Before assuming the position of Minister, Mr. Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng was one of the first “captains” of Viettel Military Industry and Telecommunications Group, associated with strategic moves that helped a Vietnamese telecom enterprise conquer both the domestic and international markets. His sharing with CMC on this occasion is therefore seen as valuable guidance for a business that is aiming to step out into regional and global markets.

Photo 1: Minister of Science and Technology Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng visits and talks with key leaders and managers of CMC Corporation

Strategic thinking from the “national equation”

At the beginning of the dialogue, the Minister highlighted Vietnam’s development context, with the goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045. To achieve strong and sustainable growth, Vietnam must solve “big equations” such as digital infrastructure, urban operations, improving the efficiency of the public sector, developing science and technology and promoting innovation.

According to him, technology enterprises like CMC need to position themselves in close connection with national goals: “Strategic thinking is not just about a company’s own strategy; it is the ability to see the interlinkages between the enterprise, the country and the Party so that together they can create momentum.”

The Minister also cautioned against copying the success models of major corporations: “No one succeeds by walking an old path. You must find your own way.”

Photo 2: Minister Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, as the “commander-in-chief” of the science and technology sector, is ready to share his strategic vision and viewpoints with CMC’s key leaders

The core of competitiveness lies in products – not just technology

The message that was emphasized repeatedly is that Vietnamese enterprises wanting to build sustainable competitive advantages must focus on products.

According to the Minister, many organizations at home have invested heavily in research but then “stopped halfway” because they could not turn technology into commercial products:

• It is products that ultimately generate value and help enterprises compete.
• The rate at which research outcomes are converted into products in Vietnam is still low; this is a major bottleneck.
• To go all the way, enterprises must master the entire chain: design – integration – production – market – after-sales service.

In the discussion about AI and CMC’s C-OpenAI ecosystem, the Minister suggested that the company should not chase “one-size-fits-all” platforms that do everything, but instead choose specific segments and concrete problems where CMC can create clear differentiation. “Talk less about technology and more about products. In the end, the market and customers only pay for products,” he stressed.

Photo 3: Minister Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng affirms that the core of competitiveness lies in products, not just technology

Outsourcing cannot be the core value for going global

Another important topic was the globalization path of Vietnamese enterprises. The Minister believes that although outsourcing brings in revenue, it cannot be the strategic pillar for building long-term advantages.

In his view, outsourcing should only be considered “seed capital” that allows enterprises to accumulate financial resources and experience, from which they can invest in core technologies and proprietary products:

• If they stop at contract work, enterprises will find it difficult to build a Vietnamese technology brand in international markets.
• To go far, they must own intellectual property, platforms and products with their own distinct identity.

With CMC Global’s strategy of shifting from traditional outsourcing to becoming an AIX service provider, the Minister acknowledged this as a step in the right direction, but also sent a clear message: “If you have declared that you will become a Top AIX Service Provider, then CMC Global must persistently pursue this to the end and make it a core value, not just a slogan.”

AI or semiconductors: what matters is the courage to choose and to go all the way

When asked whether CMC should choose AI or semiconductors as its breakthrough direction, the Minister said that the question of “what to choose” is less important than “whether you dare to go all the way or not”.

He elaborated:

• For a company of CMC’s scale, AI is a natural choice if there is a clear strategy for data, products and markets.
• Semiconductors is a broad field; it does not necessarily have to start with billion-dollar projects. Enterprises can choose suitable segments such as design, IP, testing, IoT chips… as long as they have sufficient determination and resources to pursue them in the long term.
• AI and semiconductors are closely intertwined: AI always needs semiconductors, and semiconductors increasingly need AI to optimize design and production.

“A correct decision is not as valuable as a decision that is actually carried through. The important thing is that once you have chosen, you must go to the end, not stop halfway,” he said.

Discipline – the “rails” for creativity and internal AI transformation

Beyond sector strategy, the Minister spent considerable time talking about a culture of discipline and leading by example – the core elements that enable a large organization to implement an AI strategy in a substantive way.

He assessed that CMC has made some good moves such as building an internal knowledge system, applying AI to support programming, and deploying AI Agents for certain business functions… but these activities are still fragmented and have yet to form a unified system for the entire corporation.

As suggestions for CMC, the Minister proposed that the company should:

• Build a digital knowledge repository for the whole group and treat internal data as a “gold mine” for training AI.
• Equip each department with its own “AI assistant” to support day-to-day work.
• Apply disciplined digitalization: set a daily time slot for staff to update their work data into the system.

He affirmed: “Discipline does not suppress creativity; discipline is the rail that helps creativity move faster and more safely.”

A century-long aspiration and the spirit of learning

In the final part, the Minister spoke about the “right timing, favourable conditions and harmony among people” (thiên thời – địa lợi – nhân hòa) in Vietnam and the opportunities for enterprises that dare to go far: institutions are increasingly viewing science – technology and innovation as drivers of development; the nearly 100-million-strong domestic market has strong digitalization demand; and the space for international cooperation is wide open.

According to him, what is decisive is the spirit of learning and a culture of constructive challenge:
“If there are no dissenting views inside the organization, then go and seek such critical feedback from outside. A company that wants to endure must keep learning.”

From the milestone of 20 years to 30 years, the big question for CMC – in the Minister’s view – is not just how many percent it grows, but how it can become a company that endures for another 30–50 years, comparable to century-old enterprises around the world.

“Important guidance for CMC’s breakthrough journey”

On behalf of CMC, Chairman of CMC Corporation Nguyễn Trung Chính expressed his thanks to Minister Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng for the sharing that was both profound and practical, directly addressing the company’s strategic concerns.

Photo 4: Chairman Nguyễn Trung Chính commits to taking on board the Minister’s guidance for CMC’s next phase of strategic development

Chairman Nguyễn Trung Chính emphasized:

“The guidance on strategic thinking, a culture of discipline and the product pathway that the Minister shared today are extremely valuable signposts. CMC sincerely takes them to heart and will turn these recommendations into concrete actions so that the Group can make a strong breakthrough in the coming phase of its development.”

The sharing session came to a close but left CMC with many big questions – which are also the compass for its new growth stage: stepping out of the comfort zone, mastering products, staying steadfast with the AI – Go Global strategy and building competitive capabilities strong enough to stand firm in regional and global markets.