In the digital age, 5G just isn’t merely a step ahead in the telecommunications trade, however has turn into a strategic infrastructure that’s essential to nationwide competitiveness.
With its high-speed, low-latency connectivity, 5G performs a vital position as one of the key pillars driving complete digital transformation throughout varied sectors, from the digital economy and digital authorities to supporting innovation and the improvement of digital applied sciences.
Vietnam’s 5G improvement technique is particularly mirrored in nationwide insurance policies on digital technology and digital infrastructure.
Since 2019, the Ministry of Information and Communications (now the Ministry of Science and Technology) has set the aim of “mastering the design, research, and production of 5G equipment as a symbol of national technological self-reliance.” The inclusion of 5G cellular tools and community techniques in the record of 6 strategic know-how product teams prioritized for instant deployment demonstrates the clear aims of the Party and State in the digital transformation journey and in enhancing nationwide competitiveness in the new period.
The technological revolution in the telecommunications trade.
5G (fifth Generation) is the fifth era of wi-fi cellular know-how, with vital enhancements over earlier generations reminiscent of 3G and 4G. 5G networks supply connection speeds as much as 10 instances quicker than 4G, with just about zero latency, enabling clean and speedy knowledge transmission and offering an optimum person expertise.
Deploying and utilizing 5G networks provides quite a few advantages. With quicker knowledge transmission speeds and decrease latency, customers can expertise higher-quality on-line companies reminiscent of 4K/8K video, digital actuality (VR), and augmented actuality (AR). 5G helps the connection of billions of Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets, opening up alternatives for purposes reminiscent of good properties, good cities, and industrial automation.
Furthermore, 5G permits distant surgical procedure, real-time affected person monitoring, and improved healthcare companies; it helps communication between autos and transportation infrastructure, serving to to enhance the security and effectivity of the transportation system. 5G deployment additionally promotes the improvement of new industries, creating jobs and boosting financial progress.
5G infrastructure is constructed on three core components: base stations (gNodeB), core networks, and transmission applied sciences (backhaul & fronthaul). In addition, 5G frequency spectrum and bandwidth play a vital position in optimizing efficiency. These elements create a strong community ecosystem, making 5G a significant basis in the fourth industrial revolution.
Vietnam is amongst the world’s main nations in 5G community deployment. In 2024-2025, Vietnam’s three main telecommunications firms – Viettel Group, Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), and MobiFone – based mostly on their capabilities, have launched business 5G deployments with totally different aims, each leveraging current strengths and making certain competitiveness.
According to a report by the Ministry of Science and Technology, by December 2025, business 5G protection will attain 91.2% of the nationwide inhabitants, inserting Vietnam amongst the fastest-rolling 5G carriers in the world.
However, the journey to make 5G the nationwide digital infrastructure platform in Vietnam requires vital assets, each monetary and technical. 5G requires the building of a big quantity of base stations with excessive density to make sure steady protection. Many gadgets in the entry, core, and transmission networks have to be imported, whereas 5G tools is kind of costly.
Furthermore, constructing and working 5G networks requires a high-quality workforce in the telecommunications and knowledge know-how sectors. The coaching system has not saved tempo with up to date curricula to swimsuit new technological developments reminiscent of 5G, inflicting a widening hole between precise necessities and workforce capabilities.
The proven fact that 5G community techniques and tools are amongst the six strategic know-how merchandise prioritized for instant deployment based on Decision No. 2815/QD-TTg dated December 28, 2025, of the Prime Minister demonstrates the Party and State’s dedication to develop strategic applied sciences in a substantive method: clearly figuring out the core applied sciences that have to be mastered, the accountable items all through, the commercialization roadmap, and the potential for spreading outcomes into socio-economic improvement.
Realizing the “Make in Vietnam” 5G dream.
Concluding the thematic session of the Central Steering Committee on Science, Technology Development and Digital Transformation on March 18, 2026, General Secretary To Lam, Head of the Steering Committee, emphasised that strategic know-how improvement is a matter of đặc biệt significance, a nationwide strategic concern, immediately associated to the competitiveness, technological self-reliance, and place of the nation in the new period.
