As Vietnam’s traditional manufacturing-led growth engine is approaching its limits, the government has made digital transformation a national development priority to enhance productivity and competitiveness. A key question is whether the national digital transformation agenda has created a strategic opportunity to expand Vietnam’s digitally deliverable services (DDS) exports and power its next phase of economic development?
ACI’s webinar, “Vietnam’s Digital Transformation: Impact on Export Competitiveness of Digital Services,” held on 29 July 2026, explored this question by combining an assessment of Vietnam’s digital policy architecture, regional digital competitiveness and empirical analysis of bilateral services trade. Since the launch of the National Digital Transformation Programme in 2020, Vietnam has adopted and implemented significant digital laws and policies, including recent reforms in Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance, cybersecurity and cross-border data regulations. The empirical findings suggest that Vietnam’s digital transformation strategy has contributed to a more favourable environment for DDS export growth since 2020. Nevertheless, translating these gains into long-term competitiveness will require deeper institutional reforms, stronger domestic innovation capabilities and sustained investment in digital talent, enabling Vietnam to move from a consumer of imported digital technologies to a globally competitive exporter of high-value digital services.
Key Highlights:
1. Digital transformation has become Vietnam’s new growth strategy. Facing slowing productivity growth, rising labour costs and the risk of the middle-income trap, Vietnam has repositioned digital transformation from a technology initiative to a national development strategy. Since 2020, the government has built a comprehensive policy framework covering digital infrastructure, digital government, digital adoption, data governance and artificial intelligence. These reforms are supported by ambitious targets, including increasing the digital economy’s contribution to 30% of GDP by 2030 and 50% by 2045.
2. Vietnam has built strong digital foundations, but important competitiveness gaps remain. Vietnam has emerged as one of ASEAN’s strongest performers in digital infrastructure and core digital inputs, supported by rapid expansion of broadband network, digital payments, e-government services and a growing digital technology sector. However, institutional capacity, digital service sophistication, advanced digital skills and SME digital adoption continue to lag behind regional leaders, limiting the country’s ability to fully capture knowledge-intensive digital opportunities.
3. Digital transformation is strengthening Vietnam’s export competitiveness in digitally deliverable services. DDS exports have become increasingly resilient and now account for a growing share of Vietnam’s total services exports. Empirical analysis shows that Vietnam’s DDS exports have grew faster than those of several ASEAN peers since 2020, particularly in telecommunications, computer and information services, and other business services. These findings suggest that Vietnam’s digital transformation has been associated to stronger export performance of digital service trade and supported the country’s transition towards higher-value service exports.
4. The next phase of digital transformation should focus on capability building rather than digital adoption alone. While Vietnam has established one of ASEAN’s most comprehensive digital policy frameworks, it remains a net importer of advanced digital services and continues to rely heavily on foreign providers for cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and intellectual property. Moving forward, priorities should include improving regulatory coherence, facilitating trusted cross-border data flows, accelerating SME digitalisation, developing advanced AI and digital talent, and strengthening cybersecurity and consumer trust. These reforms will be essential for transforming Vietnam from a fast-growing digital market into a globally competitive producer and exporter of high-value digital services.
ACI Perspectives 