Vietnam’s digital technology industry is experiencing robust support from the central government. The enactment of the Digital Technology Industry Law 2025 (also known as Law 71) has provided a solid legal framework for key sectors such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI), along with tax incentives, expert visa schemes, and direct financial support.
Synergizing Technology Initiatives
 A nighttime view of Da Nang City. The city is concurrently developing three technology and innovation projects to achieve its smart city vision. Photo: TL
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At a seminar held on November 25 in Da Nang, Mr. Tran Anh Tu, Deputy Director of the Information Technology Industry Department, emphasized that Law 71 not only establishes a legal framework but also underscores the nation’s strategic commitment. Crucially, the law delegates authority to provincial and city People’s Councils to set criteria, conditions, and specific support levels, enabling key localities like Da Nang to proactively drive breakthrough technology projects.
In essence, this lays the groundwork for the central coastal city to realize its strategic vision of becoming a smart city post-2030 through three initiatives drafted by the Da Nang Department of Science and Technology. These initiatives are currently gathering feedback before submission for city leadership approval, forming a systematic and cohesive “three-pillar” approach.
Specifically, the science and technology development initiative focuses on building a research and development (R&D) ecosystem and attracting high-quality talent, particularly in priority areas like semiconductors and AI. Meanwhile, the digital transformation initiative serves as the backbone, aiming to develop e-government, digital economy, and digital society, with a focus on leveraging AI and big data to optimize public management and services.
Lastly, the innovative city initiative acts as a market driver, promoting startup innovation, commercialization of research outcomes, and positioning Da Nang as a regional technology talent hub.
This tight integration creates a logical cycle: digital transformation provides data and infrastructure; science and technology supply core tools and technologies; and innovation drives application and commercialization, collectively enhancing competitiveness.
Practical Actions to Address Key Challenges
Da Nang’s initiatives are implemented with a focus on tackling the most critical challenges of the digital era: data and human resources, alongside groundbreaking practical applications.
Recognizing that “data is the new resource,” the city is undertaking transformative campaigns to convert raw data into clean data. Notably, AI is being employed to extract and process land data from images, supporting a 90-day land data cleanup campaign and piloting healthcare data consolidation to ensure every citizen has a single health record.
 Technology applications at the Da Nang Museum offer visitors unique experiences. Photo: Nhan Tam |
According to Mr. Tran Ngoc Thach, Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Science and Technology, the city’s digital transformation plan for 2026–2030 identifies data as a critical resource. “Prioritizing AI for cross-sector data restructuring and cleaning, from land to healthcare, is essential for building an efficient e-government and sustainable digital economy,” he stated.
Specifically, in healthcare digital transformation, the pilot consolidation of unstructured healthcare data from hospitals and clinics serves as a case study, optimizing personal health diagnosis and management.
Alongside data, human resources are another decisive factor. Da Nang has maintained an average IT workforce growth rate of over 13% annually. The city is actively researching and drafting resolutions to directly fund digital technology workforce development projects and semiconductor chip design and manufacturing initiatives. Key universities have also proposed establishing a Semiconductor-AI Training Center at the University of Da Nang to concentrate resources.
A critical challenge highlighted by Mr. Thach is the need to engage large enterprises and innovative startups for dual momentum. To date, over 70 companies in the semiconductor and AI fields have been attracted.
For instance, FPT Semiconductor, a player in the semiconductor industry, has committed long-term investment in R&D for new-generation AI Edge and IoT chips, while forging extensive partnerships with Da Nang’s leading universities to train engineers.
This collaboration not only ensures a local talent pipeline but also creates opportunities to test and integrate Vietnamese chips into public devices and urban administrative IoT systems, positioning Da Nang as a national product testing hub, as proposed by FPT.
Additionally, organizations like DNES (Da Nang Entrepreneurship Incubator) and technology partners are fostering a diverse innovation development ecosystem.
Since early 2025, DNES has collaborated with partners to launch multi-sector training programs, attracting seasoned experts and significant community interest. These initiatives enhance capacities for young entrepreneurs in innovation, fintech, and encourage businesses to create social impact, aligning with the city’s sustainable development strategy.
With momentum from a specialized institutional foundation and the “three-pillar” technology approach, Da Nang is pinning high hopes on socioeconomic breakthroughs, aiming to become a leading smart and innovative city driven by strategic economic projects, including a financial center and free trade zone, both closely tied to technology.
Nhan Tam
– 13:00 29/11/2025