Regarding 5G community techniques and tools, Decision No. 2815/QD-TTg dated December 28, 2025, of the Prime Minister clearly states the aim by 2027 to grasp 100% of the know-how for designing, manufacturing, testing, and optimizing the most important elements of 5G/5G Advanced networks (RAN, Site Router, 5G Core); to grasp the design of RF analog chips in 5G-5G Advanced community techniques; and to satisfy at the least 15% of the home demand for 5G/5G Advanced community tools.
Mastering 5G just isn’t solely seen as a driving pressure in Vietnam’s journey to turning into a digital nation, but in addition has strategic significance in defending nationwide safety in our on-line world. In observe, many home companies have initially mastered core applied sciences and developed strategic know-how merchandise. Large telecommunications firms have invested closely in analysis and manufacturing of tools, regularly mastering necessary elements of the 5G community. Viettel Group is main the means in researching and manufacturing 5G merchandise below the “Make in Vietnam” initiative.
5G base stations play a vital position in the telecommunications community infrastructure, with Viettel High-Tech Industry Corporation (Viettel Group) totally controlling the {hardware} and software program, from analysis and design to manufacturing. In June 2024, Viettel High-Tech Industry Corporation turned the first Vietnamese enterprise to be licensed for the National Technical Standards on 5G Mobile Communication Base Station Equipment: QCVN 128:2021/BTTTT for the gNodeB 32T32R and gNodeB 8T8R base station tools. These are crucial milestones, affirming that Viettel’s tools meets Vietnam’s nationwide technical requirements and laws, making certain that “Make in Vietnam” 5G merchandise are manufactured in accordance with security, high quality, and efficiency necessities.
In mid-October 2025, Gartner, a number one international know-how analysis and consulting group, introduced that Viettel High Tech Corporation is a specialised enterprise, recognizing its pioneering position in commercializing 5G Open RAN base stations. Viettel High Tech can be the solely enterprise in Southeast Asia acknowledged by Gartner in the subject of 5G infrastructure, thereby contributing to Vietnam becoming a member of the group of nations mastering superior 5G know-how. In December 2025, the Ministry of Science and Technology recorded 2011 new Viettel 5G radio stations – Make in Vietnam – succesful of working based on the O-RAN commonplace.
5G chips are essential processors in telecommunications networks, making certain excessive knowledge transmission speeds, decreased latency, and optimized community efficiency. Viettel is concentrated on researching and manufacturing 5G chips to proactively develop core know-how and scale back dependence on international suppliers. The 5G DFE (Digital Front-End) chip, researched and developed by Viettel, boasts a computing functionality of 1 trillion operations per second, assembly the 5G requirements of the Mobile Communications Protocol Development Organization (3GPP).
The improvement of the DFE 5G chip has helped Viettel solidify its place in the semiconductor trade, regularly taking part extra deeply in the international provide chain. This success additionally lays the groundwork for Vietnam to turn into self-reliant in high-tech fields, lowering its dependence on imported chips.
Mastering the 5G core community is taken into account strategic, as it’s the central half of telecommunications community operation and income era, and performs a vital position in making certain nationwide digital sovereignty. With an “autonomous-open-smart” strategy, Viettel has developed a complete 5G Core community ecosystem, serving each business cellular networks and personal 5G networks for companies. To date, the system has supported hundreds of thousands of 5G NSA (based mostly on 4G) and 5G SA (standalone) subscribers.
Building on its expertise in mastering 4G know-how, Viettel has now totally mastered the product ecosystem throughout all 5G community layers, together with gNodeB base stations based mostly on the ORAN commonplace, IP transmission tools, switching techniques, and real-time billing techniques (OCS 4.0). These merchandise are developed with an open (OpenRAN, Open Network API, ONAP…), delicate networking (SDN), and virtualization (NFV) strategy on a Cloud Native structure, whereas additionally enhancing the software of synthetic intelligence and machine studying applied sciences in knowledge evaluation and processing.
Products developed by Viettel have been deployed on a big scale throughout Viettel’s community in Vietnam and different funding markets, together with techniques that make the most of 100% Viettel-developed merchandise, reminiscent of the vOCS real-time billing system. Viettel’s 5G telecommunications tools has additionally begun to be exported to markets reminiscent of India and the UAE.
