HÀ NỘI — A decree regulating the operation of Việt Nam’s data exchange is expected to be issued in the second quarter of 2026, as part of a broader push to strengthen national data governance and accelerate the digital transformation.

The Ministry of Public Security has been tasked with studying and submitting the decree to the Government under an expedited legislative process.

The requirement was outlined in Notice 43/TB-VPCP dated January 26 and issued by the Government Office, summarising conclusions from the first meeting of the National Steering Committee on Data.

According to the committee, the world is entering a period marked by rapid breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, semiconductor chips and digital technologies, with data increasingly viewed as a strategic resource and a key competitive advantage among nations. 

Meanwhile, increasingly complex cyber security and cyber espionage threats are posing risks to digital sovereignty, while domestic demand for more substantive and effective digital transformation and online public services is becoming more urgent.

In this context, digital data is considered a core production resource and a critical input for the digital economy. The committee therefore outlined a number of priority tasks and solutions for the next few years.

All ministries, sectors and localities are required to establish their own data steering committees, led by ministers, heads of agencies or chairpersons of provincial and municipal people’s committees. These bodies must clearly assign responsibilities and ensure implementation by the end of the month.

The Ministry of Public Security will draft and submit several key legal documents under streamlined procedures. These include the decree governing data exchange operations, to be completed in the second quarter of 2026, and a decree introducing breakthrough mechanisms to promote data innovation and exploitation at the National Data Centre’s Innovation and Data Exploitation Centre, targeted for completion in the first quarter of 2026.

The ministry will also submit a decree regulating identification, authentication and product traceability activities, due in the second quarter, as well as a regulatory resolution on digital citizen development to be finalised in the first quarter. 

It has also been assigned to propose mechanisms and policies to develop the data economy and to lead the issuance of standards and technical regulations on data, both scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2026.

In conjunction with the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Finance will develop a legal framework for data valuation, fees and pricing for data exploitation from the National Data Centre, along with tax and capital incentives for enterprises operating in data-related sectors. This framework is expected to be completed in the second quarter.

Other ministries, sectors and localities have been instructed to issue decisions defining lists of original, master, open and shared datasets, establish data governance processes and regulations and set technical standards for data message structures exchanged between national and specialised databases and information systems connected to the National Integrated Database. Data architecture development is to be completed in the first quarter.

They are also required to identify, publish and update sector-specific master datasets for integration into the shared data dictionary system, with completion slated for the second quarter.

The Ministry of Home Affairs will accelerate the updating, cleansing and reconciliation of 100 per cent of records in the national database on officials and civil servants with the national population database, to be completed in the first quarter. It will also expedite the development of component databases for social security and upgrade and integrate local data with central systems, enabling official operations by the second quarter.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Security has been directed to complete and effectively operate National Data Centre 1 according to schedule, and to propose plans for the research and development of National Data Centres 2 and 3. Ministries, sectors and localities must register and develop roadmaps to migrate their infrastructure to the National Data Centre, also by the second quarter.

The Ministry of Education and Training will step up workforce development in data science and artificial intelligence, expand overseas training programmes and international certification, and strengthen cooperation with leading technology corporations and research institutes to cultivate highly skilled data professionals.

In coordination with the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will establish and expand international cooperation with organisations and countries with strengths in data governance, digital sovereignty, AI and national data infrastructure. This work is scheduled for completion in the third quarter this year.

Before connecting and synchronising their data with the National Data Centre, all ministries, sectors and localities must also develop plans to ensure cyber security and data security. — VNS