On March 27, 2023, the Government of Vietnam issued Resolution 40/NQ-CP approving the development strategy of Vietnam’s surveying and mapping industry and building a national geospatial data infrastructure by 2030, with a vision to 2045.

The strategy aims to complete institutions, policies and laws on surveying and cartography; build and update the national geographic database and topographic map synchronously across the country. The strategy also seeks to ensure that the geographic database and topographic map are fully updated and accurate to meet state management requirements, serve socio-economic development, ensure national defense and security, prevent natural disasters, and respond to climate changes.

Besides, the strategy aims to build and complete surveying infrastructure including the national coordinate network, national satellite station network, national altitude network, national gravity network, and geoid model (a model of global mean sea level that is used to measure precise surface elevations), to establish a national spatial reference system on land and at sea.

The strategy’s objective is to build and manage the national spatial data infrastructure to ensure the data integration and data sharing between agencies and departments, between the central and local governments, serving developing e-government, moving toward a digital government, digital economy and digital society, connecting to the regional geospatial data network. The aim is that 100% of geospatial data is connected and shared nationwide to provide information and public services to organizations and individuals.

The strategy’s goal is that by 2045 Vietnam’s surveying and cartography industry will grow into a modern basic survey industry, on par with developed countries, mastering 80% of advanced and modern technologies.

Another goal is to develop the national geospatial data infrastructure to ensure the creation, maintenance and enhancement of the value of information, data, surveying and mapping services, meeting the geospatial data requirements for the whole society, serving national defense, security, digital government, digital economy and digital society, joining the global geospatial data network.

To achieve the above goals, the strategy sets out 10 important tasks and solutions, such as reviewing, developing and completing a system of standards and technical regulations on surveying and cartography which is aligned with international one; developing standards and technical regulations on geospatial data and metadata, as well as standard methods, standard processes and standard services.

At the same time, the strategy will build and update the national geographic database and national topographic map covering the mainland, islands and archipelagos, and the topographic map of the seabed of the waters of Vietnam.

In addition, the strategy will build the Vietnam Geospatial Portal by following the model of a geospatial data center to ensure the link and unified management of geospatial databases, the capability of connecting and synchronizing with the National Data Portal, developing data services based on the Vietnam Geospatial Portal. The strategy will also create institutions and renovate mechanisms serving surveying and mapping, facilitating businesses to innovate and provide services and solutions for surveying and mapping, moving towards the digital economy and digital society.