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Vietnam sets sights on 100,000 digital tech firms by 2030

Vietnam sets sights on 100,000 digital tech firms by 2030

Growing the number of firms will scale up the digital ecosystem, while increasing revenue will facilitate market expansion and deeper integration into global value chains.

Through initiatives ranging from R&D support and regulatory sandboxes to initial market creation, Vietnam’s digital technology development program aims to build a comprehensive ecosystem where domestic enterprises can grow and master core technologies.

Under the Prime Minister's recently-issued Decision No. 840/QD-TTg, which approves the "Digital Technology Industry Development Program through 2030, with a Vision to 2045," the government has set a target for the digital technology sector to reach a minimum revenue of $300 billion by 2030. Export turnover for digital products and services is projected to hit at least $55 billion annually, supported by a workforce of 100,000 digital technology enterprises.

Speaking at a press conference of the Ministry of Science and Technology on June 1, Mr. Tran Anh Tu, Deputy Director of the Information Technology Industry Department (under the ministry), emphasized that the program is built on the "Make in Vietnam" spirit. This philosophy extends beyond mere local assembly to prioritize domestic creation, design, and technological mastery.

The ultimate objective is to enable Vietnamese companies to gradually take control of technology and develop branded products and services capable of competing in both regional and international markets.

According to Mr. Tu, the program’s three pillars—expanding the number of enterprises, increasing industry revenue, and fostering technology-mastering firms—are deeply interconnected.

Growing the number of firms will scale up the digital ecosystem, while increasing revenue will facilitate market expansion and deeper integration into global value chains. Meanwhile, mastering technology will enhance R&D capabilities for key products, allowing firms to utilize shared infrastructure effectively and meet the rigorous standards of major international markets.

To realize these ambitious goals, the program outlines several core missions.

First, the program establishes support mechanisms for key digital products and services. It encourages research and "regulatory sandboxes"—controlled testing environments for new products and business models—allowing enterprises the space to innovate and perfect technologies within a safe legal framework.

Second, creating initial markets and solving practical problems. Mr. Tu noted that for businesses to invest long-term in core technology, they require a sufficiently large market to validate their products. This involves identifying real-world challenges that digital solutions can address.

The third group of solutions focuses on strengthening the internal capabilities of digital firms to ensure sustainable growth.

Additionally, the program emphasizes the development of shared infrastructure to serve research and testing, including concentrated digital technology zones, laboratories, and centers for quality assessment of digital products and services.


Source: Bạch Dương

Photo: Illustrative photo

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New rules promote sustainable growth of corporate bond market

New rules promote sustainable growth of corporate bond market

According to the State Securities Commission, the new decree completes the legal framework, thoroughly address practical difficulties, and enhance transparency to protect the legitimate rights of investors, creating conditions for businesses to raise medium- and long-term capital to serve economic growth.

HÀ NỘI — New regulations on private placement of corporate bonds will help strengthen investor confidence and promote the development of a sustainable market, according to the State Securities Commission (SSC).

Decree 200/2026/NĐ-CP has taken effect this month to replace Decree No. 153/2020/NĐ-CP, Decree No. 65/2022/NĐ-CP and Decree No. 08/2023/NĐ-CP.

According to the SSC, the new decree completes the legal framework, thoroughly addresses practical difficulties and enhances transparency to protect the legitimate rights of investors, creating conditions for businesses to raise medium- and long-term capital to serve economic growth.

One of the notable changes in the decree is the clear distinction between the conditions, documents and procedures for offering securities according to two different groups of businesses: the first group includes public companies, securities companies and securities investment management companies; and the second group includes businesses not falling under the aforementioned categories.

“This separation aims to both facilitate businesses in the implementation process and to make it easier for management authorities to categorise inspections, audits and violations according to the specific characteristics of each group,” the SSC explains.

To ensure the financial safety of the system, the decree added a crucial condition: the debt of enterprises, including the value of bonds expected to be issued, must not exceed five times their equity capital, as stipulated in the amended Enterprise Law of 2025. However, this regulation also includes reasonable exceptions for State-owned enterprises, credit institutions, insurance companies, or entities issuing bonds to implement specific real estate projects.

In parallel with controlling financial leverage, Decree 200 also redefines the purpose of issuance and the management and use of capital. Accordingly, funds raised from bond issuance must be used to implement investment projects in accordance with the forms stipulated in the Investment Law.

Notably, enterprises are obligated to separately monitor this capital, ensuring that the management and use of capital are in line with the issuance plan announced to investors. In cases where an enterprise issues bonds through a second party to use the capital for an investment project, the issuer must establish strict monitoring measures to ensure the second party fulfils its commitments.

To create flexibility while maintaining security, the decree allows businesses to deposit funds in commercial banks or purchase certificates of deposit when the raised capital has not yet reached the disbursement deadline.

Simultaneously, the mechanism for changing bond terms or issuance purposes has been standardised. Specifically, it must be approved by the competent authority and receive the consent of bondholders representing 65 per cent or more of the total outstanding bonds. For bondholders who do not agree, the enterprise is required to complete the early repurchase of the bonds before implementing these changes.

Aiming for a professional bond market and minimising risks for individual investors, the decree has significant adjustments regarding the eligible participants in transactions.

