Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung has warned that allowing digital development to proceed unchecked - like a “hundred flowers blooming” - could ultimately damage the overall picture of Vietnam’s national digital transformation if the Digital Transformation Law is not introduced in a timely manner.

The National Assembly on December 1 discussed the draft Digital Transformation Law.

Delegate Pham Trong Nhan from Ho Chi Minh City argued that the law should serve as the "institutional backbone" of the digital nation. Instead of commenting on individual clauses, he focused on the law's overall architecture, comparing the need for a unified framework to requiring a complete blueprint before building a house.

He pointed out four major gaps in the draft.

First, while the scope of the law is broad, it lacks clarity in defining roles and may overlap with the Law on Data and the upcoming Artificial Intelligence (AI) Law.

"The draft covers digital government, digital economy, and digital society, but it doesn’t distinguish what should fall under the Digital Transformation Law, what belongs to the Data Law, and what should be governed by the AI Law. The risk is that the law says too much, achieves too little, and leads to duplication, redundancy, and legal inefficiency," Nhan explained.

Second, he noted that the design of national digital public infrastructure remains incomplete.

Third, Vietnam’s digital economy and digital enterprises still lack a dual mechanism of "minimum mandatory standards and maximum incentives." He emphasized that the digital economy can only thrive when Vietnamese businesses have access to data, platforms, and the capacity for innovation.

He expressed concern that 99% of behavioral data from Vietnamese citizens - covering mobility, shopping, entertainment, and consumption - currently resides on foreign digital platforms. Meanwhile, Vietnamese startups are "starving for data," lacking the training sets needed to develop AI and digital products. As a result, they are effectively competing on foreign turf.

The fourth major gap, according to Nhan, involves digital citizens and data rights. While all digital public services pass through personal data, the draft only outlines principles. It lacks clear regulations on personal data autonomy, transparency in data processing, and mechanisms for complaints and compensation.

Drawing on Japan’s experience - where digital transformation helps combat an aging population, labor shortages, and improve life for vulnerable groups - Nhan posed a pressing question for Vietnam: How will the elderly, remote communities, and low-skilled workers most efficiently and effectively become digital citizens?

He proposed that national digital public infrastructure should include electronic ID, public digital payments, digital signatures, a national data-sharing platform, cloud computing, and standardized data centers - all built under the principle of "one standard, one platform, multiple services."

Regarding the rights and responsibilities of digital citizens, Nhan advocated for a minimum digital toolkit: electronic ID, digital signature, digital payment account, and a unified public service account, along with international-standard personal data protection.

He also recommended that the government ensure widespread digital skills education and design public services that are accessible and user-friendly for all demographic groups. Furthermore, he called on the government to establish a national set of digital transformation indicators, asserting: “Only when we can measure, can we manage. Only when we have data, can policy be evidence-based rather than intuitive.”

Nhan concluded that digital transformation cannot be a “hundred-flower” model hidden behind closed walls, with disconnected systems and unlinked data. If the framework isn’t strong, precise, and accurate from the beginning, implementation costs will rise, and the entire effort may fall short of its goals.

A unified legal framework for a digital nation

Responding later in the session, Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung acknowledged the complexity of the law, noting that no similar legal precedent exists globally. He stated that the drafting spirit is to keep the law concise, framework-based, and allow flexibility for the government.

In response to comments from lawmakers, he said detailed and technical provisions would be removed. Instead, the law would incorporate the missing pieces of a digital nation: digital economy, digital society, and e-government - ensuring no legal vacuum remains.

Currently, digital transformation regulations are scattered across various laws, lacking a unified framework, shared principles, minimum requirements, and - critically - a national coordination mechanism grounded in law.

The draft Digital Transformation Law aims to establish a unified legal framework for national digital transformation. It will ensure transformation is strategic, safe, efficient, and not fragmented across isolated platforms.

“If we delay the development of digital principles, or fail to connect and unify sector-specific laws, the uncontrolled blossoming of individual initiatives could ruin the overall picture of national digital transformation,” Minister Hung said.

He explained that the draft law provides a legal mechanism for digital government, digital economy, and digital society; establishes a unified national governance structure for transformation; and codifies financial and human resource mechanisms for digital transformation. It also defines procedures for regular assessment and public reporting of digital transformation indicators.

“Digital transformation is the foundation for Vietnam to advance rapidly, seize opportunities from cyberspace, and ensure safety, sustainability, and digital inclusion,” the Minister concluded, affirming his commitment to incorporating parliamentary feedback to refine the draft law.

Tran Thuong