Minister Nguyen Manh Hung Urges CMC Corporation to Embrace National Mission and Lead Vietnam into the Digital Era
The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) recently held a landmark working session with the senior leadership and core executives of CMC Corporation, marking a pivotal moment in the 31-year history of the prominent Vietnamese technology enterprise. Presided over by Minister Nguyen Manh Hung, alongside Deputy Ministers Nguyen Thanh Lam and Bui Hoang Phuong, the meeting served as a strategic forum to outline CMC’s trajectory through 2028. The discussions centered on transitioning the corporation from a domestic technology provider into a globally recognized digital powerhouse capable of tackling critical national challenges.
A Historic Strategy Session for a National Champion
During the high-level meeting at the MIC headquarters on October 25, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung emphasized that CMC has reached a crucial inflection point where it must officially declare itself a leading national and international digital technology enterprise. For a company that has spent over three decades establishing its footprint in Vietnam’s IT sector, this meeting represented the first time its executive leadership engaged in such an intensive, exclusive strategy dialogue with the head of the telecommunications and ICT regulatory body.
The gathering underscored the government’s high expectations for the private technology sector. By inviting CMC to co-create its future roadmap, the MIC demonstrated its confidence in the corporation’s potential to transcend regional boundaries and compete on the global stage. Minister Hung noted that the only viable path for CMC to scale significantly is to align its corporate ambitions with national missions and execute its initiatives with uncompromising dedication.
Charting the Path to 2028: Ambitions in AI and Global Expansion
The session commenced with a comprehensive multimedia presentation highlighting CMC’s corporate evolution over the past 31 years. Dang Tung Son, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of CMC, delivered a detailed progress report outlining the enterprise’s business performance and operational highlights for the first half of the 2024 financial year. More importantly, Son updated the ministry on CMC’s strategic development plan leading up to the year 2028.
According to CMC’s strategic blueprint, the corporation aims to transform into a globalized technology and artificial intelligence (AI) enterprise adhering to strict international standards by 2028. The ambitious roadmap projects a threefold increase in revenue and an expansion of its workforce to over 10,000 employees—doubling its current size. Crucially, the corporation has earmarked 40% of its human resource development specifically for artificial intelligence initiatives, signaling a profound strategic pivot toward high-value, cutting-edge technologies.
Mastering Core Technologies and National Digital Transformation
Addressing the corporate leadership, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung reiterated the overarching mandate set by General Secretary To Lam, which dictates that Vietnam must master its own core technologies if it is to achieve developed-nation status through digital transformation. Mastering technology, the minister explained, begins with mastering application and progressively advancing toward complete technological autonomy.
Minister Hung underscored that technology enterprises must dramatically increase their investment in research and development (R&D). He challenged CMC to step out of its comfort zone, embrace national responsibilities, and position itself as a foundational pillar of Vietnam’s digital revolution. "If a business wants to grow large and become an eternal pillar of the nation, it must tie itself to the national destiny," Minister Hung stated.
The dialogue also addressed the necessity of internal digital transformation. The MIC leadership advised CMC to undergo comprehensive digital transformation within its own organizational structures before attempting to deploy solutions for external clients. By digitizing from the inside out, the enterprise can gain practical insights, refine its methodologies, and build unparalleled credibility when delivering digital transformation consulting and implementation services to the broader market.
Resolving Operational Bottlenecks and Infrastructure Development
The four-hour working session dedicated a significant portion of its agenda to addressing practical hurdles and strategic queries raised by CMC’s executive board. Minister Hung and his deputies provided direct guidance on expanding development spaces, scaling emerging technology investments, and optimizing international expansion strategies.
A key operational bottleneck discussed was the acceleration of investment in critical infrastructure, specifically the landing stations for new submarine fiber optic cables. With guidance from MIC leadership, CMC was directed to review regulatory frameworks under the updated Land Law and coordinate closely with the Department of Telecommunications. The MIC committed to counseling the Prime Minister on encouraging provincial authorities to incorporate land allocation for submarine cable landing stations into local master plans, thereby enhancing the resilience of Vietnam’s international telecommunications network and safeguarding national security.
Furthermore, the ministry provided clarity on exploring new market spaces. Minister Hung encouraged the leadership team to look beyond conventional commercial territories, noting that sectors governed by the MIC—such as telecommunications, digital infrastructure, and network information security—are in a constant state of evolution. He urged the enterprise to focus heavily on foundational infrastructure technologies, including cloud computing, data centers, and enterprise-grade software platforms upon which other market participants can build.
Strategic Guidance on Artificial Intelligence and Semiconductor Integration
In response to CMC’s strategic focus on the Internet of Things (IoT), the MIC leadership advised the corporation to treat artificial intelligence and semiconductor technology as parallel, interdependent pillars of its future portfolio.
Regarding artificial intelligence, the ministry advised CMC and other Vietnamese technology firms to concentrate on specialized, applied, and localized AI solutions tailored for specific industries, enterprises, and individual consumers. The strategy encourages businesses to build proprietary platforms that allow organizations to safely integrate their internal data without compromising privacy or security. By focusing on niche, high-impact AI applications rather than attempting to build general-purpose foundational models from scratch, local firms can secure sustainable market advantages.
Institutional Support and the Role of the Ministry
Reaffirming its commitment to fostering the domestic tech ecosystem, the MIC emphasized its role as a steadfast ally and advocate for Vietnamese technology enterprises. Minister Hung articulated the ministry’s underlying philosophy: "The MIC defines that if digital technology businesses do not develop, the ministry and the sector will not develop, and the national digital transformation story cannot be executed."
Concluding the working session, Nguyen Trung Chinh, Chairman of CMC Corporation, expressed profound gratitude to the Minister, Deputy Ministers, and department heads for their candid, insightful, and visionary contributions. He affirmed that while the strategic targets set for 2028 are exceptionally challenging, the corporation is fully committed to mobilizing its internal resources to realize these goals.
"To materialize the ambitious development goals we have set, alongside the relentless efforts of our corporation, we look forward to the continued accompaniment, guidance, support, and facilitation of the Ministry of Information and Communications," Chairman Chinh stated. He reiterated CMC’s unwavering dedication to bringing Vietnamese intelligence to the global stage, solidifying the nation’s technological standing internationally, and contributing meaningfully to the prosperous future of the country.
