Adoption of revised Telecommunications Law tops Vietnam’s 10 ICT events in 2023

The amended Law on Telecommunications, which will have a profound impact on the information and communication technology (ICT) industry, tops the list of Vietnam’s 10 outstanding ICT events in 2023 selected by the ICT Press Club.

The list, announced on Tuesday, was nominated and selected by more than 50 journalists from 43 leading press agencies in Vietnam.

The following are the 10 outstanding ICT events in 2023:

National Assembly passes amended Law on Telecommunications

On November 24, the Vietnamese legislature officially approved the amended Law on Telecommunications, an important law with a profound impact on the ICT industry. The law will create the foundation for digital transformation towards a digital society and digital citizenship.

The law expands the subjects and scope of a number of new services such as cloud computing, data center services, and basic telecommunications services on the internet. It also targets open and flexible management towards protecting users' rights, and ensuring safety and security.

The law also stipulates types of telecommunications resources granted through auction.

Standardizing subscriber information

To handle spam calls, spam messages and fraudulent calls, from March 31, 2023, network operators began to apply one-way blocking of subscribers whose information does not match the national population database.

The two-way blocking is then imposed and after two months, the contract will be terminated if the subscriber does not register to standardize personal information.

During this drive, millions of subscribers registered to standardize personal information.

National Assembly adopts amended Law on Electronic Transactions

The amended Law on Electronic Transactions was passed by the National Assembly on June 22.

Compared to the 2005 version, the new law expands the scope of application of electronic transactions to all activities of social life; and creates a unified legal framework on electronic transaction activities in all fields to shift transactions to the digital environment, thus promoting national digital transformation.

World leading chipmakers open factories in Vietnam

In 2023, Vietnam is emerging as a destination for many semiconductor manufacturers when attracting the world's leading corporations from the U.S., South Korea and China with projects worth from hundreds of millions to billions of dollars. Some of them are Amkor Technology and Hana Micron Vina.

Besides foreign projects, a number of Vietnamese technology units and enterprises such as FPT Semiconductor and Viettel have researched, designed and manufactured chips, paving the way for Vietnam to participate more deeply in the global semiconductor chip industry.

Fraud in cyberspace

2023 witnessed an explosion in cyber fraud, with scammers often targeting the elderly and women.

The Department of Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention (A05) under the Ministry of Public Security said that high-tech crimes are continuing to increase and becoming more complex.

Emerging methods include using Deepfake technology for fraud; organizing gambling and gambling with huge sums of money; trading bank account information for illegal purposes; using devices similar to BTS stations of network operators or software to distribute messages with fraudulent content; offering black credit on mobile and online platforms; stealing, buying and selling personal data.

Inspecting cross-border social network TikTok

In early October, the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information under the Ministry of Information and Communications announced the results of a comprehensive inspection of TikTok's operations in Vietnam, which was conducted from mid-May to the end of September.

Inspectors requested TikTok to deploy nine measures to fix violations such as removing all contents violating Vietnamese law.

Prime minister issues strategy for digital transformation in journalism

On April 6, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh issued Decision No. 348/QD-TTg approving the Strategy for Digital Transformation in Journalism by 2025, with an orientation to 2030.

By 2030, the strategy targets 100% of press agencies posting content on digital platforms; 90% of press agencies using analytics and data processing platforms and leveraging AI to optimize operations.

It also aims for 100% of press agencies operating converged newsroom models and models aligned with the development of advanced global science and technology, producing content in line with digital journalism trends.

FPT achieves $1 billion in software export revenue

In December, tech giant FPT Corp. reached a milestone of $1 billion from exporting software to three key markets: Japan, America and Asia-Pacific.

This result made FPT the first Vietnamese technology enterprise to achieve $1 billion in software export revenue, marking Vietnamese intelligence globally and contributing to the overall development of the economy.

Proposal to impose special consumption tax on online gaming business rejected

On July 24, the Government Office announced the conclusion of the government, stating that the online gaming business should not be subject to a special consumption tax yet.

Previously, the Ministry of Finance proposed to include online gaming on the list of sectors subject to a special consumption tax to limit the production and consumption of goods that cause harm to health and society.

However, this proposal encountered strong reactions from experts, businesses and relevant ministries and agencies.

If a special consumption tax is imposed on the online gaming business, it will prompt domestic businesses to establish bases abroad.

IDC Hoa Lac - the largest data center in Vietnam inaugurated

On October 25, Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) opened an internet data center (IDC) at Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park in Hanoi

VNPT IDC Hoa Lac, the largest in Vietnam today, covers 2.3 hectares and can support 2,000 racks.

VNPT's goal is to become the leading IDC provider in Vietnam and realize the mission of contributing to national digital transformation.