"I have never expected technology to be so accessible and so alive," Thiep, 74, said after visiting the Ministry of Science and Technology’s section on innovation and digital transformation.
From his home in Dong Anh, Thiep had watched the Vietnam Exposition Center rise from the ground up in August, 2024.
Walking inside and seeing the country’s progress up close thrilled him. "We are very happy," he said, taking turns with two friends to pose for photos with a robot made by Vietnamese engineers.
The exhibition at Southeast Asia’s largest exhibition complex welcomed 230,000 visitors on its opening day, Aug. 28.
It had more than 230 booths.
Inside the Kim Quy (Golden Turtle) hall, visitors walked through six themed areas: "Vietnam - The Country and Its People," "95 Years of the Party Flag Lighting the Way," "Building Development," "Strong Provinces, Prosperous Nation," "Economic Powerhouses," and "Nation-Building Startups."
There were large artifacts and photo panels with holograms, 3D mapping and virtual reality to make history more vivid and engaging.
Visitors try out experiences at the exhibition of national achievements at the Vietnam Exposition Center, Hanoi, on Aug. 28, 2025. Photo by Thanh Tung
"It felt like reliving history," Nguyen Minh, 19, said after traveling back to Ba Dinh Square and witnessing in virtual reality President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence founding the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on Sept. 2, 1945.
The VR project, called "Tro Ve Thoi Khac Thieng Lieng" (Return to the Sacred Moment) was developed by national radio broadcaster VOV and the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology.
At the Ministry of Science and Technology area, VinMotion’s humanoid robot, nearly 1.7 meters tall, walked, greeted visitors and spoke Vietnamese.
Nearby, Viettel’s VSR01 security patrol robot climbed steps, danced and spun around. It uses sensors and AI to detect unusual situations and assist security teams.
Many visitors were excited to see technologies they had only read about, and said the exhibition gave them a glimpse of the future of automation.
Thiep and his two friends take photos at the Ministry of Science and Technology’s exhibition area at the Vietnam Exposition Center, Hanoi, on Aug. 28, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Luu Quy
For many, these were demonstrations without real-world use. But for Thiep, it showed how far Vietnam has come from being a poor farming nation to a technological powerhouse.
"Vietnamese intelligence is on par with the world," he said.
At the exhibition, young visitors took photos in front of large, modern panels while middle-aged guests were drawn by drones, self-propelled artillery, warheads, and Made in Vietnam rocket engines.
At the Ministry of Defense booth, students lined up to use VR to "drive a truck without a windshield across the Truong Son mountains."
They watched scenes of smoke, gunfire and muddy roads appear before them.
None had lived through the war, but the experience gave them a sense of its hardships.
One student said: "So this is what a truck without a windshield feels like."
Outside the Kim Quy building, in the "Khat Vong Bau Troi" (Aspiration for the Sky) area, 75-year-old Trinh Thi Thuc sat in the cockpit of an Airbus A320 plane for the first time.
Her hands trembled as she tried piloting a plane despite never having been on a flight before.
Aerospace Engineering Services Company said the aircraft had been retired and modified for training and tours. It was transported to the exhibition on a specialized heavy-duty truck.
"I never thought I would get to fly a plane," Thuc said.
Behind her, dozens of people, from elderly to young, awaited their turn.
Nearby, at the Vietnam Airlines booth, visitors lined up to experience a business-class cabin through VR.
75-year-old Trinh Thi Thuc experiences flying and piloting a plane for the first time at the exhibition of national achievements at the Vietnam Exposition Center, Hanoi, on Aug. 28, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran
In the "Thanh Guom Va La Chan" (Sword and Shield) zone, self-propelled artillery, coastal surveillance radar, S-125-VT missile systems, and long-range UAVs are introduced as Made in Vietnam products, researched and built by Vietnamese engineers. Visitors posed for photos with the weapons while veterans explained their functions to their families.
Hall A highlighted 12 cultural industries and offered unique experiences. The most popular was a digital film studio where visitors play soldiers in a scene from the movie "Dao, Pho va Piano" (Peach Blossom, Pho and Piano).
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment worked with TikTok Shop to host livestreams during the exhibition and launch the "Tuan Le Tu Hao Nong San Viet" (Week of Pride in Vietnamese Agricultural Products).
Influencers promoted and sold tea, coffee and various One Commune One Product goods through the platform.
A robot dog at the exhibition of national achievements at the Vietnam Exposition Center, Hanoi, on Aug. 28, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong
Vietnam has transformed over 80 years from a country with limited technology into a hub for global tech companies and a trusted destination for the world’s technology sector.
The displays at the exhibition of national achievements showed how science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation will drive the country’s future.
