Vietnam wins GSMA Government Leadership Award 2026

The award recognizes the nation that best exemplifies visionary leadership paired with real-world delivery.

It is decided each year by an independent panel of international experts based on evidence of digital progress, policy consistency, and delivery.

Vietnam was selected not only for its bold National Digital Transformation Roadmap, but also for its timely and coordinated delivery over the past two years.

The recognition reflects the collective view of the global mobile industry, which now regards Vietnam as one of the most dynamic digital leaders in Asia Pacific.

“It is a real honor to recognize the government of Vietnam as the recipient of the GSMA Government Leadership Award 2026, the highest recognition the global mobile industry bestows on 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.

“The nation is one of the clearest examples we see of how digital ambition, when matched with policy, discipline and coordinated execution, translates into real economic impact for citizens, businesses and the wider economy."

The award recognition was supported by the GSMA's ‘Digital Nations 2025: Sustaining Progress in Asia Pacific Through Investment’ report, which positioned Vietnam as a primary engine of Southeast Asia's digital economy.

The report indicated that the digital economy contributed 18.3 percent to Vietnam’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2024, promising to hit the government’s ambitious 20.5 percent in 2026.

Vietnam was ranked in the top half of the GSMA Digital Nations Index 2025, marking it as a leading digital nation in Asia Pacific.

The country showed balanced advancement across all five critical pillars of the index: infrastructure, innovation, data governance, security, and people.

Vietnam's success resulted from deliberate policy choices 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.

The country is on course to become the second-largest digital economy in ASEAN by 2030.

“Vietnam’s rapidly expanding digital economy is expected to contribute around 30 percent of its GDP by 2030, supported by strong foreign direct investment in sectors such as semiconductors, AI and smart manufacturing,” said Julian Gorman, head of Asia Pacific at GSMA.

Advanced digital infrastructure and next-generation connectivity will determine whether Vietnam captures higher value activity or remains a cost-efficient link in global supply chains, Gorman added.

To sustain momentum, the GSMA has identified two priorities for Vietnam’s next phase of digital development, including strengthening trust and cybersecurity, and scaling advanced digital and AI capabilities.

The Digital Nation Summit Hanoi 2026 convened industry leaders, investors, and policymakers to explore how Vietnam could move faster and more confidently in building its digital future.