Accordingly, professional individual investors are only allowed to purchase and transfer privately placed corporate bonds under certain conditions. Specifically, for bonds other than convertible bonds issued by financial institutions or public companies, individuals can only participate if the bond has a credit rating and is secured by collateral, or if there is a payment guarantee from a credit institution. The decree also clarifies that the collateral must have sufficient value to pay the entire principal of the bond and absolutely cannot include shares, stocks, or capital contributions of the issuing company itself. This regulation aims to ensure that the collateral is substantial and highly liquid in the event of a crisis.

In terms of documentation and information transparency, the new decree abolishes the regulation allowing the use of audited semi-annual or quarterly financial statements as a basis for determining issuance eligibility. Instead, businesses are required to rely on audited annual financial statements to accurately determine the debt-to-equity ratio, in line with the spirit of the 2025 Enterprise Law. For parent-subsidiary company models, both audited consolidated financial statements and audited financial statements of the parent company are mandatory.

The responsibilities of service providers such as consulting firms, issuing agents, auditing organisations, and credit rating agencies have also been increased. Specifically, these organisations are directly responsible for the accuracy and truthfulness of the reports and documents in the issuance dossier.

The decree also regulates the issuer's obligation to disclose information, which extends until the bonds are fully delinquent, including periodic reports on capital utilisation, to ensure maximum oversight for investors.

According to the SSC, the new decree is a significant step forward in perfecting the institutional framework for Việt Nam's capital market. By combining measures to tighten discipline with regulations to create transparency, the decree not only protects investors but also helps financially sound businesses find effective capital-raising channels.

“This helps bring the corporate bond market back onto a sustainable development trajectory and makes a positive contribution to the development of the economy,” the SSC said.

HCMC to use prime land assets worth $889 mln to pay Masterise for two major bridge projects

HCMC to use prime land assets worth $889 mln to pay Masterise for two major bridge projects

Ho Chi Minh City will use prime land assets worth more than VND23.4 trillion ($889.4 million) and public funds to compensate Masterise for two major bridge projects under build-transfer (BT) contracts, according to a new decision by the city People's Council.

The council approved adjustments to the investment policies for the Can Gio bridge and Phu My 2 bridge projects, both of which are being developed by the local developer under public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements.

For the Can Gio bridge project, authorities revised the payment structure after changes to the land bank earmarked for investor compensation. The city will now allocate two downtown land plots with a combined estimated value of more than VND7.5 trillion ($285.06 million) and use budget funds to cover the remainder of the payment obligation.

The sites include a property at 8-12 Le Duan boulevard, valued at VND3.42 trillion ($130 million), and another at 2-4-6 Hai Ba Trung street, valued at around VND4.11 trillion ($156.21 million).

The land assets account for roughly 69.7% of the BT contract value for the bridge construction, estimated at VND10.82 trillion ($411.25 million). The remaining VND3.74 trillion ($142.15 million) will be paid from the local budget after the land transfer is completed.

The Can Gio bridge project has a revised total investment of about VND13.35 trillion ($507.41 million), including interest expenses during construction, up by VND148 billion ($5.63 million) from the previously approved plan.

The bridge will span across the Soai Rap river, linking Can Gio with Nha Be communes and replacing the Binh Khanh ferry crossing. The project includes a bridge section of about three kilometers and connecting roads, bringing the total length to roughly seven kilometers.

Separately, the city approved adjustments to the Phu My 2 bridge project, for which land assets valued at approximately VND15.91 trillion ($604.72 million) are expected to be used as payment to the investor.

The bridge will connect Nguyen Huu Tho road in HCMC with Lien Cang road in the neighboring industrial city of Dong Nai. The route will stretch about 6.64 km, including 4.6 km within HCMC and 2.04 km in Dong Nai.

Designed with eight traffic lanes and supporting infrastructure, the project carries a total investment of about VND21.83 trillion ($829.73 million), including financing costs during construction. Completion is targeted for 2029.

Authorities view Phu My 2 as a strategic transport link that will strengthen connections between southern HCMC, Dong Nai's Nhon Trach commune, and Long Thanh International Airport.

Once completed, the bridge is expected to ease congestion on the existing Phu My bridge, National Highways 1 and 51, and the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh expressway, while improving logistics efficiency and supporting economic activity across the southern key economic region.

US leads imports of Vietnam’s computers and electronics in five months

US leads imports of Vietnam’s computers and electronics in five months

VOV.VN - The US imported US$22.54 billion worth of computers, electronic products and components from Vietnam during the five-month period of 2026, making it Vietnam’s largest export market for the sector, ahead of China, the European Union and Hong Kong.

According to the Vietnam Customs, Vietnam’s exports of computers, electronic products and components totaled nearly US$56.2 billion in January-May, up 46.2% year-on-year.

The US remained the sector’s main growth driver, with exports to the market rising nearly 55% and accounting for more than 40% of total export value.

China ranked second with imports worth US$8.82 billion. The EU and Hong Kong also ranked among Vietnam’s leading export markets, with Hong Kong serving as a major transshipment hub for Vietnamese electronics.

Exports to the EU posted a strong recovery, while the ASEAN became another fast-growing market, with export value reaching US$3.02 billion, up nearly 77% year-on-year.

Other Asian markets, including the Republic of Korea (RoK), Taiwan (China), Japan and India, also continued to grow, indicating Vietnam’s ongoing efforts to diversify its export markets.

Several non-traditional markets such as Mexico, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada also recorded strong growth.

In 2025, Vietnam’s exports of computers, electronic products and components surpassed US$100 billion for the first time. With strong momentum in early 2026, export value for the sector is expected to significantly exceed last year’s level.


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