Vietnam introduces VGC v1.0 security chip
Developed by the Government Cipher Committee and Viettel, the chip is already being used in secure USB devices, with further testing needed before wider deployment.
Vietnam introduced the VGC v1.0 in Hanoi on November 3, presenting it as the country's first security chip developed wholly under Vietnamese control. The Government Cipher Committee and Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group jointly developed the technology, which embeds national cryptographic algorithms in hardware.
Initial deployment has been in secure USB storage for Party, state and defence agencies. The chip is also expected to serve Vietnam's national system for digital signature authentication, where more than two million digital certificates are currently in circulation.
The project involved more than 40 Vietnamese specialists, scientists and engineers. M2 Factory, part of the Government Cipher Committee, developed the cryptographic algorithms and set security standards. Viettel's Semiconductor Center undertook the design and preparations for fabrication, with safeguards added against reverse engineering and information leaks.
Possible civilian applications include securing customer data, financial records and banking transactions, as well as connected equipment such as environmental sensors and surveillance cameras. The technology could also be used in electricity, water, oil and gas, and telecommunications infrastructure.
Lieutenant General Vu Ngoc Thiem, head of the Government Cipher Committee, said additional development, testing and certification would be necessary before use could expand, particularly for systems dealing with state secrets. General Phan Van Giang, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, attended the ceremony and described the development as a milestone towards technological self-reliance.
