Award presented at the Hanoi Digital Nation Summit 2026supported by the findings of the GSMA Digital Nations APAC report
May 26, 2026, Hanoi: The GSMA, the global organization that unifies the mobile ecosystem, today presented the Socialist Republic of Vietnam with the global GSMA Government Leadership Award 2026, the highest global honor for digital policy. The award recognizes the nation that best exemplifies visionary leadership combined with real-world execution and is decided each year by an independent panel of international experts based on evidence of digital progress, policy coherence and execution.
Vietnam was selected not only for its audacity National digital transformation roadmapbut also for its timely and coordinated delivery over the last two years. The recognition reflects the collective vision of the global mobile industry, which now views Vietnam as one of the most dynamic digital leaders in Asia Pacific.
“It is a true honor to recognize the government of Vietnam as the winner of the 2026 GSMA Government Leadership Award, the highest recognition the global mobile industry gives to a government.” said Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer at GSMA. “Vietnam has been recognized not for a single initiative, but for the coherence, pace and consistency of its digital transformation. Vietnam is one of the clearest examples we see of how digital ambition, when combined with policies, discipline and coordinated execution, translates into real economic impact for citizens, businesses and the broader economy.”
Vietnam: a major driver of Southeast Asia's digital economy
The award recognition is supported by the GSMA. Digital Nations 2025: Sustaining progress in Asia Pacific through investment report, which positions Vietnam as one of the main drivers of Southeast Asia's digital economy. Key findings include:
- Vietnam's digital economy contributed 18.3% of GDP in 2024, and the Government is on track to reach its ambitious target of 20.5% this year.
- Vietnam is ranked in the top half of the GSMA Digital Nations Index 2025, ranking it as a leading digital nation in Asia Pacific.
- The country shows balanced progress in the five critical pillars of the Index: infrastructure, innovation, data governance, security and people.
- Vietnam's success is the result of deliberate political decisions rather than chance, reflecting a clear shift from “digital adoption” to “strategic nation-building.”
Over the past three years, Vietnam has been the fastest growing digital economy in the region, achieving this on a national scale in a population of more than 100 million people. The country is on track to become ASEAN's second-largest digital economy by 2030.
Julian Gorman, Asia Pacific Director at GSMA, said: “Vietnam’s rapidly expanding digital economy is expected to contribute around 30 percent of GDP by 2030, supported by strong foreign direct investment in sectors such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence and smart manufacturing.. “Advanced digital infrastructure and next-generation connectivity will determine whether Vietnam captures higher-value activity or remains a profitable link in global supply chains.”
Building on success: GSMA recommendations for Vietnam's next phase
To maintain momentum, the GSMA has identified two priorities for Vietnam's next phase of digital development:
Strengthen trust and security
Sustaining digital growth will depend on maintaining trust in digital services. This requires closer, real-time coordination between telecom operators, financial institutions and public authorities to thwart scams and protect consumers. Initiatives such as the Asia Pacific Cross-Sector Anti-Scam Task Force (ACAST) and the GSMA Open Gateway framework provide a practical foundation to enable this at scale.
Expanding advanced digital and AI capabilities
Vietnam's strong foundation in community-based digital inclusion provides a platform for the next stage of capacity development. Scaling up advanced digital and AI skills will be critical to ensuring the workforce can support higher-value industries and remain competitive as technology adoption accelerates.
“Perhaps Vietnam's most powerful differentiator is its focus on people.“Gorman added.”Inclusion is not being treated as a social afterthought, but as a core economic strategy. Scaling up advanced digital and AI skills will be the critical next step, and the foundations already in place position Vietnam well to make that transition..”
About the Hanoi Digital Nation Summit 2026
The Hanoi Digital Nation Summit 2026 convenes industry leaders, investors and policymakers to explore how Vietnam can move faster and with greater confidence in building its digital future. As global supply chains are reshaped by geopolitical shifts, the rise of AI and new investment flows, Vietnam is increasingly seen as a major digital economy in the Asia Pacific region, not just a manufacturing base.
By strengthening coordination between government, industry and the broader digital ecosystem, Vietnam is building a secure and inclusive digital future that attracts long-term investment, supports domestic innovation and strengthens its position in the regional and global digital economy.
“Telecoms are at the center of this shift. Strong networks are no longer just about coverage; they shape productivity, support new industrial use cases, and enable the move toward data-intensive, AI-driven sectors. That's why the Hanoi Digital Nation Summit has been designed to be practical: what needs to change, what needs to expand, and where public and private decisions need to align to support long-term growth,” Gorman said.
The Summit program covers key sessions on:
- Drive digital investment and innovation, exploring how policy certainty, infrastructure readiness and access to capital can support high-value digital industries, startups and local innovation ecosystems.
- Trust and cybersecurity, strengthening data protection, scam prevention and regulatory frameworks through real-time coordination between telecommunications operators, financial institutions and public authorities.
- 5G, AI-RAN, Open Gateway and Open RAN, unlocking new business models, smart industries and cross-sector collaboration through next-generation network architectures.
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About the GSMA
The GSMA is a global organization that unifies the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver critical innovation for positive business environments and social change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organizations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA offers its members three broad pillars: connectivity for good, industry services and solutions, and outreach. This activity includes policy advocacy; address today's biggest social challenges; underpin the technology and interoperability that make mobile devices work; and provide the world's largest platform to bring together the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.
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