Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chairs first meeting of National Steering Committee on Data
WVR - On the afternoon of January 12, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Head of the National Data Steering Committee, chaired the first meeting of the Steering Committee. During the meeting, the Steering Committee discussed the organizational and operational regulations; the 2026 activity plan; and key issues in implementing tasks in the data field.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Head of the National Data Steering Committee, chaired the first meeting of the Steering Committee. (Source: VGP) |
The meeting was co-chaired and connected online to provinces and centrally-run cities with members of the Central Party Committee, Deputy Prime Ministers, and Deputy Heads of the Steering Committee: Nguyen Chi Dung, Pham Thi Thanh Tra.
Attending the meeting were General Luong Tam Quang, Politburo Member, Minister of Public Security, Permanent Deputy Head of the Steering Committee; Le Hoai Trung, Party Central Committee Secretary, Minister of Foreign Affairs; leaders of ministries, agencies, Steering Committee members, and local leaders.
The National Data Steering Committee is an inter-agency coordination organization with the function of researching, advising, recommending, and assisting the Government, the Prime Minister, and the Head of the Steering Committee in directing and coordinating the implementation of national-scale data policies, strategies, and solutions. It focuses on building and developing national and specialized databases; integrating, synchronizing, storing, sharing, analyzing, exploiting, and coordinating data at the National Integrated Database, and addressing important inter-agency data issues.
According to the meeting agenda, the Steering Committee discussed the organizational and operational regulations of the Steering Committee; the 2026 activity plan of the Steering Committee; and key issues in implementing tasks in the data field.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized the crucial role of data; building a database is an important task with significant meaning. (Source: VGP) |
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Head of the Steering Committee, emphasized the crucial role of data; building a database is an important task with significant meaning.
Taking place in the joyful atmosphere of the early days of the New Year 2026, heading towards the 14th Party Congress, the first meeting of the Steering Committee holds special significance in unifying awareness, vision, and specific content for action. It aims to build a database that is “accurate, complete, clean, live”, unified, and shared, thereby developing artificial intelligence, contributing to economic growth, and fostering rapid and sustainable development.
The Prime Minister stated that the meeting was organized with a sense of urgency and determination in response to the country's pressing demands. The Party, State, and Government have set a growth target of 10% or more in the coming period to create momentum, strength, confidence, and a foundation for the country to stride confidently into a new era of prosperity, civilization, and happiness. To realize this great aspiration, we cannot solely rely on traditional growth drivers, which are reaching their limits. Instead, we must quickly unlock and effectively exploit new growth drivers such as the digital economy, green economy, circular economy, especially data, artificial intelligence, and the data economy, which are of great interest to the Politburo and the General Secretary.
The Politburo has issued several strategic, breakthrough resolutions to promote rapid and sustainable development in the coming period, including Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthrough development in science and technology, innovation, and national digital transformation. It clearly states: “maximize the potential of data, turning data into a primary production material, promoting rapid development of big data, data industry, and data economy”. Recently, the Government and the Prime Minister have focused on directing ministries, sectors, and localities to vigorously implement Resolution No. 57 with the spirit that “the Party has directed, the Government has agreed, the National Assembly has consented, the People have supported, only discuss implementation, not retreat”, “seize every hour, every minute”.
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| Delegates attending the meeting. (Source: VGP) |
The Prime Minister noted that the world is witnessing an unprecedented, explosive development of data with an average growth rate of over 25% per year, turning data into a new, high-value resource in the digital era. Recently, we have achieved many positive results in data development, alongside breakthroughs in digital transformation and the widespread wave of artificial intelligence. Many economic experts believe this is a golden opportunity for Vietnam to make a breakthrough in the data field. If data is managed effectively and combined with the power of artificial intelligence, this sector could generate $80 billion in revenue by 2030. This confirms that data has truly become an important sector of the economy, a new growth driver.
The Prime Minister assessed that, alongside positive results, we still face “bottlenecks” in institutional frameworks and legal corridors that have not kept pace with reality; data lacks real connectivity and sharing between ministries, sectors, and localities, while data quality remains low and lacks standardization. Additionally, data center infrastructure does not meet the requirements for data and artificial intelligence development, coupled with a severe shortage of high-quality human resources and cybersecurity risks, which are major barriers hindering the formation of a data market and national autonomous artificial intelligence capabilities.
To achieve good results from the meeting, the Prime Minister urged delegates to focus on discussing, analyzing, and answering questions: How to effectively and thoroughly solve the data problem of “accurate, complete, clean, live, unified, shared” from the source? How to break the mindset of “data fiefdoms” and achieve real, effective connectivity and sharing? How to balance data openness with personal data protection and national security? How to form and develop the data market, and how to scientifically and accurately value data? What is the operational model of the Data Exchange to both develop and control risks?
The Prime Minister also raised the question of what strategy to form, build, and develop autonomous artificial intelligence with Vietnamese identity and knowledge? How to mobilize the vast Vietnamese data resources (such as culture, art, history, geography, law...) to develop autonomous artificial intelligence for Vietnamese people? What is the solution to develop computing and energy infrastructure for data centers with super servers?
Moreover, why are some key national and specialized databases still progressing slowly, not yet digitized, and centralized at the national level? What strong solutions should be implemented to end the construction of national and specialized databases in a fragmented manner with different technologies and standards?
The Prime Minister also requested delegates to share global data development trends and lessons for Vietnam. At the same time, clearly identify key, breakthrough tasks and solutions for the upcoming period.
