From the national database on construction activities to the smart urban information portal, the sector is shifting decisively from manual administration to governance based on digital data that is more transparent and efficient.

Milestone in operating national digital platforms

On December 21, the Ministry of Construction announced the official launch of the National Database on Construction Activities alongside key digital platforms of the sector. Beyond its technical significance, the move is widely seen as a major milestone in the construction sector’s digital transformation, translating major Party and State policies on science, technology development and national digital transformation into concrete action.

Notably, 2025 is also the first year the Ministry of Construction has operated under a new organisational model following institutional consolidation. With workloads rising sharply and state management responsibilities expanding across multiple large and complex fields, higher demands have been placed on governance and operational capacity. In that context, bringing national digital platforms into operation is not only inevitable but also a fundamental solution to improving management efficiency and reducing reliance on fragmented, manual processes.

According to a representative of the ministry’s Information Technology Centre, the official rollout of these core digital platforms clearly demonstrates the ministry’s strong commitment to carrying out Politburo Resolution No. 57 dated December 22, 2024, Government Resolution No. 71 dated April 1, 2025, and directives from the Central Steering Committee on digital transformation.

Building a unified data ecosystem to support sustainable development

Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Tuong Van said the National Smart Urban Information Portal is a sector-specific national platform operated by the ministry. Its functions include publishing official information, standards and technical regulations; providing open data and open APIs; compiling reports from localities; and maintaining a catalogue of state-funded smart urban projects.

The legal framework governing the portal’s development and operation is clearly defined under Decree No. 42 on the provision of online information and public services, and Decree No. 269 on smart urban development. The establishment of a shared data platform is expected to deal with long-standing fragmentation and inconsistencies in data standards and models in smart urban development, while offering effective support for policymaking.

Alongside this, the national database on construction activities, together with nine specialised databases covering areas ranging from transport infrastructure and construction practice capacity to water supply, urban drainage, housing and the real estate market, is gradually forming a unified data ecosystem for the entire construction sector.

These national digital platforms also provide strong support for handling administrative procedures through a centralised model, helping shorten processing times, reduce costs for citizens and businesses, and strengthen monitoring, supervision and performance assessment of state management agencies.

Linking digital transformation with growth and sustainability goals

According to the Ministry of Construction, 2025 is identified as a pivotal year in the 2021-2025 socio-economic development plan and a starting point for preparations for the 2026-2030 period.

Amid continued global and regional uncertainty, intensifying strategic competition among major powers, prolonged geopolitical instability, volatile financial and monetary markets, and global growth projected to fall below 2024 levels, Vietnam remains committed to a GDP growth target of at least 8% in 2025.

Domestically, despite the “dual impact” of adverse external conditions and extreme weather events such as record-level storms and flooding, macroeconomic stability has been maintained, inflation kept under control and major economic balances safeguarded. Within this broader picture, public investment, infrastructure development, industrial production and trade continue to serve as key growth drivers.

Integrating digital transformation with socio-economic development tasks, the Ministry of Construction in 2025 implemented multiple measures to advance the scheme on building at least one million social housing units during the 2021-2030 period.

Working delegations worked directly with 29 localities to inspect projects, review progress, resolve bottlenecks and accelerate implementation.

As a result, 102,633 social housing units were completed nationwide in 2025, reaching about 102% of the annual plan. By the end of 2025, projects under implementation totalled approximately 657,395 units, equivalent to 62% of the scheme’s target.

At the same time, transport infrastructure recorded significant progress with the completion of full traffic connectivity along the North–South expressway corridor from Cao Bang to Ca Mau. By the end of 2025, Vietnam had completed 3,345 kilometres of main expressway routes, 458 kilometres of interchanges and access roads, bringing the total expressway length to 3,803 kilometres, alongside 1,586 kilometres of national highways and 1,701 kilometres of coastal roads.

With the construction sector posting growth of over 9% in 2025 and contributing about 17.23% of national GDP, the coordinated operation of national digital platforms represents both a technological advance and a shift in governance mindset. It is expected to provide a strong impetus for the sector’s modern, transparent and sustainable development in the period ahead.

Speaking at the Ministry of Construction’s year-end review conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh summed up the ministry’s and sector’s recent performance as follows: “Institutions refined, planning synchronised, infrastructure breakthroughs, green and digital transition, a streamlined apparatus, internal unity, urban development and rural renewal.”

He called on the ministry and the sector to implement “five assurances and six breakthroughs” and highlighted three additional key tasks to spur the development of a modern, integrated national infrastructure system.

Ministry adopts national digital platform development programme

The Ministry of Information and Communications has approved a programme promoting the development and use of national digital platforms serving digital transformation and building of e-Government, digital economy and digital society.