The direction was highlighted by To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and State President, at the Vietnam-Singapore Technology Connectivity Forum held on May 29 during his state visit to Singapore.

As the Vietnam-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership continues to expand, technology has increasingly emerged as one of the key pillars of bilateral cooperation with long-term strategic significance.

At the forum, the Vietnamese leader said the world is entering a period of profound transformation in which science, technology and innovation are becoming not only drivers of economic growth but also decisive factors shaping national positions within global value chains.

Fields such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, big data, biotechnology, quantum technology, clean energy and the digital economy are rapidly reshaping production systems and development models across economies worldwide, he noted.

Against that backdrop, Vietnam has identified technology, innovation and digital transformation as central drivers of future growth, while accelerating institutional reforms, talent development and the expansion of its innovation ecosystem.

“We are working to improve institutions, develop high-quality human resources, strengthen innovation ecosystems and create favourable conditions for businesses to participate more deeply in digital transformation and technological development,” he said.

“In today’s era, technological self-reliance does not mean isolation. It should be built on open cooperation, knowledge connectivity and joint capability development,” he added.

The Vietnamese leader once again expressed admiration for Singapore’s long-term development vision, modern governance capacity and dynamic innovation ecosystem, saying the two countries now have major opportunities to expand cooperation into more knowledge- and technology-intensive sectors.

According to him, the two economies possess strong strategic complementarities, and the key challenge now is not merely to increase exchanges and connectivity, but to establish mechanisms capable of transforming connectivity into substantive cooperation and concrete projects.

One notable proposal introduced at the forum was the idea of expanding the traditional “three-party model” linking government, scientists and businesses beyond the national level into a cross-border framework involving stakeholders from both Vietnam and Singapore.

Under the proposed model, institutions, researchers and enterprises from the two countries would jointly conduct research, co-develop solutions and bring products to market together.

The approach is expected to create a more practical and results-oriented cooperation mechanism, moving beyond conferences, networking activities and framework agreements toward concrete technological collaboration.

Building on that foundation, Vietnam also proposed gradually developing a shared Vietnam-Singapore technology cooperation space in which data, knowledge, talent and technological capabilities can be more closely interconnected.

The envisioned cooperation space would focus on strategically important sectors including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, digital technology and data, smart logistics, clean energy, cybersecurity, innovation and startup ecosystems.

“We need to accelerate cooperation projects in strategic areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, digital technology, smart logistics, clean energy, cybersecurity and innovation,” the Vietnamese leader said.

Vietnam and Singapore deepen digital era partnership

VOV.VN - Vietnam-Singapore relations are increasingly being redefined not merely as a bilateral partnership, but as a strategic cooperation model between two economies seeking to move faster in the digital era, green transition and intensifying global technology competition.

During the forum, the two sides also exchanged multiple cooperation documents covering high technology, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, health care, education, digital finance and supply chain development.