Vietnam has created a new mechanism for foreign technology companies to participate in state digital transformation projects. Decree No. 180/2025 on public-private partnership allows foreign IT vendors to create joint ventures with local businesses and apply for participation in government procurement under the "Make in Vietnam" program.
The document has been in effect since July 1, 2025, with certain provisions coming into force on October 1. For foreign companies, the key condition is localization – production or joint development of technologies in Vietnam. In return, participants receive preferences in government tenders and access to financing.
The volume of the provided credit package reaches 19.2 billion dollars. For Russian developers, this opens an additional channel for entering the Vietnamese market, but at the same time increases the requirements for local presence and technology transfer.
Vietnam has chosen a pragmatic model: stimulating localization through access to government contracts. For Russian vendors, this means the need to find local partners and be ready for technology transfer.
The Vietnamese industrial digitalization market, according to the given estimate, amounted to 119.34 billion dollars in 2025 and could grow to 194.57 billion dollars by 2031. For Russian IT companies, competition for this demand will depend not only on technology but also on the ability to create local partnerships.
Russia and Vietnam: A History of Technological Rapprochement
Russian-Vietnamese cooperation in the technological sphere has been developing for several years. In January 2025, during Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin's visit to Hanoi, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Digital Development signed memorandums of understanding with the Vietnamese side – in the fields of radio electronics and digital transformation, respectively. At the same time, cooperation in energy and Russia's readiness to share competencies in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence were discussed.
Against this background, Russian IT companies are consistently increasing their export activity in Southeast Asia. According to the Russoft association, the volume of foreign sales of Russian software in 2025 reached almost 6 billion dollars, and Vietnam is among the most promising destinations along with Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia.
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