According to an industry study of 11 Asia-Pacific markets carried out by the GSMA Intelligence, Vietnam saw the highest increase in scores between 2016 and 2019.

Its latest rating stood at 49 points for 2019, up by 12 points from three years before, which GSMA Intelligence attributed to notable improvements in the connectivity component of the index, following the launch and rapid expansion of 4G networks.

It was also driven by improvements to the digital identity, digital citizenship and digital lifestyle components, added the report.

GSMA Intelligence noted that Vietnam is pursuing a national Industry 4.0 strategy that includes infrastructure and human resources, as well as e-government and innovation.

However, there are still challenges that need to be addressed to make further progress, particularly in the digital commerce component and with regard to policies to support innovative startups, the report added. The 5G mobile technology is expected to make up 5 percent of wireless connections in Vietnam by 2025, well below the Asia-Pacific average of 23 percent.

Indeed, Vietnam ranked just eighth overall, among of the 11 markets surveyed. The rankings were topped by four “advanced” economies, with the Republic of Korea (RoK) in pole position at 78 points. Next up were Singapore, Australia and Japan.

The report classed Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia as “transition” countries, while Pakistan and Bangladesh are “emerging”.

It said the gap remains significant. This underscores the need for countries in the emerging category to do more to accelerate progress.

The study was based on input from government and industry organisations in the markets of Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, the RoK, Thailand and Vietnam./.