Hanoi (VNA) – The promotion of nationalstandards and technical regulations has significantly contributed to improvingthe quality and competitiveness of products, goods and services, an official hassaid.

Dr. Nguyen Hoang Linh, Deputy Director of theDirectorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality under the Ministry of Scienceand Technology (MoST), said Vietnam has promulgated more than 13,000 nationalstandards so far, with the first issued in 1962, making the country take the leadin the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in this regard.  

The standards have harmonised approximately 60% withinternational and regional systems, which has helped to spur national economicgrowth over the past decade, he emphasised.  

According to the official, priorities have beengiven to building national standards in such key and strategic fields asorganic agriculture, smart urban areas, smart manufacturing, high-techagriculture, renewable energy, information security, climate change response,water resources management, waste treatment, food safety and mechanicalengineering over the past time, mainly based on regional and internationalstandards.

This has motivated domestic enterprises to keepthemselves updated with science-technology, and new global trends in order toaccess and meet requirements of the market, Linh said.  

Meanwhile, the more than 800 national technicalregulations have served as an important tool for state management to preventlow-quality products, goods and services, thus protecting the interests of thenation, businesses and consumers, Linh continued.

As an official member of the InternationalOrganisation for Standardisation (ISO), the International TelecommunicationUnion (ITU), and the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CODEX) and an associatemember of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), Vietnam has theright and responsibility to actively participate in building internationalstandards so that its products and goods can further reach out to the globalmarket, he said.

Linh suggested Vietnam step up the development andapplication of national and international standards to create a foundation forproduction and business in the country, and protect legitimate interests of businessesand consumers.

The MoST is coordinating with other ministries and agenciesto set out a standardisation strategy by 2030, which will be submitted to thePrime Minister for approval.

The strategy aims to make standardisation atechnical measure and a tool to contribute to socio-economic development,create a concerted legal framework and policy system to effectively deploystandardisation activities, promote research studies, and advance Vietnam’sposition in relevant organisations and forums in the region and the world aswell.

Vietnam is striving to join the ISO Council andbecome a full member of the IEC by 2025.

Each year on October 14, the members of the IEC, ISOand ITU celebrate World Standards Day, which is a means of paying tribute tothe collaborative efforts of thousands of experts worldwide who develop thevoluntary technical agreements that are published as International Standards./.