A significant hurdle remains: much of this vital information is fragmented in various systems and agencies. In the context of a more integrated digital future, a question remains: What must the nation do to standardize administrative house numbers and leverage location data as a strategic infrastructure layer for digital economic growth?
For Vietnam, digital transformation must go beyond digitizing paper records. Location should be treated as strategic digital infrastructure.
Nguyen Hong Son, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Data Association, said that location data is not simply another type of data. It is an infrastructure layer of the digital economy.
“Vietnam is strongly developing national databases and a stronger legal framework but having large amounts of data does not automatically create a data economy. Value emerges when data is connected and transformed into new products, services, and economic value,” Son noted.
Vietnam is beginning with land parcels. Instead of relying on administrative boundaries that can change when wards and communes are reorganized, Vietnam is developing a unified national land database in which each parcel is assigned a unique 12-character identification code based on geographic coordinates using the GeoHash algorithm.
According to database expert Dinh Hong Phong of the Land Management Department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, spatial and land data is no longer simply a digital tool.
“It will become core national infrastructure, marking a shift from managing records to managing through data in the data system. Land parcel identification codes provide the technical foundation for a modern and transparent land governance system centered on location,” said Phong.
To fully unlock location data, Vietnam also needs a shared digital map ecosystem rather than depending solely on foreign platforms such as Google Maps, which may not fully reflect Vietnam’s dense network of small alleys and streets.
The national digital map platform NDA Map, developed by Vietmaps, currently covers 34 provinces and cities, with 22 million addresses and 360-degree imagery.
Director General of Vietmaps Nguyen Thanh Binh said, “We aim to build an independent, nationwide digital map platform as a Make-in-Vietnam product. Our data is highly accurate, standardized, and continuously updated. It can also work with other platforms. For example, businesses can switch from Google Maps to NDA Map simply by changing a line of code or an API domain.”
Major General Nguyen Ngoc Cuong, Director of the National Data Center and Deputy President of the National Data Association, said that location data should connect people and assets.
“Location data should be viewed as strategic infrastructure. It connects people, organizations, assets, buildings, businesses and socioeconomic activities. It plays a role similar to population data, business data, land data, or base map data. People and objects can be identified, but locations must be identified as well. Only then can other systems be effectively developed and connected,” said Cuong.
When land parcel identification codes are linked with VNeID, tax, and construction data, citizens could conduct real estate transactions and administrative procedures digitally, without repeatedly presenting paper documents. Logistics, property services, and even search-and-rescue operations could also benefit from accurate, real-time location data.
To complete the national land database, Vietnam focuses on four priorities:
- Comprehensive digitization: Shift from paper-based management to digital data management.
- Standardized identification: Assign every land parcel a 12-character code as a common spatial key.
- Inter-sectoral connectivity: Link land data with VNeID, tax, and construction databases to simplify administrative procedures.
- Open data: Provide standardized data layers so businesses can develop logistics, e-commerce, and real estate services.
The national land database is more than a technical project. It is a foundation for Vietnam’s data economy. Once locations are standardized and shared as infrastructure, addresses will become more than numbers on house signs—they will become a new resource for greater transparency, efficiency, and economic growth.
