Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who heads the National Steering Committee on Data, chaired its first meeting on January 12.
At the hybrid meeting, connected with all 34 provinces and cities nationwide, the PM’s decision to establish the National Steering Committee on Data was announced.
The steering committee is an intersectoral coordinating body tasked with making research, consultation and policy recommendations. It is also assigned to assist the Government and the PM in directing and coordinating the implementation of national data-related strategies, mechanisms, and policies. Its mandate covers the development of national and sectoral databases, as well as data integration, synchronisation, storage, sharing, analysis, exploitation, and coordination through the national integrated database.
In his opening remarks, PM Chinh stressed that with its role as an inter-sectoral coordinating body to translate data-related policies into action and drive the substantive and sustainable development of the data economy, digital economy and digital society, the steering committee convened its first meeting to align awareness, vision and priorities, and to advance the development of Vietnam’s databases that are accurate, complete, clean, dynamic, unified, and shared.
Noting that intelligence cannot be achieved without data and connectivity, he emphasised that all ministries, sectors, localities, agencies, and units must build and effectively manage their databases.
He reiterated the Government’s goal of achieving growth of 10% or higher in the coming period to create strong momentum for the country’s transition into a new era of prosperity, civilisation, and happiness.
To reach this goal, Vietnam can’t rely solely on traditional growth drivers, which are nearing their limits, but must quickly embrace new engines like the digital, green, and circular economies—especially in areas such as data, artificial intelligence (AI), and the data economy, the PM requested.
PM Chinh pointed to the Politburo’s Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science – technology development, innovation and digital transformation, which recognises data as a vital production input and urges the swift development of big data, the data industry, and the data economy.
The Government leader recognised recent strides in digital transformation and data development, but noted ongoing challenges like incomplete legal frameworks, scattered and poor-quality data, weak connectivity and sharing, underdeveloped data centre infrastructure, a lack of skilled workers, and cybersecurity concerns.
He urged participants to work out breakthrough solutions to ensure data accuracy and sufficiency from the source, encourage effective data sharing, strike a balance between openness and the protection of personal data and national security, create a data market with proper valuation mechanisms, and foster a self-reliant AI ecosystem enriched with Vietnamese identity and knowledge./.
