The Shift Toward Digital Trust

Historically, trust in modern economic and social systems has been established through centralized intermediaries. Governments, financial institutions, large enterprises, and international organizations have played key roles in verifying information, storing data, and enforcing operational rules. This model has enabled stable and predictable transactions, governance, and information exchange.

However, as economies undergo deep digital transformation, the volume of data and interactions between organizations is growing rapidly. Activities such as e-commerce, online public services, supply chain management, and data sharing between businesses and governments increasingly depend on reliable data verification and exchange.

In this environment, centralized trust models reveal limitations:

• Data is fragmented across multiple systems

• Verification processes are slow

• Reconciliation costs continue to rise

Data fragmentation not only reduces operational efficiency but also increases risks related to data integrity and reliability. At the same time, the demand for transparency, independent verification, and real-time authentication is rising across both public and private sectors.

In response, distributed ledger technologies like blockchain are being adopted as a new approach to redesign trust infrastructure. Instead of relying solely on centralized intermediaries, blockchain encodes trust into technology—where data is immutable, transactions are validated through decentralized consensus, and information can be independently verified.

This approach enables a new trust model for the digital economy, where transparency, verifiability, and data integrity are ensured by system architecture rather than institutional reputation alone.

Trust Infrastructure Theory (Trust Over IP – ToIP)

The concept of digital trust infrastructure is increasingly discussed in blockchain and digital identity research. A prominent model is the Trust Over IP (ToIP) architecture proposed by the Trust Over IP Foundation.

According to ToIP, trust in digital environments is built across four interconnected layers:

• Technical Infrastructure Layer: Internet, blockchain, and cryptographic protocols that secure data

• Data & Identity Layer: Technologies such as Decentralized Identifiers (DID) and Verifiable Credentials (VC)

• Trust Protocol Layer: Rules for data exchange and verification between entities

• Governance & Legal Layer: Standards, policies, and regulatory frameworks

A data ecosystem can only function effectively when all four layers operate together. Therefore, many countries are not only developing blockchain technology but also building data standards, digital identity systems, and legal frameworks in parallel.

In this architecture, national blockchain platforms act as the foundational technical layer. In Vietnam, NDAChain is positioned as a Layer 1 blockchain infrastructure supporting data trust—enabling data verification, digital identity, and traceability on a verifiable platform.

National Blockchain as Strategic Infrastructure

Many countries are developing national blockchain systems as infrastructure for verifying data, identity, and transactions. Blockchain is no longer limited to financial experimentation, it is becoming a trust layer for large-scale digital systems.

National Blockchain in Vietnam’s Digital Infrastructure

Vietnam is gradually integrating blockchain into its national digital architecture. A key milestone is Decision No. 3090/QĐ-BKHCN (Oct 8, 2025), which establishes the national digital architecture framework.

In this framework, Vietnam’s National Blockchain Platform is defined as a shared digital infrastructure spanning central and local levels. It supports:

• Data verification

• Data integrity

• Trust for digital systems

This builds upon earlier policies such as:

• National Blockchain Strategy (Decision 1236/QĐ-TTg, 2024)

• Inclusion of blockchain in strategic technologies (Decision 1131/QĐ-TTg, 2025)

Blockchain is thus positioned as a core trust layer for digital identity, data traceability, and digital transactions in Vietnam’s digital government and economy.

A national blockchain is not just a technology system, it is a data trust infrastructure that allows organizations to record, verify, and share information on a unified platform.

Key stakeholders include:

• Government agencies: Define regulations, standards, and governance

• Infrastructure operators: Maintain blockchain nodes and system stability

• Technology enterprises: Build applications (digital identity, traceability, data systems)

• Organizations & users: Interact and exchange verified data across systems

With a transparent and verifiable blockchain infrastructure, data becomes more reliable. This leads to:

• Lower verification costs

• Better interoperability

• Faster development of digital services across sectors (education, logistics, public administration, e-commerce)

Blockchain is evolving from a technology into a core infrastructure layer of the digital economy, enabling trusted data, identity, and transactions at national scale.

Data Economy as a New Growth Pillar

The shift from centralized trust to data-driven trust infrastructure is a global trend. As governments and financial institutions process billions of dollars in blockchain-based transactions daily, blockchain has moved beyond experimentation into real economic infrastructure.

For developing countries like Vietnam, building a national blockchain aligned with institutional structures and market needs is critical to enhancing competitiveness.

If implemented strategically, blockchain-based trust infrastructure can become the foundation for the next phase of Vietnam’s digital economy, where innovation goes hand in hand with security, transparency, and system stability.