Based on Viettel’s success with 5G networks, Lieutenant General Tao Duc Thang, Chairman and CEO of Viettel Group, proposed options to make sure that strategic know-how merchandise are deployed efficiently. These embrace: issuing mechanisms and insurance policies to draw high-quality human assets; investing in key infrastructure below a mechanism the place the state invests and companies function key laboratories, measurement amenities, and testing facilities to guage strategic know-how merchandise; and fostering tripartite cooperation (state, universities, and companies).
Put the enterprise at the heart.
Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW of the Politburo clearly identifies science, know-how, innovation, and digital transformation as strategic breakthroughs, enjoying a key position in the nation’s new progress mannequin. This is the most important axis working all through the present coverage system. Along with Resolution 57, Resolution 68 on the improvement of the non-public economic system, Resolution 59 on worldwide integration in the new state of affairs, and plenty of different Party and State insurance policies play a supporting position in perfecting the improvement strategy that focuses on enterprises, the market as the driving pressure, and science, know-how, and innovation as the most important improvement methodology.
The record of six precedence strategic know-how merchandise recognized in Decision No. 2815/QD-TTg displays a big shift in policy-making considering, with companies enjoying a central position in the innovation ecosystem, a core component in the nation’s double-digit progress goal in the new period. However, a substantial hole stays between coverage route and sensible implementation, requiring sturdy mechanisms to deal with institutional, market, and implementation capability bottlenecks.
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Ngoc Chien, Director of the National Science and Technology Development Fund (Nafosted), the unit accountable for funding and commissioning science and know-how applications and duties from the state funds, by a proposal-based mechanism, a number of analysis duties have been undertaken with content material and product scope aligned with these precedence strategic know-how teams and have produced some noteworthy outcomes. However, total, they continue to be fragmented and lack interconnectedness. This is as a result of the duties are fashioned from particular person proposals, every pursuing totally different targets and product targets, thus failing to create a complete image.
Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Ngoc Chien famous that, in actuality, the implementation of strategic know-how duties continues to be in its preliminary levels and has not but totally revealed all particular difficulties. However, it may be affirmed that monetary assets are principally not a significant concern, as the Government has already adopted a coverage and allotted assets for the improvement of strategic applied sciences.
In phrases of human assets, Vietnam additionally has the capability to draw and mobilize an acceptable workforce. The greatest problem presently lies in the mechanisms. Many laws are nonetheless framework-based, missing specificity and enough element for efficient implementation in observe. Some authorized paperwork are too basic, resulting in difficulties in implementation. In specific, the coverage mechanisms are usually not actually tailor-made to every goal group.
For instance, analysis institutes and universities, the most important forces in analysis and mastering core applied sciences, want versatile funding mechanisms and acceptance of dangers in scientific analysis. Meanwhile, companies don’t essentially want direct help from the funds, however are extra all for insurance policies reminiscent of tax incentives, land, technical boundaries, requirements, or mental property safety.
Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Ngoc Chien believes that in the future, it’s essential to proceed enhancing the institutional framework by appropriately figuring out the “bottlenecks” of every goal group to be able to have acceptable insurance policies; a single mechanism can’t be utilized to all, however reasonably versatile help instruments have to be designed that intently match the sensible wants of analysis institutes, universities, and companies, thereby selling the efficient improvement of strategic applied sciences.
“Through our field survey, we also noted that some businesses have almost completely mastered the technology, even perfecting their products and ready to launch them on the market. They no longer need research funding support because they have passed this stage. What they need now is not money, but a mechanism – specifically, the State must act as the first customer,” Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Ngoc Chien shared, including that some companies additionally proposed a help mechanism based mostly on “post-audit,” which means that after profitable analysis funding, the prices may be evaluated and audited, and the State can present partial funding. This is a versatile strategy, appropriate for companies which have proactively invested and brought dangers throughout the analysis section.
Referring to the tripartite mannequin of connection: State-Institute/University-Enterprise, Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Ngoc Chien affirmed that the “three-party” mannequin is the most fitted strategy for creating strategic know-how merchandise. This is as a result of the nature of strategic know-how requires a excessive scientific content material, superior know-how, and the skill to create a aggressive benefit. To obtain this, the participation of scientists in researching, mastering, and creating core applied sciences is critical, adopted by their integration into enterprise merchandise. Meanwhile, not all enterprises have the capability for in-depth analysis and improvement. Except for a number of massive enterprises with sturdy potential, most enterprises nonetheless must cooperate with institutes and universities to resolve core scientific issues. When these two entities join, the State will play a facilitating position by acceptable mechanisms, insurance policies, and assets. Therefore, creating strategic know-how merchandise based mostly on a tripartite collaboration mannequin just isn’t solely an inevitable development but in addition the simplest resolution in the present context.
