Vietnam is accelerating efforts to develop a national standards framework to support strategic technologies and strategic products, aiming to strengthen technological self-reliance and enhance national competitiveness in the new era.
The move follows the implementation of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW issued by the Politburo on December 22, 2024 on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and national digital transformation. On April 30, the Government promulgated Decision No. 21/QD-TTg on the list of strategic technologies and products. Most recently, on May 15, the Government approved the National Standards Strategy for 2026–2035 under Decision No. 876/QD-TTg.
The strategy is designed to promote the adoption of international, regional and Vietnamese standards to serve the development of strategic technologies, strategic products and key economic sectors.
Under the roadmap, Vietnam aims by 2030 to harmonise 75% of Vietnamese standards with international, regional or foreign standards of developed countries. The country also targets full compatibility between all sectors in the Vietnamese standards classification framework and Level-2 classifications of the International Classification for Standards (ICS) developed by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).
Particularly in fields related to strategic technologies and products and key industries, Vietnam seeks representation in 60% of relevant technical committees under international organisations such as ISO, the International Electrotechnical Commission and the International Telecommunication Union. The country also aims to participate in IEC technical committees related to smart urban development.
Nguyen Nam Hai, Chairman of the Commission for the Standards, Metrology and Quality of Vietnam, said the agency is accelerating the development of national standards and technical regulations for strategic technologies and products. The initiative is expected to support state management while facilitating research, development, testing and commercialisation activities.
According to Hai, Vietnam is encouraging the direct application of international and regional standards suited to domestic conditions in order to shorten standardisation timelines, improve global compatibility and enable Vietnamese technology products and services to integrate more deeply into global value chains.
The country is also striving to co-chair or lead two to three international standardisation projects in strategic technology-related fields and sign at least 20 standardisation cooperation agreements with foreign partners and international organisations.
Since the implementation of Resolution 57, the commission has focused on building a standards system capable of meeting 70–80% of management, production, business and service requirements across the economy. The strategy places particular emphasis on digital economy development, artificial intelligence, smart manufacturing, e-commerce, data economy and creative industries.
To date, around 400 national standards systems have been issued covering key sectors and products, including petrol, greenhouse gas emissions auditing methods based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s guidelines, commercial robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), nuclear power, traceability systems, online journalism and virtual reality technologies.
Vietnam is now transitioning from a position of merely adopting international standards toward playing a more active role in shaping them, with standards increasingly viewed as a strategic tool to improve market access, foster innovation, accelerate digital and green transformation, and strengthen long-term competitiveness./.
