Final Lesson: Turning Determination into Practical Action

Urgent action to make science, technology, innovation and digital transformation become breakthrough driving forces for the country

Pioneering leadership, decisive in direction

Resolution No. 57 first emphasizes the role of setting an example and political determination from the leadership level. Party committees at all levels and leaders of agencies must take the lead with the spirit of “high political determination” and consider the results of digital transformation and innovation as a measure of management capacity and task completion.

The Resolution clearly stated: “The head must be directly responsible for and direct; the tasks of digital transformation, science and technology development, and innovation are specifically identified in the annual work programs and plans of the agency, organization, unit, and locality; the implementation results are the criteria for evaluating the effectiveness… annually”

General Secretary To Lam and other Party and State leaders visited booths introducing scientific and technological products, services and solutions. Photo: Lam Hien

That means that each leader must not just issue policies and then leave it to their subordinates, but must directly take the lead , put digital transformation and innovation into their unit's action plan, and be responsible for the final results. Using digital transformation and innovation results as criteria for annual staff evaluation creates positive pressure forcing leaders at all levels to be truly decisive and match their words with their actions.

Not only do leaders set tasks, they must also demonstrate their role as role models. When superiors set an example of "dare to think, dare to do" for the common good, subordinates and people will have confidence and motivation to follow. Resolution No. 57 calls for promoting the spirit of creativity, "dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility" among cadres and party members. That means leaders at all levels must be brave in innovation, dare to try new ways of doing things, dare to break through into difficult areas with the spirit of serving the common good of the country. Leaders need to proactively take responsibility when the results are not as expected, considering failure (if any) as a lesson to continue to innovate, not as a barrier. The decisive and pioneering participation of "commanders" in each ministry, branch and locality will directly determine the success or failure of the implementation of Resolution No. 57.

Leaders at all levels must be courageous in innovation, dare to experiment with new ways of doing things, dare to break into difficult areas with the spirit of working for the common good of the country. Leaders need to proactively take responsibility when the results are not as expected, considering failures (if any) as lessons to continue to innovate, not as barriers. The decisive and pioneering participation of the "commanders" in each ministry, branch, and locality will directly determine the success or failure of the implementation of Resolution No. 57.

In particular, the determination of the highest leaders has been clearly demonstrated through concrete actions. Immediately after the Resolution was issued, the Central Steering Committee on Science, Technology, Innovation and National Digital Transformation was established, with the General Secretary as its Head. This is a strong demonstration of our Party's high political determination and the mobilization of centralized and unified leadership from the central level to promote this important task. When the head of the Party and State directly directs, all levels and sectors must uphold their sense of responsibility and promptly turn the orientations of Resolution No. 57 into concrete results in practice.

Overview of the National Conference on Breakthroughs in Science, Technology, Innovation and National Digital Transformation, January 13, 2025. Photo: Ho Long

Mobilizing all social resources

For science, technology and innovation to truly become a driving force for development, it cannot rely solely on the efforts of the State, but requires the joint efforts of the entire society. Resolution No. 57 has proposed the policy of "promoting the combined strength of the entire political system" and the active participation of the business community, entrepreneurs and people. People and businesses must be considered the center, the subject, the main resource and driving force of the innovation process - that is, all social resources need to be unleashed and mobilized to the maximum for the common goal.

People and businesses must be considered the center, the subject, the main resource and driving force of the innovation process - that is, all social resources need to be unleashed and mobilized to the maximum for the common goal.

First of all, the private sector, research institutes, universities and localities need to be more proactive. Instead of waiting for support from the State, each enterprise and research facility should propose specific initiatives and projects that contribute to the national science and technology program. Universities and research institutes can cooperate with local authorities and businesses to carry out digital transformation and innovation tasks that are close to practical needs. The Resolution requires these tasks to be included in the annual work plan of each ministry, sector and locality, so there is no reason why each province and sector should not have at least one key digital transformation or innovation project with its own mark. The spirit of initiative and creativity at the grassroots level will determine the vitality of the innovation movement nationwide.

There is no reason why each province and each sector should not have at least one digital transformation or key innovation project with its own mark. The spirit of initiative and creativity at the grassroots level will determine the vitality of the innovation movement nationwide.

Along with that, it is necessary to strongly promote public-private cooperation in all fields. The state sector plays a leading role, creating a favorable environment, while the private sector brings capital, technology and dynamism to realize innovative ideas. Close cooperation between the state, businesses and universities will create a synergistic strength.

Resolution No. 57 has proposed a series of mechanisms and policies to encourage public-private cooperation in strategic technology research and development, modern digital infrastructure development, and digital human resource training. For example, the establishment of shared laboratories and innovation centers based on the cooperation model between research institutes - universities - enterprises will help share resources and shorten the cycle from research to application. The State has also been implementing science and technology support funds and innovation funds to accompany start-up businesses. Therefore, businesses and startups should boldly take advantage of these State support resources to "co-create" new products and services, both bringing economic benefits to themselves and solving the country's development problems.

