Vietnam expands VNeID beyond borders as ASEAN interoperability advances

Vietnam is speeding up efforts to link its VNeID digital identity platform with Singapore and other ASEAN countries, as the government pushes for deeper regional digital integration and stronger public service delivery.

The directive came from General Secretary and State President To Lam after a high‑level meeting on digital transformation across Vietnam’s political system. Despite having ambitious aims, a formal conclusion issued by the Party Central Committee outlined three major obstacles slowing progress.

The three bottlenecks identified are sluggish project implementation despite allocated funding, limited data sharing between government systems, and weak execution by agencies despite strong political commitment. Public investment disbursement for digital projects has reached just 12.2 percent, far below the national average.

Lam believes the core challenge is no longer policy or resources, but the ability of ministries and local authorities to execute plans and take responsibility for results. He has instructed agencies to accelerate work on shared digital infrastructure and national databases.

Data is important with the leader emphasizing it as a strategic asset. However, it must be accurate, clean, updated, standardized and widely shared to support governance, businesses and citizens, he said, according to Vietnam Net.

Vietnam will also continue developing digital identification systems for motor vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, also known as drones).

A key priority is establishing interoperability between VNeID and the electronic identity systems of Singapore and other ASEAN states. This would enable cross‑border digital services and smoother regional transactions. Domestically, authorities will expand the range of public and business services available through VNeID.

The link-up between Vietnam and Singapore coincides with the latter’s renewed focus beyond its borders. The regional collaboration chimes with wider ASEAN plans. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has planned to roll out a regionwide digital business identity system aimed at transforming cross-border trade.

There is much yet to do as the World Bank put out a call for proposals to evaluate the readiness of ASEAN member states for cross-border digital identity and verifiable credential interoperability in October 2025. A regionally harmonized digital identity framework is the aim.

Singapore looks to its digital utility stack for cross-border services

Singapore is positioning the country’s digital utility stack as a foundation for cross‑border trusted services.

Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) says the next phase of its work is about making Singapore’s digital identity, data exchange and trade documentation systems interoperable with other countries.

IMDA’s digital utilities cluster director, Liau Eng Soon, says Singapore’s mission is increasingly outward‑facing, reports GovInsider. The country is adopting global standards so its digital systems can connect easily with foreign partners.

Its national e‑invoicing network runs on Europe’s Peppol standard and TradeTrus (Singapore’s blockchain‑based framework for digital trade documents) aligns with UNCITRAL rules and is built on decentralized architecture to support international use.

Cross‑border pilots are under way. Singapore has tested an e‑Apostille exchange with Shanghai, allowing businesses to authenticate legal documents online instead of couriering paper copies. TradeTrust, currently focused on electronic bills of lading, is designed to support a wider range of digital trade documents as more jurisdictions adopt compatible standards.

Domestically, IMDA continues to expand sector‑specific exchanges such as SGBuildex, which lets construction stakeholders share data across connected systems. The next step is linking these sectoral exchanges together.

Liau describes this as “cross‑DEXes” — for example, connecting health‑sector data with construction‑sector data to streamline workplace injury management without building hundreds of separate integrations.

This would also apply internationally. Instead of foreign partners needing separate connections for each type of Singapore data, a single link into Singapore’s Data Exchange (DEX) could provide access to all authorized datasets.

DEX is centralized and the government can control what flows out and tailor data‑sharing agreements country by country. Although built as domestic infrastructure DEX uses international standards, which makes bilateral connections straightforward, according to IMDA.

IMDA says common standards, reusable infrastructure, subsidies and grants, and strong network effects are key to making trusted digital transactions borderless.

Vietnam classifies biometric AI systems as high risk

Vietnam has issued an official list of high‑risk AI systems under Decision No. 33/2026/QD‑TTg, with biometric technologies included in the country’s new regulatory push.

The government says these systems pose potential risks to public safety, national interests and the rights of individuals, and will now face strict governance and conformity‑assessment requirements before deployment.

In education, the government has classified as high‑risk any AI that monitors or analyzes student behaviour using biometric data, including facial recognition and eye‑tracking.

In the judicial sector, large‑scale biometric identification systems used in public interest civil cases have also been designated high‑risk.

Transport accounts for more than two‑thirds of all high‑risk systems, with the government focused on technologies that directly affect public safety and critical infrastructure, as summarized by Vietnam Briefing.

Decision 33/2026 introduces two compliance pathways. Some high‑risk systems must undergo mandatory third‑party certification by an accredited body before they can be placed into service. Others may rely on self assessment or optional third‑party review. AI systems already in operation will benefit from a transitional period before full compliance is required.

The deadlines are staggered. Systems in education, healthcare and finance must meet full requirements by September 1, 2027. All other sectors face a March 1, 2027 deadline.

Article Topics

ASEAN  |  biometrics  |  cross border identity verification  |  digital ID  |  Singapore  |  Vietnam  |  VNeID