources and imported energy and technologies, while enhancing self-reliance across production, circulation, and distribution. It also underpins energy security by promoting a green energy system with diversified supplies, greater use of renewables, and clean fuels, reducing vulnerability to geopolitical and energy shocks.
Alongside this is a cybersecurity and information security shield. Comprehensive digital transformation creates an urgent need to safeguard digital sovereignty and data sovereignty and to protect critical digital infrastructure, requiring proactive mastery to avoid passivity or strategic surprise.
Institutions lead, businesses and people move in step
To turn the “soft power” of green and digital transformation into the national strength, it is imperative to promptly introduce breakthrough incentive mechanisms and policies to encourage investment in green and digital technologies, while steadfastly advancing administrative reform, cutting red tape and business conditions, and fostering a transparent, secure, and low-cost investment and business environment.
On that basis, three groups of stakeholders need to be encouraged to play a greater role, with the business sector foremost among them.
Businesses are the frontline force implementing projects in renewable energy, the circular economy, smart cities, digital services, and high-tech industries. They translate strategic vision into practical products and services, enhance economic competitiveness, generate sustainable budget revenues, and thereby strengthen resources for national defence and security.
For digital and green transformation to succeed, it must extend to every household, cooperative, and small and medium-sized enterprise, from efficient resource use and green consumption to online public services and digital transactions, engaging citizens in building a green lifestyle and a healthy digital culture that supports social order, security, and national unity.
The Vietnam People’s Army, fulfilling its roles as a combat force, a working force, and a labour and production force, is tasked with taking the lead in areas such as strategic infrastructure development and operation, dual-use technology research and development, disaster response, search and rescue, and environmental protection, that are sectors closely linked to the green transition.
Not missing “green – digital train”
Vietnam is proactively integrating into the international community, not standing aside from major global trends but actively participating, proposing initiatives, and cooperating on the basis of a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification. This also means that in digital and green transformation, the country cannot afford to lag behind.
Delayed transition will leave the economy lagging, limit income growth, narrow fiscal space, and increase dependence on technology, digital infrastructure, and energy, while timely and decisive progress along the green–digital path could deliver breakthroughs in productivity, growth quality, and scientific and technological capacity.
With the entire political system and every citizen working together, Vietnam strives to achieve rapid and sustainable development, building a strong and prosperous nation./.
