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The statement was highlighted in a report themed "2024–a look back at ups and downs", written by HSBC Viet Nam's Markets and Securities Services experts.
Dual transition–digital transformation and green transition, has become a strategic growth trend in many countries, which helps them moving towards both sustainability and digital targets, making the most of the benefits from this dual transition.
"It is clear to see the multi-dimensional efforts of Viet Nam's Government to keep up with dual transition trend. For instance, they already have a National Strategy for Digital Economy and Digital Society Development to 2025, a vision to 2030, and a National Green Growth Strategy for 2021-2030 and a vision to 2050", noted HSBC experts.
Next year will be a key milestone as Viet Nam is going to achieve a lot of important goals, including the digital economy accounting for 25 percent of its GDP and green credit accounting for 10 percent of total outstanding debts.
According to HSBC, in response to the Government's efforts, businesses are rewiring their organizations and deploying technology integration at scale. As of 2023, 47 percent of businesses in Viet Nam have undergone some kind of digital transformation, according to Enterprise Development Agency, under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.
They have also started working out their own net zero transition plans. The awareness of local businesses has been rising. According to a PwC 2022 survey, 40 percent of them have planned for and set themselves environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments.
Net zero transition was said to be critical to them by 48.7 percent of businesses in a 2024 survey by the Vietnamese Government's Private Economic Development Research Board.
In fact, Viet Nam has conducive conditions to implement the dual transition. Its demographic tailwinds include a population of over 100 million, a work force that is 70 percent of the total population, almost 80 percent of Viet Nam's population using the internet, smartphone ownership has doubled from a decade ago, etc.
All of these have contributed to open up a huge potential of digital consumption for Viet Nam. The nation is among the fastest-growing in ASEAN with impressive growth of 16 percent, according to the e-Conomy SEA 2024 report. Measured by gross merchandise value (GMV), the country has the potential to become the second-largest digital market in the region by 2030.
Moreover, Viet Nam's renewable energy potential is also huge. As the most naturally suited country in Southeast Asia to develop wind and solar energy, Viet Nam already ranks second among developing countries in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) into the renewable energy space.
HSBC specialists recommended the nation improve its digital literacy, regarding it among top priorities.
Encouragingly, the National Digital Transformation Program is a good example of Government's efforts in playing an active role to facilitate the digital transformation of the economy.
All in all, digitalization brings both opportunities and challenges to Viet Nam. In order to leverage its favorable demographics and achieve its digital ambitions, investments need to be channeled into not just new areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), but also foundational areas such as digital education and traditional infrastructure.
Both the digital and green transitions require enormous investments, in which finance will play a critical role. Viet Nam's state budget for fighting climate change can provide about US$130 billion, less than half of what is needed.
Cost is also the top challenge in digital transformation, as cited by 60 percent of businesses in a survey by the Ministry of Planning and Investment in collaboration with the USAID.
Last but not least, Viet Nam should continue to invest more on infrastructure, which is fundamental to its economic growth and quality FDI attraction. The Government is committed to pushing public investment, focusing on strategic infrastructure projects which connect economic hubs. This will be a key booster to take Viet Nam into the new era of transformation, the bank stressed./.
