Vietnam is advancing plans to connect its national electronic identification application, VNeID, with Singapore’s Singpass system and Laos’s LAeID system. Under Prime Minister Decision No. 1830/QD-TTg dated September 22, 2026, trial connectivity is targeted for completion before November 15, 2026.
The initiative is intended to simplify administrative procedures and immigration formalities while promoting digital cooperation within ASEAN.
For Singapore, connecting VNeID with Singpass could lay the foundation for a bilateral digital corridor and create further opportunities for cooperation in trade, investment, services, tourism and finance. Singapore has operated Singpass since 2003, while Viet Nam is developing its national population database and expanding the use of VNeID.
Professor Vu Minh Khuong of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy said that connecting digital infrastructure, particularly between Vietnam and Singapore, should be a priority. He said the Vietnam-Singapore-Laos connectivity model could provide a basis for expanding electronic interoperability across the region in customs, tourism, payments, banking and finance. Businesses would need to develop platform models, identify needs and coordinate implementation.
For citizens, digital ID interoperability could simplify information verification, reduce repetitive declarations and shorten the time needed for administrative procedures. Businesses could also benefit from easier identity verification when opening bank accounts, registering companies or establishing legal entities across borders. The connectivity process, however, faces technical, security and legal challenges.
Le Anh Duc, an artificial intelligence expert, Vice Chairman and Head of the Science and Technology Committee of the Liaison Committee for the Vietnamese Community in Singapore, said the two countries need to address differences in data structures, develop information-mapping standards and ensure stable connectivity. Cross-border data exchange must meet privacy and information-security requirements while preventing identity fraud and cyberattacks.
At the ASEAN level, further obstacles include differences in technological development among member states, digital-signature standards and legal frameworks for personal-data protection. Compatible standards and lawful data-sharing mechanisms will be needed to expand the model.
The trial connection of VNeID with Singpass and LAeID could serve as a pilot model for testing technical and legal solutions before wider implementation. If implemented effectively, the initiative would help advance digital ID interoperability, facilitate cross-border transactions and support ASEAN’s digital integration.
Sources: VietnamPlus / Vietnam News Agency