The draft Decree regulating the group and operation of the Nafosted Fund, presently being submitted to the Government for consideration, clearly stipulates an necessary perform of the Fund: appearing as a “bridge” or “matchmaker” in the science, know-how, and innovation ecosystem. Accordingly, the Fund will proactively construct a staff and mechanisms to attach scientists, companies, and administration companies, thereby selling the formation of joint duties and initiatives, particularly in strategic know-how fields.
Regarding human assets to help the improvement of six strategic precedence know-how product teams, the Program to Support Excellent Doctoral Students for the interval 2026-2030, with a most help of as much as VND 1 billion per yr for every doctoral pupil for a interval not exceeding 3 years, was not too long ago accepted in Decision No. 2103/QD-BKHCN. It is predicted that by 2030, the program will help roughly 100 wonderful doctoral college students yearly with internationally aggressive monetary help, thereby creating enough motivation and attraction to retain home expertise and entice worldwide doctoral college students to Vietnam. Besides human assets, the Fund additionally focuses on creating science and know-how infrastructure. Through its grant applications, the Fund will help funding, upgrading, and connectivity of laboratories, analysis facilities, scientific databases, and testing and inspection tools techniques… immediately serving the analysis and improvement of strategic know-how merchandise.
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Dinh Van Trung, Director of the Institute of Physics (Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology), an establishment that has been creating strategic know-how merchandise reminiscent of UAVs and autonomous robots, a synchronized ecosystem must be constructed. This ecosystem mustn’t solely embrace the State issuing mechanisms and insurance policies but in addition offering assets to companies, thereby encouraging companies to put orders again with analysis institutes and universities. This strategy contributes to forming an in depth hyperlink between the State, companies, and scientists, making a basis for the improvement of the know-how market and overcoming the limitations of the earlier mannequin of remoted analysis.
Citing some worldwide experiences, he mentioned that in the US, by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the authorities entrusts the scientific neighborhood with creating long-term strategic stories, clearly figuring out precedence analysis instructions, after which specifying them into duties and orders for companies, analysis institutes, and universities. This strategy creates a powerful hyperlink between the entities and suggests an acceptable strategy for Vietnam in organizing and implementing strategic know-how applications in a targeted and focused method.
The sensible expertise at MK Group exhibits that the potential for mastering know-how inside a enterprise is fully possible when acceptable help mechanisms are in place.
Regarding the success of AI cameras for clever recognition and surveillance, Mr. Nguyen Trung Kien, General Director of MK Vision, believes that what companies want are particular orders, with the State enjoying the position of the “first customer,” particularly for dual-use merchandise. This just isn’t solely a direct useful resource but in addition an necessary motivation for companies to proceed investing and enhancing know-how.
The authorities is the first buyer.
At a gathering to implement Decision 2815 of the Prime Minister, Mr. Hoang Anh Tu, Deputy Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Engineering (Ministry of Science and Technology), said: “Businesses are ready to invest in research and development of products, but the biggest problem is market access. Many technological products will be difficult to perfect and commercialize if they do not have the opportunity for practical implementation.”
Many sensible issues confronted by ministries, sectors, and localities have been additionally raised by representatives from varied ministries, sectors, and localities. The Director of the Hanoi Department of Science and Technology, Cu Ngoc Trang, said that the metropolis is contemplating ordering AI-powered digicam techniques for border processing to serve good cities, significantly in the areas of transportation, surroundings, and concrete administration. In Da Nang, proposals targeted on tracing the origin of agricultural merchandise and constructing digital maps; whereas Can Tho expressed curiosity in UAVs for agriculture and monitoring riverbank erosion.
At the ministerial degree, representatives from the Ministry of Construction said that there’s a big demand for the software of UAVs, autonomous robots, and AI cameras in monitoring building websites, transportation infrastructure, and hard-to-reach areas. Meanwhile, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate is all for AI techniques for analyzing case information and the software of UAVs in knowledge assortment for dealing with violations.
