Following a ceremony marking Vietnam Cybersecurity Day on August 6, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, Chairman of the National Cybersecurity Steering Committee, chaired the committee’s second meeting of 2026.

At the meeting, the PM emphasized that cybersecurity capacity has not yet kept pace with the rapid development of emerging technologies, resulting in limited readiness and proactive response capabilities.

He noted that mechanisms for coordination, information sharing, incident response, and public-private partnerships remain unsynchronized, while cybercrime, data trafficking, online fraud, and violations on cross-border platforms continue to evolve in complex ways.

Furthermore, the Government leader pointed out that the recruitment, training, and retention of high-quality cybersecurity personnel have not met requirements, and the development of core technologies and the domestic cybersecurity industry remains slow.

Looking ahead, he assessed that global competition in cyberspace is shifting beyond technology to the control of data, platforms, standards, supply chains, computing power, artificial intelligence, and cryptography. Cyberattacks, espionage, information warfare, cognitive manipulation, and high-tech crimes are expected to intertwine, posing significant challenges to cybersecurity, socio-economic development, and national security.

To address these challenges, the PM requested the Ministry of Public Security (MoPS) to urgently finalize the draft Law on Data Security for National Assembly approval by October 2026.

The ministry is also tasked with researching and developing a National AI Security Framework and specialized AI security capabilities by 2027, as well as issuing temporary guidelines on the safe use of AI within state agencies by the end of 2026.

Additionally, the Ministry of Science and Technology was directed to promptly submit specialized mechanisms and policies to attract and support domestic technology enterprises and cybersecurity startups by the third quarter of 2026.

The PM further instructed the MoPS to finalize and submit a cybersecurity index by the third quarter of 2026 to evaluate the capacity of ministries, agencies, localities, and businesses. This index will also be considered for integration into the annual performance evaluations of government officials in coordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Other key targets include operationalizing the Asia-Pacific Regional Cybercrime Prevention Center in 2027, preparing a "Cybersecurity Economy" initiative for APEC 2027, and completing the expansion of the National Cybersecurity Operations Center by the second quarter of 2028.

Regarding national defense, PM Hung required the Ministry of National Defense to develop a "cyber-battlefront" and warfare capabilities for potential conflict scenarios. The ministry is to collaborate with the MoPS to establish mechanisms for information sharing and the transition from peacetime protection to combat readiness, including organizing at least one national-level inter-agency drill in 2026.

The Ministry of Science and Technology was also tasked with implementing comprehensive solutions to manage mobile subscribers, telecommunications services, and virtual switchboards to ensure that all subscribers can be held accurately and legally accountable.