The Vietnamese delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Hoang Minh, attended the 67th session of the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). (Source: Vietnam Intellectual Property Office).

This session is of significant importance to WIPO's operations during the 2026-2032 period, with the central focus being the approval of the appointment of Mr. Daren Tang as WIPO Director General for a second six-year term, from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2032. This is a mandatory item on the 2026 agenda.

Speaking at the session, Deputy Minister Hoang Minh acknowledged the effective leadership of Director General Daren Tang and the WIPO Secretariat during the past term, and congratulated Mr. Daren Tang on his re-appointment for the next term. The Deputy Minister also highly appreciated WIPO's support for Vietnam over the years.

Deputy Minister Hoang Minh affirmed that intellectual property is increasingly recognized as an important driving force for innovation, economic growth, and sustainable development.

In the context of science, technology, and digital transformation playing a central role in Vietnam's development strategy for the period 2026-2031, further improving the intellectual property ecosystem is crucial, not only in terms of protecting rights but also in its ability to transform knowledge into value, competitiveness, and new drivers of development.

Vietnam also reaffirmed its commitment to supporting WIPO's development direction and continued cooperation to build a global intellectual property ecosystem that is fair, inclusive, and sustainable.

On the sidelines of the session, Deputy Minister Hoang Minh held a bilateral meeting with WIPO Director General Daren Tang. During the meeting, both sides positively assessed the results of cooperation over the past period, especially during Mr. Daren Tang's first term.

According to Mr. Daren Tang, Vietnam has a strong political commitment to integrating science, technology, and innovation into its national development strategies. The WIPO head also emphasized that intellectual property "is not just legal protection, but a tool to promote innovation and the development of a knowledge-based economy."

Vietnam has made efforts to utilize the Global Innovation Index (GII) as a government governance tool, along with developing a set of local innovation indices (PII) and "harmonizing the interaction between intellectual property and innovation policies".

The Global Innovation Index (GII) report, published in September 2025, ranks Vietnam 44th, maintaining the same position as in 2024.

In terms of component indicators, Vietnam leads in three areas. Specifically, Vietnam ranks first in the world for high-tech imports with a rate of 29.4%, tied with Hong Kong (China), while Malaysia and the Philippines rank third and fourth respectively. This index shows that the Vietnamese economy is heavily dependent on high-tech imports, but at the same time demonstrates its ability to integrate deeply into global supply chains.

Within the framework of the event, the Deputy Minister also worked with the Permanent Mission of Vietnam in Geneva to exchange views and promote cooperation between Vietnam and WIPO, related to topics such as strengthening technical support in perfecting the legal framework on intellectual property; implementing in-depth training programs to enhance the capacity of enforcement officers and the business community; developing tools and services to support businesses in exploiting and commercializing intellectual property assets; and promoting innovation initiatives, especially in the fields of digital technology and entrepreneurship.

Both sides also updated each other on the cooperation in the fields of copyright and plant variety protection, noting positive progress in information exchange and sharing of experiences on management and enforcement of rights.