Vietnam Increases Science and Technology Funding, but Disbursement Remains a Bottleneck
Vietnam’s science and technology minister Vũ Hải Quân said on November 12 that the institutional framework for implementing Resolution 57 is largely complete. The related budget rose from VND 75 trillion in 2025 to VND 95 trillion in 2026, but disbursement had reached only 42.12% of the budget within the State Treasury’s reporting scope as of October 30.
Vietnam’s Minister of Science and Technology Vũ Hải Quân said during a question-and-answer session at the second session of the 16th National Assembly on November 12 that the institutional framework for implementing Resolution 57 was largely complete, but fund disbursement and the commercialization of research results still faced obstacles. The Ministry of Science and Technology had helped bring about 195 regulatory documents, including 11 laws and a special resolution passed by the National Assembly.
Vietnam’s Minister of Science and Technology Vũ Hải Quân answers questions at the National Assembly.（VietVance）
Vũ Hải Quân said the related budget allocation rose from VND 75 trillion in 2025 to VND 95 trillion in 2026 and is expected to reach VND 120 trillion in 2027. Vietnam has approved 11 strategic technology projects with total funding of VND 6.6 trillion, of which nonstate funding accounts for 71.8%; it has also approved joint funding for 11 Vietnam–Japan semiconductor chip research projects, with total funding of nearly VND 500 billion.
On digital infrastructure, Vũ Hải Quân said Vietnam’s 5G network now covers 93.4% of the population and has 27.2 million subscribers. Revenue in the digital technology industry was estimated at USD 254.6 billion in the first 10 months of 2026, up 53% year on year. In the 2026 Global Innovation Index, Vietnam ranked 43rd among 139 countries, up one place from the previous ranking.
Vietnam’s National Assembly holds a question-and-answer session on science and technology issues.（VietVance）
However, as of October 30, disbursement of the related funds had reached only 42.12% of the budget within the State Treasury’s reporting scope. Vũ Hải Quân said the commercialization of research results and the valuation of intellectual property created with state funding remained difficult. Some strategic technology projects and data development efforts were progressing slowly; capabilities to verify artificial intelligence, protect data and respond to fabricated content also needed improvement.
Source: VietVance