Sharing his ideas on this matter, Mr. Hoang Anh Tu said that the State will act as the major buyer by commissioned initiatives, aiming to create an preliminary market for the merchandise. Specifically, for AI cameras, orders have already been positioned for surveillance and safety functions by the Ministry of Public Security; for building and transportation by the Ministry of Construction; and for healthcare and schooling by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Training. For unmanned aerial autos (UAVs), orders have been positioned by the Ministry of National Defense (reconnaissance, rescue); the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (agriculture, surroundings); and the Ministry of Health. For autonomous cellular robots, orders are concentrated in the Ministry of Industry and Trade (logistics, factories); the Ministry of Public Security (safety); and native authorities (city improvement).
These duties transcend analysis; they require output merchandise with clear software addresses, receiving companies, and commercialization roadmaps. Based on the Prime Minister’s framework for assigning these duties, ministries, sectors, and localities will develop and place orders based mostly on their very own wants. Currently, the Ministry of Science and Technology has issued Official Letter No. 1386/BKHCN-CN dated March 13, 2026, to ministries, sectors, and localities offering particular steerage for implementation.
For these six strategic know-how merchandise, the Ministry of Science and Technology has additionally set particular standards and necessities concerning technological capability, localization charge, and skill to take part in the worth chain, in addition to incentive mechanisms for taking part companies. These embrace requiring companies to analysis and grasp all levels from design, integration, manufacturing to testing and sensible software. Specifically, companies should grasp at the least 80% of the product’s core know-how; the home value-added ratio in the product’s promoting worth should attain at the least 60% and in the product’s value should attain at the least 40%; companies must develop excessive value-added modules which might be commercially viable in the international worth chain. The product should be capable of change imports, meet at the least 30% of the home market, and goal for export. At least 60% of an organization’s analysis duties should have accepted mental property safety purposes, and 100% of the outcomes should be printed in respected scientific journals…
By taking part on this program, companies will obtain funding from the state funds, prioritizing 15% of the complete funds allotted to science and know-how. Businesses may also obtain help by preferential mortgage rates of interest and monetary help vouchers for mental property registration and technological innovation.
According to the Department of Science and Technology, as an alternative of leaving companies to “fend for themselves,” the State will implement a mechanism for immediately ordering duties and teams of duties from main know-how firms and companies in collaboration with analysis institutes and universities. In specific, related companies are urgently creating a public procurement mechanism for home know-how merchandise to create a steady market for companies.
Businesses are additionally supported in accessing and using knowledge from the National Data Center and shared knowledge repositories of ministries and companies. At the identical time, the State invests in key laboratory techniques, testing facilities, and high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure for companies to share, thereby lowering preliminary funding prices…
Regarding monetary assets, precedence can be given to allocating scientific analysis funding from the state funds, accounting for at the least 15% of the complete funds expenditure on science and know-how, to help these strategic merchandise; implementing high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure initiatives, nationwide knowledge facilities, and specialised laboratories and testing areas for every kind of product (reminiscent of UAV testing areas). The Ministry of Science and Technology additionally goals to help the formation of at the least 30 enterprises taking part in analysis and improvement of core applied sciences and strategic merchandise with worldwide competitiveness.
The choice of six precedence strategic know-how product teams for implementation just isn’t solely a concrete step in realizing the main instructions of Resolution 57, but in addition a take a look at of the coverage administration capability and coordination skill of the total nationwide innovation system. In this context, inserting companies at the heart is a prerequisite for reworking strategic applied sciences into concrete, market-competitive merchandise.
Without establishing acceptable market mechanisms, creating an area for experimentation and threat acceptance, it will likely be troublesome to understand precedence strategic know-how merchandise. Conversely, if institutional, market, and ecosystem bottlenecks are eliminated, Vietnam has a strong basis to regularly grasp core applied sciences, take part extra deeply in international worth chains, and make science and know-how the driving pressure for speedy and sustainable improvement in the digital age.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/viet-nam-tang-toc-phu-song-5g-huong-toi-lam-chu-toan-dien-cong-nghe-post1108104.vnp