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In the digital age, competition among nations is no longer determined by the scale of production or resources, but by the capacity to create and master knowledge and technology. The true value lies not in the quantity of exported goods, but in the intellectual capital embedded in each product.
In this context, Resolution 57-NQ/TW on the development of science, technology, innovation and digital transformation appears as a strategic opening. It is not merely a policy that promotes a field, but a statement to transform the growth model: from relying on labor and capital to relying on intellect and technology.
General Secretary and President To Lam has directed relevant agencies to draft a resolution on a country development model in the new phase based on science and technology, innovation and digital transformation for the upcoming Third Central Committee meeting to review and decide.
For decades, Vietnam’s growth model rested on three pillars: abundant labor, competitive costs, and inbound capital. This model helped drive fast growth and created jobs for tens of millions, but it also shows growing limitations.
As labor costs rise, competitive advantage weakens. As global value chains restructure, higher-value activities such as design, technology, and branding remain out of reach. And as technology evolves rapidly, the risk of displacement becomes more real.
The digital era introduces a different logic of competition. It is no longer based on low costs, but on the ability to create and master technology. Speed is not only production speed, but the pace of innovation. A country that cannot master knowledge and modern technology risks being stuck at the lowest end of the value chain.
Within this framework, Resolution 57-NQ/TW places science, technology, innovation and digital transformation at the center of the development model for the first time. The shift changes both policy priorities and the logic of development: from outsourcing to creativity, from participation to leadership, and from manufacturing and labor to mastery.
If innovation is the motor, core technology is the foundation for that momentum. Technology can help a country move quickly in the short term, but only mastery enables long-term progress.
In global value chains, most value does not come from manufacturing steps alone, but from stages tied to technology and knowledge. Owning core technology allows a country to set prices, standards and control markets. By contrast, using technology without mastering it keeps a country in a dependent position.
The article highlights the importance of directives to refine lists of strategic technologies and strategic technology products, and to implement key strategic technology tasks tied to national questions. It also notes the Prime Minister’s directive to raise the share of core and strategic technology spending. The emphasis is on building underlying capabilities rather than chasing superficial applications, and on investing in long-term strength rather than short-term gains.
Core technology is described as costly and risky, but decisive for national status in the digital age—where algorithms, data and knowledge are treated as new resources. The article also frames mastery of core technology as a matter of sovereignty and national branding.
A key shift in thinking is how value is measured. In the past, success was often assessed by export value or production volume. In the digital era, those metrics are no longer sufficient.
What matters is how much intellectual value is embedded in exports. The article points to a government directive to raise the share of Vietnamese intellectual value in export products, describing it as a strategic direction to move from “Made in Vietnam” to “Made by Vietnam.”
The difference is not where a product is produced, but where value is created. A product may be produced in one country, while the greatest value often resides in design, technology and branding owned by others. When Vietnamese intellect is integrated into products—from ideas and technology to branding—each exported good carries both economic value and national prestige.
To turn intelligence into real national power, the article argues that Vietnam cannot rely on only a few firms or sectors. It calls for a comprehensive innovation ecosystem.
First, the state’s role should be redefined. Beyond regulation, the state should act as a creator by establishing favorable institutions, encouraging innovation, accepting experimentation, and managing risk with modern tools. The article cites mechanisms such as sandboxes, policies to promote R&D, and prioritizing investment in core technologies.
Second, the private sector is urged not to depend on cost advantages. In a world of constant technological change, the article says only firms that invest in innovation, master technology and build strong brands can endure and grow.
Third, people are presented as the decisive factor. Vietnam needs a workforce with creative capacity, independent thinking and adaptability. Education should cultivate the capacity to innovate, not only train skills. Businesses are also encouraged to focus on creativity and on mastering core and strategic technologies rather than outsourcing, assembling, or packaging with low intellectual content.
When the state, businesses and people move in the same direction, the article concludes that intelligence can accumulate, disseminate and transform into real power.
The article describes Vietnam’s digital journey as a development method and a new logic for the economy and society, not a fixed destination. It emphasizes that the journey is about changing mindsets—restructuring how value is created, moving beyond digitizing processes, and focusing on mastery rather than applications alone.
It argues that this transformation cannot be postponed. In a rapidly changing world, a country that lags behind will fall behind, while one that seizes opportunities can surge ahead.
With a foundation already built and clear political resolve, the article says strategic directions such as Resolution 57-NQ/TW are opening a door to a new development phase.
When intelligence becomes power, development is no longer limited by resources or scale. It is determined by creativity, learning capacity and the ability to master the future.
Resolution 57-NQ/TW is presented as the starting point of a journey to take Vietnam into the digital era as a creative nation, a knowledge-based economy and an innovative society. The article concludes that when Vietnam masters intelligence and technology, it can help shape the game rather than only participate in it.
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