Review of government technology transfer in Vietnam

Vietnam is a developing country which is in a transition from a centrally planned economy to free market economy. The country has embarked a reform process two decades ago to make a transformation from a rigid administrative bureaucracy to an adaptive management system that can cope up with the movements in today's society. Technology and Science is acknowledged by the government as a critical driver of the economic development of the country in the 21st century. However the country's administration of science and technology activities is still struggling in a mix of legacy inertia and reform efforts. Much efforts and time are needed before an effective national innovation system can be put into work. This paper aims to address the problem of effective transfer of research results from the government R&D agencies to industry in Vietnam. It will first review the process of legal development and the restructuring of the national science and technology system in the country since late 1980s. Then the technology transfer process from the state R&D agencies to industry will be examined and followed by the issues and challenges of the current system. The paper is concluded with some comments and recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the government technology transfer to industry in the country.