HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam and Russia are working to promote mutual recognition of digital signatures to facilitate bilateral e-commerce, logistics and administrative procedures.

The two countries also agreed to establish a joint technical working group to advance the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation for 2026-2030.

A delegation from the National Electronic Authentication Centre (NEAC), led by its director Tô Thị Thu Hương, held a working session with Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media (Minkomsvyaz) and Russian organisations providing authentication and information security services in Moscow on September 7.

At the meeting, the NEAC delegation shared an overview of Việt Nam’s digital signature market and the management of digital signatures and trust services.

According to the NEAC, as of the end of August 2026, about 33.66 million digital signature certificates had been issued nationwide, bringing the rate of digital signature use among the adult population to 48.65 per cent.

Việt Nam aims to have 70 per cent of its adult population owning digital signatures by 2030.

For its part, the Russian side shared experience in the decentralised management of certification authorities and trust service providers (CA/TSPs) between Minkomsvyaz and the Federal Tax Service, Central Bank and Federal Treasury.

A key focus of the meeting was cooperation on the mutual recognition of digital signatures to facilitate bilateral e-commerce, logistics and administrative procedures.

Representatives of the two countries agreed to review and compare their legal frameworks, while studying compatible solutions for cryptographic standards and data formats.

They also proposed establishing a Joint Trust List and studying a pilot scheme for the recognition of digital signatures in priority areas such as e-customs.

The two agreed to establish a joint technical working group to promote the signing of the MOU on cooperation for the 2026-2030 period.

They also discussed licensing criteria, audit procedures, technical post-inspection and conformity assessment to ensure the security of electronic transaction systems. — VNS