By the end of 2024, VNPT and Viettel are projected to collectively hold 65.81% of the market share in public digital signature authentication services, followed by Intrust CA at 13.12%, with the remaining service providers accounting for over 21%.

At the fourth-quarter 2024 meeting between the National Electronic Authentication Center (NEAC), under the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), and public digital signature authentication service providers, NEAC Director To Thi Thu Huong highlighted growing interest in digital signatures among government leaders and ordinary citizens alike.

Digital signatures as a cornerstone of Vietnam’s digital infrastructure

The MIC has classified digital signatures and their authentication as key components of Vietnam's digital infrastructure, equating their significance with telecommunications and internet systems.

Digital signatures are considered critical in fostering the foundation for national digital transformation and the development of a digital economy.

As of December 15, 2024, over 13.3 million digital certificates had been issued across the country.

NEAC contributed more than 9 billion VND (approximately $375,000) to the state budget in the past year.

Efforts to raise public and business awareness about the necessity and benefits of using digital signatures in electronic transactions have been actively pursued through various conferences and campaigns.

Additionally, NEAC successfully integrated public certification authority (CA) systems into the centralized public digital signature authentication service portal, eSign, which is operated by the center.

The MIC has also assisted the government in amending Decree 48, revising certain articles in Decree 130 (2018) that provide detailed guidelines for implementing the Law on Electronic Transactions regarding digital signatures and their authentication services.

According to Director Huong, public CAs have benefited significantly from the provisions of this decree, including their integration with the national population database.

A growing and evolving market

 
In 2024, Vietnam’s digital signature and electronic transaction community actively collaborated with NEAC in drafting a new decree on electronic signatures and trusted services.

NEAC representatives reported that the draft decree has gained consensus on technical, management, and operational conditions, and is now undergoing the final procedures for submission.

During the meeting, Mai Thu Hang, Deputy Head of Communications and International Cooperation at NEAC, provided an overview of Vietnam’s public digital signature authentication service market in 2024.

Out of over 13.3 million issued digital certificates, more than 12.45 million were public certificates, while nearly 880,000 were government-specific certificates.

Personal digital certificates accounted for over 6.38 million, with 5.64 million being public and nearly 740,000 government-specific.

Organizational and enterprise certificates reached 6.94 million, comprising more than 6.8 million public and nearly 140,000 government-specific.

By the end of 2024, the number of active digital certificates is expected to reach 6.21 million, reflecting a 75.25% year-on-year increase.

Market leaders and trends

VNPT leads the public digital signature authentication service market with a 37.82% share, followed by Viettel with 27.89% and Intrust CA with 13.12%.

The remaining public CAs share over 21% of the market.

From 2022 to 2024, the number of organizational and enterprise certificates has remained steady, while personal public digital signatures have surged, increasing from 304,500 in 2022 to over 1.2 million in 2023, and are expected to exceed 3.4 million in 2024.

A recent survey assessing the quality of public CA services in 2024 revealed positive user feedback.

Public CAs have made substantial efforts to enhance service quality by improving transparency, security, and reliability, while diversifying service offerings and pricing packages to meet customer needs.

Users particularly praised advancements in customer experience and the seamless collaboration between application providers and CAs in system integration and technical support.

Van Anh