Experts and representatives from IP Vietnam and WIPO discuss patent data and strategic technology development at a technical exchange in Hanoi, August 26, 2026

In the race to develop strategic technologies, identifying the right direction is as important as investing resources. For an economy such as Vietnam’s, which is accelerating science, technology and innovation, the question is how to determine where it stands, which technologies should be prioritized and which gaps could become opportunities for businesses. One source of information that can help answer these questions is the intellectual property (IP) data repository, particularly patent data.

Using Patent Data to Identify Technology Gaps

On August 26, 2026, in Hanoi, the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam (IP Vietnam), in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), held a technical exchange on patent outlook report for strategic technologies.

According to Deputy Director General of IP Vietnam Le Huy Anh, a patent landscape report is an in-depth analytical tool for identifying filing and protection activities, development trends and entities operating in each technology field.

Notably, following WIPO Director General Daren Tang’s visit to and working meetings in Vietnam in 2025, the two sides agreed that WIPO would support Vietnam in developing patent landscape reports for three strategic technologies. This is not simply a data analysis exercise. More importantly, using the patent repository can provide Vietnam with an additional database for selecting priority technologies, allocating resources and helping businesses identify suitable directions.

According to WIPO, more than 100 million patent documents have been published worldwide. Each patent document not only establishes a legal right but also contains information on technical solutions, research entities, development timelines and the scope of protection.

When aggregated and analyzed, this data can provide a “map” of global technology development.

Christopher Harrison, Patent Analytics Manager at WIPO, said patent data can help identify the direction in which technologies are moving, where innovative activity is concentrated, which entities are leading and which new capabilities are emerging. The value of patent analysis therefore lies not in the number of documents but in the ability to ask the right questions and turn data into information for decision-making.

For Vietnam, this is particularly important as resources for technology research and development still need to be focused. Without comprehensive information, businesses could invest in technology areas already dominated by leading players or face significant IP barriers.

Conversely, data analysis can help identify areas where Vietnam’s technological capabilities remain limited, segments with relatively few competitors or new development directions that are beginning to emerge. These are precisely the gaps that can become opportunities.

In Vietnam, among approximately 11,000 patent families held by applicants during 2006-2026, around 9,000 were related to 10 strategic technologies. These figures show that innovative activity is already present across many important technology fields, but the challenge is to conduct deeper analysis to determine where these capabilities are concentrated and which gaps remain.

WIPO has identified five potential technology fields in Vietnam for further consideration: digital technology, semiconductors, high-speed rail, energy and advanced materials, and robotics and automation.

All are fields that could have a significant impact on the economy’s competitiveness in the years ahead. However, selecting a field is only the first step. More important is determining where and how Vietnam can participate. Patent analysis can help answer this question by identifying leading players, technology trends, protection scopes and areas with room for further development.

Technology Gaps: New Business Opportunities

From a business perspective, patent data is valuable not only for avoiding the risk of IP infringement. More importantly, it can serve as a tool to help businesses identify opportunities for R&D, investment and cooperation.

Before investing in a technology project, a business can use patent data to determine which technologies are already protected, who owns them, where research is concentrated and which development directions remain unexplored. This can help businesses avoid duplicating research while identifying product development directions that can create differentiation.

When Vietnam lacks sufficient capacity to conduct research independently, patent data can also help businesses identify potential partners for purchasing, licensing, cooperation or technology transfer. In other words, IP data can help businesses choose the appropriate path rather than having to develop everything from scratch.

For fields with high R&D costs, such as semiconductors, energy, robotics and advanced materials, accurately determining one’s position on the technology map becomes even more important. Investment decisions based on comprehensive information about technology and IP rights can significantly reduce risks during research, development and commercialization.

In particular, businesses need to rethink how they view IP. It should not be treated simply as a procedure to be completed after a product is developed. Instead, IP information should be considered from the early stages of developing ideas, selecting technologies and planning R&D strategies.

A well-protected patent can become an asset that creates a competitive advantage. But before creating a new invention, businesses need to understand how far research has advanced globally, which core technologies are already protected and where there is still room for innovation. This is also why developing patent landscape reports for strategic technologies can create value not only for regulators but also for the business community.

According to Deputy Director General of IP Vietnam Le Huy Anh, the reports will serve as references for regulators in policy planning and resource allocation, while helping research institutes and universities identify technology gaps and businesses select appropriate research and development directions.

The next phase is expected to select one priority field and up to two additional fields for in-depth analysis. The focus will be on clarifying where Vietnam has strengths, which capabilities remain lacking, which technologies need to be accessed from abroad and which partners have potential for cooperation. If the analytical results are converted into accessible and practical data, Vietnamese businesses will gain an additional tool for making technology investment decisions.

Over the long term, the goal is not only to increase the number of patents held by Vietnam but, more importantly, to build the capacity to leverage IP to create economic value. From patent data, businesses can identify trends; from trends, identify gaps; and from gaps, seek opportunities for R&D, investment or cooperation. In this way, IP will no longer sit at the end of the innovation process, serving only registration and protection functions, but become part of business strategy from the outset.

In the strategic technology race, Vietnam does not necessarily need to develop every technology itself. What matters is identifying the fields in which it can achieve technological mastery, knowing which technologies need to be accessed from abroad and finding an appropriate position in the value chain.

For Vietnamese businesses, knowing how to leverage patent data means having an additional tool to see gaps before turning those gaps into opportunities. This is also an important step toward making IP a genuine driver of innovation, strengthening competitiveness and helping Vietnamese businesses move further up the global technology value chain.