Vietnam’s digital scoring proposal for VNeID raises doubts and anxiety

Vietnam is considering a digital scoring system for its citizens that critics say is reminiscent of China’s Social Credit Score, raising questions of centralized control.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has unveiled a draft resolution that would introduce a digital citizen scoring system within VNeID, the national digital identity platform.

The proposal is under consultation and is designed to encourage citizens to engage more actively with digital services and contribute to building a digital society. The scoring system would be piloted before any nationwide rollout.

Citizens who complete their VNeID profiles would receive 100 points and be classified as “Basic Digital Citizens.” Points can then be accumulated through activities such as updating personal data, using online public services, participating in surveys and submitting feedback on draft policies.

Based on their scores, citizens would be classified into three tiers: “Active Digital Citizen” for those with 350 points or more, “Basic Digital Citizen” for those between 100 and 349 points, and “Unclassified Digital Citizen” for those below 100 points.

The Ministry claims the system is not punitive. Unlike China’s social credit system, which has been criticized for restricting rights of low scorers, Vietnam’s model is explicitly framed as incentive-based, according to a report from Vietcetera.

Citizens with higher scores would enjoy benefits such as full fee exemptions for 66 essential administrative procedures including marriage, birth and vehicle registrations; a 50 percent reduction for 56 more complex procedures such as construction permits, and a 10 percent reduction across five categories of taxes including personal income tax.

However, citizens who commit “serious violations” in the digital space may face warnings or temporary suspension of point accumulation, but their lawful rights would not be restricted, according to a report from Vietnam Law and Legal Forum.

Digital citizens under the draft framework would have rights to own and manage their digital identities. To access and benefit from digital services and be protected in the digital environment and participate in digital democracy and oversight.

They would also bear responsibilities such as keeping their data updated, using online services responsibly, observing laws, practicing civil online behavior and contributing constructively to the digital community.

In December, the country’s National Assembly approved a new Cybersecurity Law that significantly expands central control over digital identity, data and online content. The legislation, which takes effect on July 1 2026, grants the Ministry of Public Security broad new powers in online governance.

Under the law, the Ministry will oversee stricter digital ID verification based on IP address and digital account registration information, and issue warnings about cybersecurity threats.

Public unease over scoring behavior

The proposal could be an innovative way to incentivize digital participation, but it has also sparked debate. Critics warn that even a non-punitive scoring system could risk social stratification or evolve into a tool of control if not carefully implemented.

Cited by Vietcetera, lawyer Tran Khanh Van believes the score must remain a measure of digital skills and engagement, not a judgment of personal value or compliance.

He noted that the score cannot be used as a legal ground for evaluating character or ethics, nor can it be interpreted as a criminal or administrative record. Administrative agencies, he argued, must ensure that even citizens with lower scores continue to receive timely and lawful services.

Currently only a draft policy, the proposal also includes an MPS plan to issue each citizen a personal, state-issued email address, according to a report from Herald Malaysia. This would be a means for official communication between authorities and the public, designed to combat fraud and impersonation.

The publication reports mixed reaction from Vietnamese with comments airing concerns over the potential abuse of such scoring, and anxiety over who has oversight of the scoring’s criteria. Comparisons to China’s notorious social credit system — itself not well understood — does not help. It should be noted the proposal does not include measuring moral behavior or political opinions or penalties for low scores.

But there are concerns over the proposal’s potential impact on digital equality, since it could have a disproportionate effect on those who struggle with using technology or those who don’t have reliable internet access. Such groups include the elderly, rural citizens and those on lower income who may face additional stigma for their perceived lack of digital participation.

Writing in Fulcrum, Dien Nguyen An Luong criticized the proposal as a “form of social engineering.” While admitting the scoring system would be based on incentives rather than punishment, the academic at the Yusof Ishak Institute argued it could pave the way for control by the security apparatus.

Observing how VNeID is being positioned as a national digital gateway with plans to turn it into a national digital super-platform, the researcher is blunt on the potential dangers. “The score is not the objective,” he writes. “It is the adoption mechanism for consolidating digital life onto a single, state-run platform overseen by the security apparatus.”

He argues that the comparison with China is misplaced, as Vietnam reflects its larger neighbor not in punishment but in ambition. “Both systems centre governance on real-name, all-encompassing platforms that aggregate behavior across domains and use data feedback loops to shape conduct,” he argues.

Vietnam to digitally process civil status records

Vietnam has approved a plan for civil status registration and statistics covering 2026–2030, with the goal of fully digitizing registration and management, according to VNExpress.

Signed by Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung, the plan requires all civil status events — including those of citizens, foreign residents, and people of Vietnamese origin — to be registered accurately and on time, with special attention to vulnerable groups and remote communities.

By 2030, the government aims for 98.5 percent of births to be registered on time and 99 percent within one year. Every citizen should have a valid birth certificate, including retroactive electronic certificates for those born before 2016.

Death registration is targeted to reach 90 percent on time and 95 percent within one year, with mandatory registration for deaths occurring in health facilities. Marital status changes from divorce or annulment will be updated in real time through data synchronization with the Supreme People’s Court.

The plan emphasizes transparency, improved statistical quality and public access to civil status data while promoting the use of electronic documents, online registration, personal identification numbers and VNeID. Citizens will be issued electronic civil status records alongside paper documents, with birth certificates standardized to international norms.

Seven components underpin the plan: establishing a national steering committee led by the Minister of Justice; refining the legal framework; upgrading the electronic civil status database into a national system; modernizing registration and statistical methods; improving personnel quality; strengthening communications and public awareness; enhancing health workers’ capacity to issue birth and death notifications; and improving the collection of civil status statistics.

Article Topics

civil registration  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  social credit  |  surveillance  |  Vietnam  |  VNeID