Hanoi, September 26, 2025 – The Europe Today: Việtnam has set an ambitious target of ranking among the world’s top 30 most innovative countries within the next five to ten years, Minister of Science and Technology Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng announced on Thursday.
Speaking at a workshop in Hànội, jointly organised with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to present the results of the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025, Minister Hùng stressed that innovation must serve the entire population and become both a lifestyle and a mindset across society.
He emphasised that science and technology should be harnessed to address practical national challenges, foster creativity, and build a start-up nation rooted in digital transformation. “This is a highly challenging goal requiring the concerted efforts of the entire political system, the science and technology community, and the business sector,” he said, calling for WIPO’s close support in helping Việt Nam achieve its objectives.
The minister outlined four strategic pillars to drive progress: improving the institutional and regulatory framework for innovation, expanding investment in scientific and digital infrastructure, developing a skilled workforce through education and global talent attraction, and promoting innovation within enterprises. He noted that revisions to key laws on intellectual property, technology transfer and high technology will soon allow research results to be recognised as tradable assets, boosting R&D and investment.
WIPO Director General Daren Tang commended Việt Nam’s strong performance, highlighting its long-term development goals of becoming an upper middle-income industrial nation by 2030 and a high-income economy by 2045. He underlined the central role of science, technology, and intellectual property in advancing these ambitions.
According to the GII 2025 report, Việt Nam ranks 44th out of 139 economies worldwide, second among 37 lower middle-income countries, and ninth in Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania. The country has consistently outperformed its income group for over a decade, driven by governance reforms, policy alignment, and the localisation of the GII into a Provincial Innovation Index.
At the workshop, WIPO experts recommended that Việtnam further strengthen R&D investment, deepen links between science and industry, transition from assembly to proactive production, develop a vibrant start-up and financing ecosystem, and manage intangible assets more effectively.
Experts concluded that Việtnam is now well positioned to advance, with strong political commitment, the engagement of scientific and business communities, and sustained international support.
