Digital Transformation in Vietnam: Opportunities, Barriers, and Policy Implications for Sustainable Development

This structured narrative review examines the opportunities, barriers, and policy implications of digital transformation in Vietnam during 2020–2026. It integrates peer-reviewed studies of organizational change and digital strategy with Vietnamese policy instruments, official economic statistics, the United Nations E-Government Survey, and regional digital-market reports. The National Statistics Office estimated that digital-economy value added accounted for 14.02% of GDP in 2025 (approximately US$72.1 billion), while Vietnam ranked 71st of 193 countries in the 2024 UN E-Government Development Index. Major enabling conditions include sustained policy commitment, expanding digital connectivity, and demand for online services. Principal barriers include uneven digital capabilities, fragmented data governance, limited small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) resources, cybersecurity exposure, and disparities in meaningful access. The review proposes a six-domain policy framework combining institutional coordination, interoperability, human capital, SME support, trust and security, and outcome-based evaluation. As a narrative synthesis, it does not claim systematic coverage or causal identification.