Data is the "blood" of the digital economy

Data has become an important resource, means of production, new energy, and even the "blood" of the digital economy.

On March 22, the National Data Association was officially launched and held its first National Congress for the 2025-2030 term. General Luong Tam Quang - Politburo member, Minister of Public Security - was elected as Chairman of the National Data Association.

For a sustainable and prosperous digital Vietnam

Attending the congress were General Secretary To Lam and Politburo members: Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh; Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Internal Affairs Commission Phan Dinh Trac; Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Inspection Commission Nguyen Duy Ngoc; General Luong Tam Quang, Minister of Public Security.

The National Data Association was established under Decision No. 10/QD-BNV dated January 10, 2025 of the Ministry of Home Affairs, with the mission of connecting management agencies, enterprises, organizations and individuals operating in the data field. The association aims to build a strong data ecosystem, contributing to promoting the development of the digital economy and increasing the value of data in the national economy. General Luong Tam Quang emphasized that the association will be a bridge between enterprises, building a diverse and stable data ecosystem, meeting the requirements of sustainable digital transformation in all fields, creating a premise to bring the country into a new digital era. The Minister of Public Security said that during the 2025 - 2030 term, the association will focus on key activities including: Coordinating with relevant authorities, associations and organizations to propagate and disseminate national policies and laws on data; Participate in contributing opinions to relevant legal documents; Make recommendations and consult with competent state agencies on issues related to the development of the data industry; support competent authorities when requested.

General Secretary To Lam presents flowers to congratulate the Standing Committee of the National Data Association. Photo: MINH PHONG

With a clear mission, goals and orientation, Minister Luong Tam Quang affirmed that the association will become a "common home", gathering and protecting the legitimate rights of members; promoting the sharing of knowledge, experience, and application of scientific and technological achievements in the field of data; actively contributing to the national digital transformation process, developing the market and the data economy, for a sustainable and prosperous digital Vietnam.

Perfecting the legal corridor

Speaking at the congress, General Secretary To Lam emphasized that in the dawn of the digital age, data has become an important resource, means of production, new energy, and even the "blood" of the digital economy. Digital transformation, with data at its center, is fundamentally changing the way we live, work, and develop.

According to the General Secretary, the Party and State have recognized the important role of data early on, and have specified it in relevant Resolutions. Most recently, Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW of the Politburo clearly identified data as the center of digital transformation and an important driving force for development. The Resolution also proposed pilot policies, creating an initial legal corridor for promoting data development and exploitation.

Mentioning three important factors for data, the General Secretary requested the Association to focus on: High-quality data; Data connection and data security. The General Secretary also frankly pointed out that the awareness of the role of data is currently inadequate; Data infrastructure is still scattered, lacking connections, and high-quality human resources for data are still lacking. Meanwhile, the legal framework is not complete, especially in areas such as data security, privacy protection and personal data. Data security and safety issues still face many challenges when we are facing cyber attacks and cyber warfare. According to General Secretary To Lam, clearly recognizing the value of data is not only about perfecting policies, but also about technology. Because without technology, we cannot collect, store, and process data... The General Secretary highly appreciated the efforts of the Government, ministries, localities, and relevant agencies in the past time in forming a data system. At the same time, it affirmed that the establishment of the National Data Association is very necessary.

To turn Vietnam into a digital nation, with digital governance, digital economy - digital society developed based on "correct - sufficient - clean - alive" data, General Secretary To Lam has set out key tasks for the association. First of all, research, propose, and complete the legal corridor on data. The Ministry of Public Security is drafting the Law on Personal Data Protection and the revised Law on Cyber ​​Security, the General Secretary requested to focus all resources on this task.

Along with that, the Association needs to promote its core role in building, developing, exploiting and enriching national data, focusing on four main pillars: people, location, activities and products. The Association also needs to proactively and actively apply, master and move towards autonomy in core data technologies, especially artificial intelligence (AI), big data, blockchain and cloud computing. The General Secretary requested to quickly popularize knowledge about data to people, especially understanding the value of data. Along with that, the Association researches and organizes innovation challenges, encouraging people and the community to come up with data initiatives. General Secretary To Lam directed the Association to strengthen its capacity for data autonomy, moving towards creating "Make in Vietnam" data products that can compete in the world.

Another important task noted by the General Secretary is to promote the construction of advanced data infrastructure, including investment from both the State and the private sector. At the same time, learn and participate in global initiatives on data. The General Secretary requested the construction of a system to protect products, secure data and develop services, and form a data security industry. "Previously, when talking about records, we just built a warehouse, locked the door and that was it. But now we cannot do that, we have to change our thinking, change the way we do things. It is necessary to build an effective enforcement and monitoring mechanism in the data field, with the leading role of the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Science and Technology," the General Secretary stated.

At the congress, General Secretary To Lam called on the business community and people to join hands with the association to successfully carry out the tasks of building, connecting, developing and exploiting data. The General Secretary affirmed that the Party and State will create all favorable conditions and provide maximum support for the development of the data sector, so that Vietnam can soon become a digital nation, a digital society and a prosperous digital economy.

The association has 12 vice presidents.

The Executive Board of the National Data Association for the 2025-2030 term consists of 62 members. The Association consists of 1 President and 12 Vice Presidents, of which the Permanent Vice President is Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Long, Deputy Minister of Public Security; the Executive Vice President is Major General Nguyen Ngoc Cuong, Director of the National Data Center (Ministry of Public Security). The remaining Vice Presidents are leaders of domestic enterprises, including many technology enterprises.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/du-lieu-la-mau-cua-nen-kinh-te-so-196250322210618245.htm