VNeID: From identity tool to ecosystem hub

The proposal was presented this morning at the 3rd National Forum on Digital Economy and Digital Society Development, chaired by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Under the theme “Inclusive digital development for double-digit GDP growth from 2026 to 2030,” the forum featured a keynote speech by Major General Nguyen Ngoc Cuong, Director of the National Data Center, titled “From national population data to digital economy development.”

According to Cuong, data is now the primary driver of economic growth and national competitiveness in the digital age. It serves as a new form of production input - especially for foundational technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). Without data, AI cannot exist. He emphasized that data also carries geopolitical implications, influencing national sovereignty, security, and positioning in global value chains.

“Data has limitless potential - it can accelerate development or help countries bypass traditional stages. This presents Vietnam with a unique opportunity to enhance its global standing,” he said.

Laying the groundwork, confronting bottlenecks

Cuong highlighted that Project 06, which underpins digital transformation in public administration, has already made historic progress.

The National Population Database now includes 107 million citizen records, is connected to 15 ministries and 34 provinces, and has processed 2.1 billion verification requests.

The VNeID app currently has 67 million verified digital accounts and integrates 50 digital utilities.

The National Public Service Portal supports 4,700 procedures and handled 11.5 million online dossiers in 2025, generating estimated social cost savings of over 4 trillion VND (approx. 165 million USD).

Through VNeID, the government has also disbursed 33 trillion VND (approx. 1.36 billion USD) in social security benefits to 675,000 recipients.

However, Cuong noted that Vietnam’s data economy is still in its early foundational stage, and three major bottlenecks remain:

First is the paradox of available data but lack of dynamic, real-time data that can support intelligent systems and services.

Second is the mismatch between platforms and ecosystems. Despite its vast user base, VNeID hasn’t evolved into a full super-platform. Citizens still rely on various separate apps for different services, and lack a unified, seamless experience.

Third is the absence of a clear national data economy model.

Strategic breakthroughs proposed

To address these issues, the Ministry of Public Security outlined several strategic proposals aligned with Vietnam’s broader digital development goals.

The first is drafting a Politburo Resolution on data economy development and building an open data ecosystem to support business innovation and digital entrepreneurship.

Central to this plan is upgrading VNeID into a national digital super-platform - the core of Vietnam’s digital ecosystem. Cuong emphasized that this transformation would allow VNeID to act not only as a digital ID tool but also as a single unified access point for interactions among government, businesses, and the public.

Building a digital citizenry

Cuong also proposed implementing a national digital citizenship strategy, backed by breakthrough incentive mechanisms to address the digital workforce gap.

The Ministry is currently drafting the first legal document in Vietnam to comprehensively regulate digital citizenship, establishing a robust framework for the rights and responsibilities of citizens in the digital age.

Lastly, Cuong stressed the need for effective implementation of a national data architecture framework. This would allow ministries and provinces to build tailored frameworks based on national standards, and guide the formulation of a government decree governing the National Data Center’s operations.

Tran Thuong