At the 2021 Sao Khue Awards ceremony (Photo: VNA)

Since they were launched 18 years ago, the Sao Khue Awards have honored 1,270 products.

This year’s awards, themed "Promoting digital solutions platforms - Pioneering the development of digital ecosystems", added a new category called ‘Digital Transformation Platforms’.

2021 begins Vietnam's 5-year plan to grow beyond low-middle-income status, a 10-year plan to become a middle-income country, and a 25-year plan to become a developed country.

2021 is also the first year of a national digital transformation process, so the Sao Khue awards will now encourage that transformation.

Phan Tam, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, said, “The Ministry of Information and Communications applauds  VINASA for organizing the Sao Khue awards despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The organizing board has added a new digital transformation prize category. Digital technology awards contribute to achieving our strategic goals. Award-winning products and solutions are more likely to be adopted by organizations and enterprises and help Vietnam penetrate international markets.”

This year’s 300 nominations from 161 enterprises set a new record, up nearly 60% from last year.

According to Nguyen Thanh Tuyen, Deputy Director of the IT Department of the Ministry of Information and Communications, “This year nominations increased dramatically. Products were diverse and many addressed current hot-button issues such as healthcare.”

“Four of 13 nominations which my team was in charge of judging were medical products. Several technologies were not new, but they were applied in new fields - for example, in entertainment or volunteer activities. This shows that digital transformation, like the “Made in Vietnam” policy, is spreading throughout Vietnam," said Tuyen.

VINASA will connect the top 10 products in each of the six award categories with technology partners to build a Sao Khue Ecosystem that will bring award-winning products to users faster, accelerating the process of national digital transformation.

Truong Gia Binh, Chairman of the VINASA Founding Council, said, “180 IT products won Sao Khue awards this year. In 18 years, the IT industry has become Vietnam’s largest technology industry, whose revenues represent more than 14% of national GDP and whose growth rate has reached 37%. We are proud to have helped put Vietnam on the world map. Vietnam is entering an era of digital transformation with many challenges and opportunities ahead.”

This year the Ministry of Information and Communications will roll out new strategies and policies coordinated with the “Make in Vietnam” program to speed up the national digital transformation.

These include a strategy on digital infrastructure development, a strategy on cyber security, a strategy on digital transformation in the media and publication sectors, and strategies on the development of digital postal infrastructure, digital technology enterprises, digital government, digital society, and digital economy.