Vietnam is set to launch 6,000 trial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flights in the northwestern province of Dien Bien as part of the country's first regulatory sandbox for developing a low-altitude economy.
The initiative, announced during the Ministry of Science and Technology's July 2026 press briefing, marks Vietnam's first practical implementation of a regulatory sandbox under the Law on Digital Technology Industry, the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation, and Government Decree No. 353/2025/ND-CP.
Nguyen Van Thuat, Deputy Director General of the Department of Digital Economy and Digital Society, said the program represents more than a provincial pilot.
"The significance is not simply that one province has approved a testing program. Vietnam has begun putting the sandbox mechanism into practice to test an entirely new economic sector. If successful, the model will help shape national policy and lay the foundation for the country's low-altitude economy," he said.
Why Dien Bien?
Nguyen Van Thuat, Deputy Director General of the Department of Digital Economy and Digital Society, outlines the low-altitude economy pilot. Photo: Khanh Duy.
Officials said Dien Bien was selected because its mountainous terrain, remote communities and high logistics costs make it an ideal environment to demonstrate the practical value of low-altitude aviation.
The province borders both Laos and China, has extensive forest coverage and frequently faces challenges involving resource monitoring, forest fire prevention, search and rescue operations and disaster response.
According to the ministry, these are precisely the areas where UAV technology can deliver significant improvements over traditional management methods.
Three priority applications
Running through May 2027, the program will focus on three main application areas.
The first is smart agriculture, including drone-assisted seeding, crop spraying, field monitoring, transportation of agricultural supplies and harvest support for tea, coffee, macadamia and rice production.
The second is low-altitude logistics, using UAVs to transport emergency medical supplies, medicines, laboratory samples and essential goods to remote communities.
The third covers public services and natural resource management, including digital mapping, topographic surveys, forest management, environmental monitoring and early disaster warning systems.
The project aims to maintain a flight safety rate above 99%, with every mission planned, monitored and digitally recorded within a unified data architecture.
Authorities also expect the pilot to validate three to five practical business models capable of reducing costs or operating time by 20-30% compared with conventional approaches.
Regulatory flexibility for technology firms
Officials present Dien Bien's regulatory sandbox for developing Vietnam's low-altitude economy. Photo: Du Lam.
To encourage domestic innovation, the sandbox introduces a number of controlled regulatory exemptions.
Participating technology companies may receive exemptions or more flexible treatment for two minimum flight requirements while avoiding approximately 60 testing, certification and technical compliance requirements, including certain radio frequency, electromagnetic compatibility and quality assessment procedures.
All trial operations will remain subject to strict oversight by the Ministry of National Defence and other relevant authorities to ensure aviation safety and national security.
Building an entirely new industry
Speaking at the press conference, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui Hoang Phuong said the ministry has shifted from providing general policy guidance to working directly with local governments.
Instead of relying solely on legal documents, ministry officials have worked closely with Dien Bien's Department of Science and Technology under a "hands-on" approach to jointly develop the pilot program.
Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui Hoang Phuong chairs the ministry's July press briefing. Photo: Khanh Duy.
Following Dien Bien's approval, nearly 10 other provinces have expressed interest in adopting similar sandbox models.
Nguyen Van Thuat said the Ministry of Science and Technology will establish the legal framework and coordinate the broader innovation ecosystem, while Dien Bien authorities oversee implementation and participating companies develop and operate the technology.
Data collected throughout the trial will support the development of national technical standards, regulations and future policies governing Vietnam's emerging low-altitude economy.
He emphasized that the ultimate objective extends well beyond increasing the number of drone flights.
"Our goal is not to create more flights. It is to build a complete economic ecosystem that includes businesses, technology, data, communications infrastructure, technical standards, capabilities and institutions," he said.
Vietnamnet.vn
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