Hanoi (VNA) – The prerequisitefor Vietnam's digital economy to go further is to optimisemodern scientific and technological advancements in accordance with Vietnam's own approach, according toNguyen Trung Chinh, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive President of CMC Corporation.

According to experts from the CommonwealthScientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), digital transformationwill bring about a 1.1% annual increase in GDP growth for Vietnam.

The experts held that the challenge for domestictechnology businesses is how to learn, update and leverage the advantages ofthe global IT industry, and at the same time strive to produce made-in-Vietnam high-qualitytechnology products and services led by Vietnamese people.

The Government’s recent digitaltransformation efforts, including the establishment of the National PublicService Portal and the Government Reporting Information System, have proved effective, saving time and costs for citizens and businesses, while contributingto preventing corruption.

According to the draft National Digital Transformation Programme, Vietnam aims to enterthe top 50 countries in e-government and ensure that the digital economy accounts for 30% of the country's GDP by 2030.

Chinh underlined thatto this end, the Government, the Ministry of Information and Communications andIT companies should work closely together to build a strong nationaldigital infrastructure system, including the hard system comprising 5Gservices, and data connectivity and storage, as well as the soft system ofnational database and open data.

The Government should promptlyissue a set of common standards for the national population database and data for particularsectors, he said.

Chinh said that theGovernment can coordinate with IT firms to speed up the implementation and popularisationof shared platforms in order to optimise costs, diversify and maximise informationsources and support businesses’ operations.

The expert also underlinedthe need for an institution infrastructure with policies matching the digitalsociety.

Consistent policies and regulations arealso necessary to shape the digital economy, including those related tocross-border data flows, data security, cybersecurity, customer protection,e-commerce and taxation, he added.

Many experts assertedthat initially, the Government should continue to complete the institutions, policiesand legal corridors regarding information security, cybersecurity, cybercrime, andthe protection of children on the cyberspace, as well as human resources in thefield.

In the long run, the Government cancollaborate with IT companies to establish a cybersecurity cooperation centre, aimingto coordinate cyberspace security, giving cyber-attack alerts, andparticipating in joint cyber defence exercises. The centre can also give trainingcourses to enhance the capacity of officials in the field of cybersecurity andsafety, they added.

According to Chinh, the Government should openthe door wider for technology businesses to attract talents and resources. Atthe same time, it should delegate projects related to the country's digital infrastructuresuch as data centres, telecommunications infrastructure, and smart cities, tothe private sector, he said, adding that Vietnam should turn itself into aDigital Hub for the Asia-Pacific region, serving as a central point for datatransfer and telecommunications infrastructure connectivity in the region./.