Vietnam vows funding for strategic technology development tasks

Chairing a meeting at the Government headquarters on October 20 to review progress in implementing strategic technology development tasks, he stressed that funding shortages must not prevent approved initiatives from moving forward.

According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, 29 proposals had been appraised, of which 23 met the requirements for approval. By October 19, 17 tasks had been approved by the relevant ministries and agencies, with proposed funding exceeding VND2.319 trillion. The state budget is expected to contribute more than VND1.518 trillion, or 65.5% of the total.

Of the remaining tasks that met the approval requirements, three had yet to be approved, one had only received an appraisal report, and two had been deferred by their respective managing agencies for the current phase.

Since early September 2026, the Ministry of Science and Technology has also received 10 additional proposals from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

Strategic technologies to address development needs

The approved tasks and those undergoing final procedures cover a range of fields, including space, electronics, energy, high-speed rail, health care, agriculture, robotics, artificial intelligence, education and banking.

These are areas in which Vietnam is heavily dependent on imported technologies and equipment, despite domestic market demand being large enough to support the development of local production capacity.

The Ministry of Public Security has been assigned three strategic technology product development tasks, one of which has already resulted in a product being commercialised. The Ministry of National Defence is implementing eight strategic technology tasks and 12 strategic industrial product tasks.

At the meeting, representatives from ministries and agencies outlined progress and raised difficulties in implementation, particularly in bringing research results to market and establishing mechanisms to support strategic technology development.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Dang Ngoc Diep pointed out that developing a strategic technology takes time and that research alone is not enough and that the process must ultimately produce commercially viable products. Research institutes and universities under the ministry are facing difficulties in determining how to commercialise technologies once they have been developed.

Hoang Ninh, deputy director of the Department of Science, Technology and Digital Transformation under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, requested that the Ministry of Science and Technology issue guidance on criteria for core technologies.

He also urged the Ministry of Finance to clarify risk-acceptance mechanisms and how the performance of state-owned enterprises should be assessed when they invest in strategic technologies.

Other proposals included prioritising the procurement of approved strategic technology products by state-owned enterprises and accelerating the development of technical standards. Investment was also recommended for key testing laboratories covering battery energy storage systems, hydrogen, high-voltage electrical equipment and semiconductor chemicals, alongside funding for the special national programme in 2027 based on the list of appraised tasks.

The Ministry of Construction also proposed studying the establishment of a national railway testing centre and providing guidance on funding for strategic technology tasks.

Funding and implementation must go hand in hand

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung commended ministries and agencies for their efforts but noted that strategic technology development must address the country’s practical development challenges and deliver more effective real-world applications.

Although 17 tasks have been approved, implementation must now move beyond the approval stage, he emphasised, describing strategic technology development as a challenging and relatively new area requiring strong commitment from the agencies in charge. Difficulties must be identified promptly and resolved without delay.

The Deputy Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Science and Technology to continue guiding ministries and agencies in submitting funding proposals and to coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to allocate funding for 2026 without delay, while preparing the funding plan for 2027.

“The funding is there, but it has not been allocated. We must ensure that no strategic technology task goes unfunded. Those responsible must be held accountable if funding is not allocated,” he said.

He also directed the Ministry of Science and Technology to issue in November a circular governing the special national programme on strategic technology, including provisions on budget estimates for implementation. Ministries and agencies must begin identifying additional strategic technologies and registering tasks for 2027.

In addition, the Ministry of Science and Technology was asked to work with other ministries to refine regulations on testing conditions, technical standards and regulations, inspection and licensing procedures, product recognition and labelling for strategic technologies.

The ministry will also coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of National Defence to develop specific mechanisms for implementing technology products involving state secrets.

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