Vietnam accelerates sci-tech sandbox

The sandbox is outlined in the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation 2025. For the digital technology sector, the government issued Decree No.353/2025/ND-CP, effective from January 1, 2026, which regulates the principles, conditions, time, space, scope and subjects, documentation, licensing procedures for testing, reporting, monitoring and evaluation of post-test results.

Photo: VNA

The key point is to significantly strengthen decentralisation to the people's committees of provinces and centrally administered cities, coordinating with agencies to grant permits for pilot projects within their respective locations.

Tran Anh Tu, deputy head of the Department of Science and Technology under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) shared that to date, the practical implementation of the sandbox is being promoted by relevant agencies.

The MST is coordinating with Dien Bien province and agencies to finalise a controlled trial scheme for several UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) application models in agriculture, forestry, logistics, healthcare, public services, and state management.

“This is not a test of UAV technology alone, but a test of a practical application model to evaluate its effectiveness, implementation methods, and coordination mechanisms. Currently, we are in the process of coordinating with relevant agencies, finalising the documentation, conducting assessments, and proceeding with the licensing of the trial,” he said.

He added that the biggest initial result so far is that the sandbox mechanism has moved from legal regulations to the practical implementation phase. At the same time, several specific pilot projects and case studies have been developed for for refining the process, coordination, and monitoring methods,

The deputy director stated that the difficulties in implementing the sandbox currently fall into two main groups. Firstly, difficulties in the preparation and organisation of implementation.

Because sandboxes apply to new technologies, products, services, or business models, the preparation process must clearly define the objectives, scope, conditions, limitations of testing, and management requirements for each specific model.

At the same time, it is necessary to develop plans for monitoring, risk control, and handling unforeseen situations to ensure that the testing is carried out rigorously, safely, and in line with its objectives.

Secondly, there are difficulties with interdisciplinary pilot models. Many models involve regulations and management responsibilities from multiple ministries, departments, and localities simultaneously.

During implementation, it is necessary to review and clearly identify which regulations are permitted or not applicable to each specific content; if necessary, consider the most appropriate mechanism within the scope of the trial, in accordance with the competent authority.

Along with that, it is also necessary to clarify and detail the coordination mechanism in monitoring, risk control, incident handling, and promptly resolving any issues that may arise during implementation.

According to the department, going forward the MST will continue to closely coordinate with ministries, sectors, and localities to support the practical implementation of sandboxes, promptly resolving difficulties in the implementation process.

In the long term, along with the implementation of first cases, competent authorities will continue to monitor and synthesise practical experiences to study and refine the appropriate legal framework for new models. This is a requirement set forth in the process of perfecting the mechanism, not an immediate obstacle arising at the present stage.

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