The call to "strengthen the building of cultural sovereignty in the digital space" was underscored by General Secretary and President To Lam during the second meeting of the Central Steering Committee for the Development of Vietnamese Culture.

The message is more than the introduction of a new concept in cultural development. It reflects a strategic shift in thinking about safeguarding national interests amid the profound transformations of the digital age.

Where national sovereignty was once viewed primarily through the lenses of territory, borders, economic strength and security, culture has now emerged as another strategic frontier - one that demands entirely new approaches to protection and development.

This shift stems from the reality that digital space has become one of the world's largest cultural environments. Every day, billions of pieces of content are created, shared and circulated at unprecedented speed. As a result, culture no longer evolves over long cycles but changes by the minute.

The internet has created unprecedented opportunities to promote Vietnam's image and share its cultural values with the world. At the same time, it carries the risk that local values may be overwhelmed by the vast ocean of global information if they lack the capacity to compete.

What is particularly significant is that this competition is increasingly driven by the appeal of content, technology and data. Global digital platforms serving billions of users now wield enormous influence over which content is amplified, which fades into obscurity and which trends become mainstream. Algorithms have gradually become the new gatekeepers of cultural life.

As artificial intelligence (AI) advances rapidly, the ability to create, modify and distribute content is reaching an entirely new level. Without technological capabilities or a robust digital content ecosystem, nations risk becoming passive consumers rather than active shapers of their own cultural landscape.

Cultural strength that resonates at home and abroad

For that reason, cultural sovereignty in the digital space cannot simply be understood as controlling information or blocking harmful content. A culture truly possesses sovereignty only when it has the creative capacity, competitive strength and ability to spread its own values throughout the global digital environment.

In other words, sovereignty is protected not only by a shield but also by strength. That strength comes from people, technology, data, domestically controlled digital platforms and the ability to produce cultural content that is distinctive, high-quality and capable of engaging audiences both at home and internationally.

Vietnam has made notable progress in digital transformation. Numerous cultural heritage sites have been digitized, while a growing number of cultural products have begun to establish a presence online. Yet overall, the country's digital cultural ecosystem has not developed at a pace commensurate with its potential or with the rapid evolution of technology.

These gaps underscore the need for a more comprehensive approach if Vietnam is to transform digital space into an environment that nurtures and promotes its cultural identity, rather than merely consuming values created elsewhere. This marks the starting point for broader changes in cultural development that the country can no longer afford to delay.

A national strategy

Building cultural sovereignty in the digital space is not solely the responsibility of the cultural sector. It is a national strategy requiring coordinated efforts from the government, businesses, artists, educational institutions and society as a whole.

At a time when data has become a strategic resource, technology a new engine of growth and creativity the foundation of competitiveness, culture cannot remain outside Vietnam's digital transformation. Instead, it must become the soul of that transformation, ensuring that modernization always goes hand in hand with preserving and promoting national identity.

This vision also aligns with the broader goals of Resolution No. 57 on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation. While the resolution identifies science, technology and innovation as key drivers of economic growth, culture provides the unique identity that gives such development lasting meaning.

A country can import technology, learn governance models and absorb knowledge from around the world, but it cannot import its cultural identity. That identity is shaped by history, nurtured across generations and continuously renewed in response to changing times.

The rapid development of AI presents unprecedented opportunities as well as significant challenges. AI can support heritage digitization, automated translation, artifact restoration, artistic creation, personalized cultural experiences and bring Vietnam's cultural treasures closer to global audiences.

At the same time, AI can generate fabricated content, distort history, misrepresent cultural values, copy creative works and flood the digital environment with anonymous material that obscures authentic voices. The question, therefore, is no longer whether AI should be used, but how it can be applied so that technology strengthens culture rather than eroding cultural identity.

Achieving this requires not only investment in digital infrastructure but also making investment in people the highest priority. A generation of digitally literate citizens equipped with knowledge, creativity, cultural confidence and technological competence will form the strongest safeguard for cultural sovereignty.

Education, media and cultural initiatives should help people - especially younger generations - not only consume information but also evaluate it critically, create meaningful content and promote positive values. Cultural sovereignty cannot be sustained through regulation alone. It must be built upon the awareness, pride and responsibility of every citizen in the digital space.

At the same time, Vietnam needs a vibrant creative ecosystem in which cultural practitioners, creative industry enterprises and technology companies can thrive together. Films, video games, educational platforms, digital museums, music, digital publishing and AI applications that reflect Vietnamese identity can generate both economic value and a stronger international image.

As more Vietnamese cultural products gain popularity across global digital platforms, the country's soft power will naturally expand in a sustainable and convincing way.

History has shown that a nation endures only when it preserves its cultural roots. If sovereignty was once defended along borders, at sea and in the skies, today it is also asserted across digital platforms, data flows, creative works and cultural values shared with the international community. Digital space has therefore become an integral part of the nation's development landscape.

Building cultural sovereignty in the digital space, as called for by General Secretary To Lam, is an urgent requirement for Vietnam's future development. It represents a balanced integration of tradition and modernity, identity and innovation, cultural strength and scientific and technological advancement.

When heritage is revitalized through technology, Vietnamese values are expressed in the language of the modern age and every citizen becomes a responsible creator in the digital environment, culture will emerge as a powerful internal driver of national development.

Cultural sovereignty is not limited to preserving heritage. It also means creating new values that contribute to the broader progress of human civilization. Only on that foundation can Vietnam confidently enter a new era of development with a modern cultural identity and a growing global influence.

Do Chi Nghia