•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
One day after the Q1-2026 review of the implementation of Resolution 57 of the Politburo, the 204 Scheme of the Party Secretariat, and the Government’s 06 Scheme on developing science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation, the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee issued a directive to strengthen leadership and direct the implementation of objectives, tasks, and solutions for developing science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation in the city.
The directive states: “All policies, platforms, and services, and utilities must meet the needs of residents and enterprises; the satisfaction of people and businesses is the measure of the results; act substantively, not superficially, to deliver real, practical outcomes.”
Against the shortcomings highlighted at the conference held one day earlier, the directive points to slow progress in building the national data infrastructure, sector data that remains dispersed, lacking interoperability, and not yet fully integrated across levels and sectors—leaving data underutilized.
It also notes that capital allocation and disbursement for science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation continues to be slow. Progress in investing, procuring, and upgrading ICT equipment and infrastructure—especially at the commune and district levels—has not met targets. In addition, human resources for digital transformation remain insufficient, and the three-way collaboration model has not yet proven effective, particularly in commercializing research results. Security and data protection risks are also described as continuing to loom.
While Ho Chi Minh City Secretary Tran Luu Quang previously said that “developing science and technology is the shortest path to a bright future,” the directive argues that the path remains challenging in Q1-2026 and emphasizes the need for concrete solutions to address both short-term and long-term obstacles.
It calls for addressing bottlenecks in the governance mechanism during the “golden period” to finalize proposals for the special urban law and the city’s master plan. The directive also references proposed amendments to the capital’s law, noting that they have innovations and similarities with the city’s special urban law.
Among the proposals cited are liability exemptions when accepting risk, spending by output, and mobilizing resources from the private sector.
On data development, the directive links the challenges of static, unconnected, and dispersed data to the need for governance, not only technical work. It recommends reviewing and pruning old data (traditionally stored) alongside a data architecture framework already issued.
It further calls for each data set to have a named owner, update date, and approver, so that when problems arise, responsibility is clearly identified. The directive also recommends that, monthly, each department publicly report the share of standardized data on the city dashboard to strengthen internal and social accountability beyond reminders.
Particular concern is raised over disbursement of funds for science and technology. The directive notes that public investment projects in KHCN involve complex technical approvals and that the ICT procurement supply chain depends on international factors, creating delivery risks.
At the same time, it stresses the core objective of moving from planning to tangible outcomes—products or projects delivered and handed over. This is reflected in the city’s total capital allocated of 12.705 trillion VND, of which only 5.025 trillion VND has been disbursed to executing units.
It adds that 4.159 trillion VND has project commitments but no budgetary allocation yet, while 3.520 trillion VND remains without defined allocations. Nearly 60% of total capital remains idle at intermediary budgets as Q1 ends.
The directive concludes that, in capital planning, the city allocated totals by targets (to achieve a 4.16% budget ratio) without sufficient concrete projects.
To address these issues, the directive calls for segregating groups to enable flexible handling, with approvals based on output-oriented goals and clearly quantified metrics rather than detailed input budgets (such as how many servers to buy or how many staff to hire).
The directive also urges the city to be more serious and decisive in mobilizing private sector resources, asking why large firms such as Vingroup, Masan, and Techcombank have not actively invested in locally driven innovation ecosystems.
It contrasts this with examples of firms from Singapore (Singtel, DBS, ST Engineering) that invest and operate accelerators or acquire startups, and Korean firms such as Samsung, Hyundai, and LG that run internal accelerators and acquire strategic startups.
One reason cited is that opportunity costs often outweigh tax benefits. For example, it notes that spending 100 billion VND on R&D might yield only a 100% deduction against corporate income tax, rather than a 200% deduction.
[Quoc Hoc] [FILI] - 15:00 17/04/2026
Premium gym chains are entering a “golden era” that is ending or already in decline, as rising operating costs collide with shifting consumer preferences toward more flexible, community-based ways to exercise. Long-term memberships are shrinking, margins are pressured by higher rents and facility expenses, and competition from smaller, more personalized…
