The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has launched two initiatives to encourage practical ideas and accelerate the application of science, technology, innovation and digital transformation across the sector.

Turning initiatives into practice to drive sector-wide change

On the morning of October 27 in Ha Noi, the MoIT, in coordination with the Viet Nam Industry and Trade Trade Union, launched the 2026 “One Initiative a Day” emulation campaign across the industry and trade sector and kicked off the “Innovation and Digital Transformation Solutions Teams in the Industry and Trade Sector” Competition.

The event was attended by MoIT Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang; Le Thi Duc, Vice President of the Vietnam Industry and Trade Trade Union; and representatives of agencies, units, businesses, institutes, universities and trade union organizations across the sector.

The programme is organized by the Department of Science, Technology and Digital Transformation and Industry and Trade Magazine. It aims to encourage civil servants, public employees, workers and the business community to develop initiatives, improve technical processes and apply technology to practical management, production and business activities.

Addressing the launch ceremony, Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang emphasized that Resolution No.57-NQ/TW has brought about positive changes in awareness and action across the political system, identifying science and technology, innovation and digital transformation as key drivers of a new development model, higher productivity, stronger competitiveness and more effective governance.

For the industry and trade sector, the Deputy Minister highlighted three major challenges requiring focused action: Ensuring energy security; strengthening industrial autonomy, increasing domestic content and participating more deeply in value chains; and modernizing trade through data, smart logistics, and reliable supply chains.

In recent years, many agencies, businesses, institutes and universities across the sector have moved beyond standalone information technology applications towards developing lists of strategic technologies and products aligned with operational, production and market needs. However, for innovation to deliver tangible results, initiatives must address practical needs, be implemented effectively and have the potential to be replicated on a wider scale.

According to Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang, the “One Initiative a Day” campaign is intended to make innovation a regular practice in every agency, unit and business. Meanwhile, the “Innovation and Digital Transformation Solutions Teams in the Industry and Trade Sector” Competition will provide a platform for connecting and sharing effective models and solutions, with a view to developing approaches that can be applied more widely across the sector.

“Every initiative, no matter how small, can become a powerful source of innovation if it is effectively implemented, shared and replicated,” Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang stressed.

To ensure the campaign delivers substantive results, the Deputy Minister called on the coordinating units to establish mechanisms for receiving, evaluating and selecting initiatives against appropriate standards and criteria, with particular attention to novelty, creativity, practical effectiveness and scalability. Implementation must be practical and cost-effective, without disrupting the performance of professional duties.

Leaders of agencies, units, businesses and trade union organizations were also urged to provide guidance and create favourable conditions for civil servants, public employees and workers to participate, while introducing appropriate incentives and recognition for initiatives that deliver tangible value.

The Deputy Minister further called for stronger connections among agencies, units and businesses to facilitate knowledge-sharing, mobilize resources and translate initiatives into practical applications. Communication efforts should also be strengthened to recognize and replicate exemplary initiatives, gradually fostering a culture of innovation throughout the sector.

Encouraging workers to propose practical initiatives and solutions

In response to the campaign, Le Thi Duc, Vice President of the Viet Nam Industry and Trade Trade Union, said that trade unions across the sector had in recent years focused on organizing emulation movements linked to professional responsibilities and production and business activities, with union members and workers at the center.

According to Le Thi Duc, hundreds of thousands of initiatives, technical improvements and creative solutions are introduced each year, helping improve labour productivity, work quality and efficiency and generating benefits worth trillions of Vietnamese dong for their respective organizations.

The “One Initiative a Day” campaign is expected to further encourage workers to exercise their creativity and propose improvements based on their daily duties, production lines and management activities.

The Viet Nam Industry and Trade Trade Union called on trade unions at corporations, general corporations and affiliated grassroots levels to work closely with management and encourage union members and workers to actively participate by proposing concrete initiatives with practical applications and potential for wider adoption.

Representing workers in the industry and trade sector, Nguyen Van Nguyen, a full-time trade union official at Honda Viet Nam, expressed his hope that the campaign would create more opportunities for workers to contribute ideas, improve technical processes and apply technology to their work.

In response to the programme, workers’ representatives pledged to pursue continuous learning, enhance their professional skills, proactively propose improvements, share experience with colleagues and actively participate in innovation activities launched by trade unions and businesses.

At the ceremony, delegates formally launched the “One Initiative a Day” emulation campaign and kicked off the “Innovation and Digital Transformation Solutions Teams in the Industry and Trade Sector” Competition. They also activated online portals for receiving initiative submissions at www.khoahoccongthuong.vn and www.doimoisangtao.tapchicongthuong.vn, alongside the “Industry and Trade Innovation” - “MoIT Innovation” communications campaign.

Under the plan, the “One Initiative a Day” campaign will accept initiatives implemented between January 1, 2025, and November 30, 2026. Submissions will be received from the launch date through November 30, 2026. In December 2026, the organizing committee is expected to recognize 30 individuals with outstanding initiatives and 15 collectives for their excellent contributions to participation in and organization of the campaign.

For the “Innovation and Digital Transformation Solutions Teams in the Industry and Trade Sector” Competition, submissions will be accepted until November 20, 2026. The organizing committee will select 10 - 15 outstanding teams in the preliminary round to receive training and refine their solutions before selecting five teams for the final, scheduled for December 2026.

Through these two initiatives, the MoIT and the Vietnam Industry and Trade Trade Union aim to identify, select and scale up initiatives with practical value, helping improve productivity, quality and operational efficiency among agencies, units and businesses across the sector.

The “One Initiative a Day” campaign is open to employees, groups of authors, businesses and organizations operating within the industry and trade sector. The “Innovation and Digital Transformation Solutions Teams in the Industry and Trade Sector” Competition is open to teams of at least three members, with each organization permitted to nominate up to 10 teams.

The competition offers one first prize of VND 30 million, one second prize of VND 20 million, one third prize of VND 15 million and two consolation prizes of VND 10 million each.