Hanoi (VNA) - Amid rapid integration and digital transformation, Vietnam has reaffirmed its determination to make standards a driver of innovation, global integration and sustainable development.
The country has so far issued more than 14,200 national standards (TCVN), around 63% of which are harmonised with international and regional standards, a rate approaching that of industrialised nations.
Developing a digital standards ecosystem
Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Le Xuan Dinh noted that Vietnam’s more than 14,200 national standards now cover not only traditional sectors such as agriculture, mechanics and electronics, but also emerging areas including digital transformation, the circular economy, renewable energy, smart cities and data security.
He said many Vietnamese enterprises are not only actively applying international standards, but are also taking part in the development of TCVNs and contributing to the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) technical committees to meet the needs of businesses, governments and consumers at home and worldwide.
According to Dinh, to further promote the guiding role of standards, Vietnam must effectively implement new legal provisions, including amendments to the Law on Standards and Technical Regulations and the Law on Product and Goods Quality. These new regulations will create breakthroughs in conformity announcement procedures, recognition of conformity assessment results, especially mutual recognition with international partners, and promote greater socialisation and international integration in standards.
He added that 2025 marks several key milestones for national standardisation, with new legal reforms helping standards become an essential component of economic governance, state management and national competitiveness. Vietnam is also accelerating the full digitalisation of standards data, gradually forming a digital ecosystem for standards and shifting towards an open, transparent and enterprise-friendly standards development process.
Nguyen Van Khoi, Director of the Standards Department under the Commission for the Standards, Metrology and Quality of Vietnam (STAMEQ), said the global trend is towards “smart, digitalised” standards which are data-integrated and automated across the entire standards lifecycle. This approach aims to reduce costs, resources and time in national standards development while enhancing mutual recognition of conformity assessment results between countries. Khoi stressed that to build a digital standards ecosystem, Vietnam must complete its national standards database and fully digitalise standards data to connect with the ISO and IEC databases.
Towards international standardisation
STAMEQ Director General Nguyen Nam Ha highlighted the importance of international harmonisation through a simple example - shoe sizes. Even if two people wear size 42, their shoes may not be interchangeable, showing why standardisation is essential. Internationally, size systems differ, but standards allow these to be converted into comparable levels across countries, underlining their importance in an era of global integration.
He emphasised that standards provide a shared framework that enhances cooperation among sectors, nations and organisations to achieve common goals. This aligns with the World Standards Day message on October 14: “Shared Vision for a Better World.” He added that standards also shed light on their role in innovation, digital transformation and sustainable development, from smart standards and international integration to trusted services, future digital sustainability and the tripartite cooperation model among the state, businesses and international partners.
Vietnam is currently implementing Decision No. 1703/QD-TTg dated December 31, 2024 on the rollout of the Party Central Committee Secretariat’s Directive No. 38-CT/TW on strengthening national standards, metrology and quality work through 2030 and beyond. Under the draft “National Standardisation Strategy to 2030”, Vietnam aims to harmonise 70-75% of its TCVN system with international and regional standards by 2030./.
