Vietnam ranks among fastest climbers on global innovation index

According to the 2026 Global Innovation Index (GII) released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Vietnam placed 43rd out of 139 surveyed economies, advancing 16 positions since 2016.

Speaking at the report launch in Geneva on Sep. 29, WIPO director general Darren Tang said Vietnam along withChina, India, Turkey, the Philippines, Morocco, and Indonesia made the fastest strides over the past decade.

World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Darren Tang during an official visit to Vietnam in September 2025. Photo by Giang Huy

The report said China, in 10th place, remains the highest-ranking middle-income nation, while India, Vietnam, Turkey, the Philippines, Morocco, and Indonesia posted the largest gains in that income bracket.

"Among the 21 economies whose innovation outcomes outperform their level of development, India and Vietnam have led the pack for 16 consecutive years," the report said.

Roger Zamora, an analyst at WIPO, said strong innovation does not correlate strictly with high income levels, pointing to India and Vietnam as prime examples of nations consistently beating expectations.

Lorena Rivera Leon, an economist at WIPO, credited Vietnam’s progress to its deep ties with global industrial production networks.

"Vietnam has built a very robust manufacturing sector."

The latest findings highlight the pivotal role played by manufacturing and tech production.

This year, Vietnam maintained its global lead in exports of high-tech and creative goods, while ranking third in high-tech imports, and fifth in domestic mobile app downloads.

Examining the country's governance model, Shengyu Qin, a senior adviser at WIPO, said Vietnamese authorities have maintained dedicated national task forces focused on the index for years.

A domestically designed microchip showcased at an innovation exhibition in October 2023. Photo by Luu Quy

Science and Technology Minister Vu Hai Quan linked the climb to a strategic pivot in national priorities that has placed science, technology, and innovation placed front and center in driving broader economic growth.

In line with this direction, Politburo Resolution 57 sets out directives to integrate research and technological adoption directly into economic growth. By strengthening legal safeguards and building institutional foundations, it aims to establish innovation as the country’s primary economic engine.

The country has also restructured public spending, prioritizing funding for research and development, and is encouraging businesses to boost investments and wooing major projects in advanced and strategic industries.

Oversight has shifted away from tracking spending of resources to evaluating actual outcomes, with policymakers moving decisively into foundational fields like cutting-edge hardware and strategic industries that deliver substantial, lasting economic impacts.

Quan said a two-spot jump in the "innovation outputs" category demonstrates that the legal overhaul, smarter spending, and updated management models are already yielding results.

Vietnam aims to break into the global top 40 by 2030 and the top 30 by 2045.

Quan said achieving that would require further institutional reforms, deeper investment in research and development, and sustained efforts to draw multinational corporations to set up research hubs and invest in strategic technologies.

Policymakers must also enhance the talent pipeline, strengthen research capabilities, and deepen ties between universities, research centers, and private enterprises.

Other priorities include securing venture capital for innovative tech startups, building regional innovation hubs, and helping domestic firms adopt and master cutting-edge technologies.

This year's index also outlines the strengths and limitations of each economy and identifies the world's 100 leading innovation hubs.

Based on 79 benchmarks, the framework gauges how effectively countries leverage science and technology to power development and pinpoints structural bottlenecks.

Since 2017, Vietnam has relied on the index as a practical governance framework, tasking specific ministries and agencies with managing individual metrics.

This approach reflects a growing global trend, according to a 2025–2026 WIPO survey, 93 member states now use the index to shape their national tech policies.