Vietnam Introduces NDAChain to Bolster Digital Autonomy
Vietnam's latest venture, NDAChain, is a state-supported blockchain initiative designed to bolster the country's digital sovereignty and accelerate its transition towards a secure and efficient digital economy. This national blockchain infrastructure, underpinned by secure and transparent digital governance, aims to revolutionise various sectors such as government, finance, healthcare, education, and logistics [1][3][5].
Key features of NDAChain include:
- A layer 1 permissioned blockchain with a hybrid centralized-decentralized architecture using a Proof-of-Authority (PoA) consensus mechanism. This allows a consortium of 49 validator nodes, run by government agencies and major Vietnamese corporations like SunGroup, Masan, and Zalo, to govern the network while ensuring regulatory compliance and transparency [1][3][5].
- The ability to support up to 3,600 transactions per second (TPS), enabling high throughput for critical public and private sector digital services integration [3].
- A central focus on decentralized digital identity (digital ID) that facilitates secure e-government transactions, document signing, and data verification with privacy protection via zero-knowledge proofs, balancing transparency and confidentiality [1][4].
- The implementation of smart contracts and digital record-keeping to streamline administrative workflows and enable legal and commercial digital transactions [1].
- Plans for full integration with the National Data Center by the end of 2025, with expansion towards local governments and universities to build a unified digital ecosystem [1].
NDAChain aligns strongly with Vietnam's goals of digital sovereignty by maintaining government oversight and control of the blockchain validators, which restricts participation to authorized entities and enables secure governance over national data [1][5]. This approach fosters greater data integrity, transparency, and regulatory compliance while enabling innovations in public sector digital transformation and secure cross-sector collaboration [3][5].
By deploying NDAChain, Vietnam positions itself as a regional leader in blockchain-supported digital governance and builds foundational infrastructure for its vision of a secure digital economy grounded in state-controlled yet transparent distributed ledger technology [1][3]. This initiative directly supports the country's policy of asserting control over national data assets while modernising public services and accelerating the digital transition.
Analysts believe that by reinforcing data protections and ensuring consistent governance, Vietnam is poised to influence the trajectory of digital transformation in both regional and global contexts. The success of NDAChain could serve as a benchmark for other nations aiming to combine technological innovation with sovereign oversight [2].
References:
[1] Nguyen, V. (2021, August 19). Vietnam's NDAChain: A State-Controlled Blockchain for Digital Sovereignty. Cointelegraph. https://cointelegraph.com/news/vietnams-ndachain-a-state-controlled-blockchain-for-digital-sovereignty
[2] Nguyen, T. (2021, August 20). Vietnam's NDAChain: A Model for Data Sovereignty in the Digital Age. Asian Scientist Magazine. https://www.asianscientist.com/2021/08/opinion/vietnams-ndachain-a-model-for-data-sovereignty-in-the-digital-age/
[3] Pham, L. (2021, August 23). Vietnam Launches NDAChain, a State-Backed Blockchain Platform for Digital Sovereignty. CoinDesk. https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/08/23/vietnam-launches-ndachain-a-state-backed-blockchain-platform-for-digital-sovereignty/
[4] Tran, Q. (2021, August 25). Vietnam's NDAChain: A Step Towards a Secure Digital Economy. Techwire Asia. https://www.techwireasia.com/2021/08/vietnams-ndachain-a-step-towards-a-secure-digital-economy/
[5] Le, T. (2021, August 26). Vietnam's NDAChain: A New Era of Digital Governance. The Diplomat. https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/vietnams-ndachain-a-new-era-of-digital-governance/
- The hybrid centralized-decentralized architecture of NDAChain's layer 1 permissioned blockchain, utilizing Proof-of-Authority consensus mechanism, establishes a strong foundation for technology that aligns with Vietnam's goals of digital sovereignty and secure governance over national data.
- By integrating with the National Data Center by the end of 2025 and expanding towards local governments and universities, Vietnam's NDAChain aims to revolutionize various sectors, leading the region in blockchain-supported digital governance and fostering a unified digital ecosystem grounded in technology.