Mobilizing social resources is also reflected in specific financial targets: funding for research and development (R&D) will increase to 2% of GDP by 2030, of which social contributions account for more than 60%. In other words, the majority of investment in science, technology, and innovation must come from businesses and non-state economic sectors. To achieve that, the Vietnamese business community itself needs to consider innovation and R&D activities as vital factors to enhance competitiveness. Look at the world's leading technology corporations: they constantly invest in research and innovation to lead the market. Vietnamese businesses also need to identify a similar spirit of innovation, turning intellectual property into a driving force for development. When all resources from social capital and intelligence are directed towards a common goal, we will create a strong breakthrough in realizing the goals of Resolution 57.

National innovation movement

Innovation will only be truly sustainable when it becomes a widespread movement that is deeply rooted in social life. Resolution 57 has set the task of "widely implementing the 'digital learning' movement", popularizing and improving technological knowledge and digital skills among cadres, civil servants and the People. This suggests a specific action program: each citizen and each civil servant should set a goal of learning a new digital skill each year. It could be learning to use a software for work, learning basic programming, or simply knowing how to protect personal information in the online environment. If every year 96 million Vietnamese people make a step forward in digital skills, then after 5-10 years, the digital literacy level of the whole country will be greatly improved. A society where everyone is eager to learn and constantly updates new knowledge is the most solid foundation for an innovation ecosystem.

Along with “digital learning” , we need to strongly promote the movement of innovative startups, especially among young people. Young people are ambitious and dare to think differently and do differently – these are valuable qualities to create successful technology startups. Resolution 57 clearly states that there must be strong enough policies to encourage the spirit of entrepreneurship in science and technology, innovation and digital transformation. This requires ministries and branches to quickly perfect the startup ecosystem: from providing seed capital, technology incubators, to connecting consultants and markets for startups. On their part, Vietnamese youth should boldly turn ideas into reality, and venture into new technology fields. Building a culture of daring to accept failure is very important – each failure in startups is a lesson to stand up more firmly. When we honor the creative efforts and risk-taking of young people, society will have more and more breakthrough initiatives.

Along with the above two movements, communication and education work needs to be involved to foster innovative thinking among the entire population. Every citizen needs to understand that digital transformation and innovation are not something far away but are opportunities to bring practical benefits to daily life. For example, thanks to digital transformation, using online public services becomes easier and faster - the goal is for 80% of people and businesses to use online public services by 2030. Or e-payment will help transactions become more convenient and transparent - striving for 80% of cashless transactions by 2030. Those target numbers show a future where everyone benefits from digital transformation: simpler administrative procedures, safer cashless purchases, more opportunities to access online education and healthcare. The press, television, and social networks need to continue to promote and popularize good models and typical examples in innovation and digital transformation, so that every citizen can see the benefits and enthusiastically participate. When the whole population responds, the innovation movement will spread widely, creating a shift from awareness to action in each community and each family.

Faith and aspiration to bring Vietnam to breakthrough

Resolution No. 57 is not only an orientation document but also ignites new beliefs and aspirations for the entire nation on the path of development. For the first time, we have a specialized resolution of the Politburo on science and technology, innovation and national digital transformation. That shows the concern and commitment at the highest level. This resolution conveys a strong message that: The Party and the State are determined to make science and technology truly become the main driving force to realize the goal of a prosperous Vietnam in the mid-21st century. The goals set are very bold, demonstrating the aspiration of our nation to rise. For example, by 2045 (the 100th anniversary of the founding of the country), Vietnam aims to be among the top 30 countries in the world in innovation and digital transformation, with the digital economy accounting for 50% of GDP. That vision shows that we are not complacent with our current achievements, but are thinking big and determined to reach the world.

The journey from Resolution to reality is not easy, but belief in the wise leadership of the Party, in the intelligence and mettle of the Vietnamese people is a source of great internal strength. Resolution No. 57 has aroused the spirit of “self-reliance, self-confidence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, and national pride” . This is the source of all creativity. When every Vietnamese person carries within them national pride and a desire to contribute, we will create a resonant strength that turns seemingly impossible things into possible. Let us recall the miracles of our nation in the past – from the Great Victory of Spring 1975 to the achievements of innovation and integration – all stemming from the will to unite and the strong desire to rise up. Today, in the 4.0 industrial revolution, we must foster that aspiration and put it into each specific action: from a young person diligently researching new technology, a scientist persistently pursuing an idea to the end, to a leader daring to make breakthrough decisions.

Resolution No. 57 has aroused the spirit of “self-reliance, self-confidence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, and national pride” . This is the source of all creativity. When every Vietnamese person carries within them national pride and a desire to contribute, we will create a resonant force that turns seemingly impossible things into possible.

Resolution No. 57 has given us the pioneering flag on the path of science, technology and innovation. Now, the responsibility of the whole society is to turn that resolution into material strength, into measurable results, so that science and technology can truly become the driving force for Vietnam to make a breakthrough. Each ministry, each industry, each enterprise, each citizen should ask themselves what they can contribute to this common cause.

Let’s take concrete actions, no matter how small, because every small contribution will contribute to creating a big change. With determination and consensus from top to bottom, we believe that the ambitious goals of Resolution No. 57 will become a reality in the near future. A strong and prosperous Vietnam thanks to science, technology and innovation is no longer a distant aspiration, but will be a common achievement that the whole nation is proud to cultivate. Let’s take action today for that future.

Presented by: Duy Thong

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/bai-cuoi-bien-quyet-tam-thanh-hanh-dong-thuc-tien-post409352.html