Vietnam and Austria Deepen Cybersecurity Cooperation Amid Rising Digital Risks

On May 5, Vienna hosted a hybrid-format Austria–Vietnam Cybersecurity Forum, bringing together policymakers, businesses, and experts to discuss bilateral cooperation and advance policy dialogue on cybersecurity. The forum was jointly organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in Austria, the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO), the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), and Vietnam's FPT Corporation.

A National Priority Amid Rapid Digital Growth

Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Vu Le Thai Hoang opened the forum by framing cybersecurity as far more than a technical concern — describing it as a foundation for national stability, economic resilience, and international confidence. He pointed out that with close to 80% of Vietnam's roughly 100 million people now online, sectors such as digital banking, e-government, and smart manufacturing are scaling quickly.

That growth comes with steep costs. According to figures shared at the forum, Vietnam logged over 13,000 cyberattacks in 2024 alone, resulting in losses exceeding 800 million USD, with ransomware, data breaches, and phishing schemes all on the rise.

Ha Van Bac, Deputy Director General of Vietnam's Department for Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention, added that threats have grown sharper and more widespread through 2025, with ransomware alone impacting more than 3,000 businesses — increasingly striking small and medium enterprises and interconnected supply chains, not just large corporations. As of January 2026, Vietnam counts more than 85.6 million internet users, roughly 84% of its population and the 12th-highest total worldwide, underscoring both the opportunity and the exposure that comes with a fast-digitizing economy.

Vietnam's Institutional Response

To address these challenges, Vietnam has elevated cybersecurity to a national priority, establishing a dedicated Department of Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention under the Ministry of Public Security and activating a National Cybersecurity Incident Response Alliance for cross-sector coordination. Vietnam has also taken a leading international role, becoming the first Southeast Asian nation and third globally to ratify the UN Convention against Cybercrime (the Hanoi Convention), signed in Hanoi in October 2025, while continuing to work with the UNODC and IAEA on capacity building.

Austria's Perspective: Building on Shared Expertise

Austrian Ambassador to Vietnam Philipp Agathonos identified cybersecurity as a top diplomatic priority alongside innovation and technology, noting that Vietnam's expanding digital economy also increases its exposure to risk. Dieter Hempel, Head of the Austrian Agency for Economic Cooperation and Development (AED), highlighted a recently signed MoU with Vietnam's National Cyber Security Association (NCSA) as a foundation for future training programs, technical exchanges, and joint projects, describing the goal as translating Austrian best practices into practical outcomes for local practitioners.

A Foundation for Concrete Cooperation

Ambassador Hoang noted that Austria brings strong technical depth to the table — AIT leads major EU cybersecurity competence networks and collaborates with the IAEA on nuclear cybersecurity — while Vietnam offers a fast-growing digital economy backed by firm political will to strengthen cybersecurity governance. Together, both sides see an opportunity to move from dialogue toward concrete outcomes: technology transfer, joint research, sector-specific solutions, and workforce development.

For Vietnam's fintech and digital innovation community, forums like this signal growing international recognition of the country's digital transformation — and the increasing importance of building secure, trusted infrastructure to support it.