Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Internet Network Information Centre (VNNIC) under the Ministry of Science and Technology hosted UA Day 2026 in Hanoi on April 17 under the theme “Strengthening regional collaboration for universal acceptance implementation in Asia-Pacific.”
UA Day was initiated in 2023 by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in collaboration with UNESCO to promote Universal Acceptance (UA) of Internationalised Domain Names (IDNs) and multilingual email addresses across Internet systems, software, and digital services.
The initiative was introduced as many technical platforms still do not fully support all valid domain names and email addresses, limiting access to digital services, particularly in countries that use languages and scripts other than the Latin alphabet.
Since 2023, UA Day has been held annually in linguistically diverse regions, including Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America, reflecting growing efforts by countries to address and promote technical issues related to Universal Acceptance.
In Vietnam, multilingual domain names, including Vietnamese-language domain names with diacritics, were introduced in 2011. The number of registrations peaked at nearly one million in 2014, and the system has since been fully integrated into the national .vn domain name management framework.
However, actual usage remains below its potential. As Vietnam accelerates the development of its digital government, digital economy and digital society, promoting Universal Acceptance has become increasingly important to ensure that individuals and businesses can use Vietnamese-language domain names and email addresses safely and on an equal footing. It is also seen as a way to strengthen digital sovereignty and maximise the value of national Internet resources.
Speaking at the event, Nguyen Truong Giang, Acting Director of VNNIC, said ensuring Universal Acceptance is not merely a technical requirement but a strategic priority with direct implications for digital transformation, innovation and the ability of communities to participate in the global digital economy.
For Vietnam, this is an opportunity to strengthen national capabilities in Internet infrastructure and digital services, promote the adoption of multilingual Internet technologies, and deepen cooperation with regional and international partners. For the region, this conference provides a platform to align priorities, share national experiences and jointly address common challenges in implementing Universal Acceptance, Giang said.
UA Day 2026 aims to advance the global adoption of multilingual domain names while fostering dialogue, knowledge-sharing, and cooperation among regulators, organisations, and businesses. The event also seeks to strengthen Vietnam’s technology community and enhance the country’s role and standing in regional and international cooperation on Internet governance and Internet resource development.
As Vietnam implements Resolution 57 on science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation, the development of the Internet, and Internet domain name resources, it has been described as critical “soft infrastructure” underpinning the country’s digital transformation journey.
Efforts to promote Universal Acceptance and expand the use of multilingual domain names, particularly Vietnamese-language domain names, are expected to improve access to digital services and help narrow the digital divide among different population groups.
With Internet infrastructure becoming more inclusive, secure, and multilingual, the goals set out in Resolution 57 will strengthen Vietnam’s digital sovereignty and enhance its competitiveness on the global digital landscape./.
