Vietnam wins 2026 GSMA Government leadership award for digital development
At the opening of the Ministerial Roundtable on Digital and Artificial Intelligence, held in Quang Ninh city on October 28 as part of Vietnam International Digital Week 2026 (VIDW 2026), the Ministry of Science and Technology received the 2026 GSMA Government Leadership Award on behalf of the Vietnamese Government.
The annual award honours one country each year, selected by an independent international panel of experts involving representatives from organisations such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the GSMA. It recognises governments that demonstrate sustained policy leadership, strategic vision and an outstanding regulatory environment to promote mobile and digital development, as well as ambitions translated into concrete action.
Việt Nam is the only country to receive the award in 2026. Brazil won in 2025 for its effective spectrum management policies and innovative telecommunications regulations, while Trinidad and Tobago received the award in 2024 and India in 2023.
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The award recognises Việt Nam's efforts to develop policies, improve institutions and build infrastructure for digital transformation. The 2023 Telecommunications Law and Politburo Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science and technology, innovation and national digital transformation provide important foundations, establishing digital infrastructure as a cornerstone of the digital economy and society.
Speaking at the award ceremony, Julian Gorman, GSMA’s head for Asia-Pacific, said Việt Nam has been honoured for its approach to linking national ambitions with policy direction, implementation capacity and cooperation with industry.
He praised Việt Nam's strategic vision of treating telecommunications connectivity as economic infrastructure, its policies to promote network investment, its development of 5G and its people-centred approach. These foundations, he said, would enable Việt Nam to further develop its digital economy, strengthen industrial capabilities and play a greater role in shaping the future of the global telecommunications industry.
According to the GSMA, Việt Nam's digital economy is projected to account for 30 per cent of GDP by 2030. The country’s ability to attract foreign direct investment in semiconductors, artificial intelligence and smart manufacturing is seen as a key driver of economic restructuring, technological advancement and national competitiveness.
