It is the highest ranking that Vietnam has ever achieved so far.

Meanwhile, Switzerland, the US, UK, Finland and the Netherlands remain in the top.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Cong Tac said Vietnam’s science-technology and innovation sector has made direct and indirect contributions to national economic growth over the past years, especially in fields of health care, agriculture and industries.

In order to maintain growth momentum, Vietnam is shifting to growth model based on science-technology and innovation, he said.

According to Tac, the Vietnamese government has assigned ministries and localities to take measures to improve the country’s rankings in the GII.

Sacha Wunsch Vincent, head of the WIPO’s Composite Indicator Research Section, Economics and Statistics Division and Co-Editor of the GII, hailed Vietnam as a model country among those surveyed by the WIPO over the past three years.

GII’s 80 indicators provide a comprehensive overview of innovation landscape, including political environment, education, infrastructure, and business development.

Last year, Vietnam ranked 45th out of 126 countries and economies, up two places from 2017.-VNA