Resolution 214/NQ-CP on promoting data creation for comprehensive digital transformation, along with a draft decision by the Prime Minister on the list of 12 national databases, marks a major milestone in Vietnam’s journey to build a digital government.

While telecommunications infrastructure, data centers, and dedicated government networks are considered “hard infrastructure,” databases serve as the “soft infrastructure” where all government operations - governance, public service, and business support - are run on standardized, unified, and shareable information.

By 2025, the goal is for 100% of national and sector-specific databases to be reviewed, standardized, and fully interconnected. This initiative lays the groundwork for a unified data ecosystem. Once connected and synchronized, data will be used more effectively, allowing citizens to “submit once, use many times,” and enabling government agencies to make faster, more accurate, and transparent decisions.

These databases cover sectors closely tied to public life and state operations. When standardized and integrated, they won’t just support government management but also enable public service innovation, streamline administrative procedures, manage financial-social risks, and inform macro-policy planning.

The Ministry of Public Security recently completed a draft decision proposing the national database list and is now collecting feedback from agencies, organizations, and individuals. The Ministry emphasized that data is a key resource driving digital government, digital economy, and digital society.

A unified list of national databases will help clearly identify existing data assets and promote efficient sharing and reuse. It will also ensure consistency, prevent duplication, and facilitate the management, storage, and protection of data - essential for risk mitigation and transparent governance.

This decision is crucial in shaping and implementing policy, ensuring operational continuity and coherence, while laying the foundation for a national data ecosystem that modernizes public administration and supports data-driven economic growth.

Shifting from control to service: The real value of data

Experts highlight that the true value of the 12 national databases lies not in the volume of data collected, but in their ability to connect and interoperate.

When population data links with land, tax, finance, healthcare, or education databases, the government can shift from paper-based files to real-time data-driven governance.

For citizens, the most immediate benefit is a reduction in redundant paperwork. Once personal information is provided through VNeID, identity, family status, and property data can be automatically linked with public service systems.

For businesses, interlinked data reduces time and costs for investment, construction, tax, and customs procedures.

For regulators, connected data enables evidence-based policymaking, early risk detection, and prevention of fraud and administrative misconduct.

Land, finance, and healthcare: High-value data resources

Among the 12 databases, land and finance stand out as having the highest economic value. A completed land database will assign each plot a unique ID, linked to its owner, planning status, tax obligations, and transaction history - curbing speculation, improving tax collection, and reducing disputes. It will also enable banks and financial institutions to transparently appraise assets.

The financial and business databases will allow the government to track public-private capital flows, monitor public debt, and conduct real-time fiscal risk analysis, enabling more agile and informed economic policymaking.

The health database will unify electronic medical records, optimize health insurance spending, enhance disease surveillance, and support public health research. These open datasets not only benefit individuals but also foster a data marketplace where enterprises can build data-driven products and services that feed back into the economy.

However, leveraging these databases goes beyond digitizing records. It requires standardizing structures, data models, and governance frameworks to ensure systems can understand and communicate with each other.

Decree 194/2025/NĐ-CP mandates data sharing across political institutions and legally recognizes digital data, e-files, and electronic public service outcomes - eliminating the need for paper submissions. Authenticated data via digital ID systems will hold the same legal status as physical documents, clearing the path for fully digital public administration.

A unified data infrastructure: Catalyst for a digital economy

With all 12 national databases operating in sync, the government will be able to build real-time socio-economic forecasting models, assess policy impacts more accurately, and empower tech companies to innovate through open data.

Infrastructure like the National Data Center, dedicated government networks, and the National Data Exchange Platform (NDXP) will function as “data highways,” enabling secure data movement across ministries, agencies, and provinces.

When data becomes infrastructure, tech firms can deliver value-added services across sectors - from digital insurance and finance to e-health, e-education, smart logistics, and precision agriculture.

Experts see this as a key step in forming a national data market, where public data is treated as an asset - exchangeable and monetizable under strict governance, much like land or energy resources.

The transition isn’t just technical - it’s philosophical. It shifts the mindset from “data ownership” to “data stewardship,” treating data as a public asset that must be governed and leveraged responsibly.

Data without integration is merely raw material. But once standardized, shared, and analyzed, it becomes the fuel powering a digital economy.

Each national database - from population and land to finance and healthcare - is a vital link in Vietnam’s information value chain. Once connected, they will provide a comprehensive picture of the nation’s demographics, economy, and society, enabling data-driven decisions in policy, planning, investment, and welfare.

Standardizing and deploying these 12 national and critical sectoral databases marks a structural milestone in Vietnam’s digital transformation. It allows the state to govern through evidence, businesses to operate on insights, and citizens to thrive in a transparent, efficient society.

Data is no longer just a tool for governance - it is the infrastructure of trust, underpinning all policies, administrative processes, and public services with verifiable, accessible, and meaningful information.

Vietnam is entering the age of “data-driven operation,” paving the way for a digital government, digital economy, and digital society where people are truly at the center.

Proposed list of 12 national and sectoral databases by the Ministry of Public Security:

National master database
National population database
Immigration database
National financial database
Business registration database
National social insurance database
Land database
Public employee database
Administrative procedure database
Construction activities database
Administrative violations database
Healthcare database

Thai Khang