Which characteristics of Geoinformatics help people recognized its possibility in applied for society and environment? The first part of the paper addresses this issue. The main part of the report briefly introduces the current status and challenges in establishing NSDI in Vietnam. The current status including the construction of framework data, standards, distribution technology development and GIS education in Vietnam is presented. As defined, in Vietnam, framework data includes administrative boundaries, transportation, marine and water resources, geodetic control points, topography, cadastral, land use, facilities, satellite images and aerial photos. Because framework data is commonly used in extensive and varied fields, they must be built according to basic geographic data standards. It is also tended to address the challenges in establishing NSDI in Vietnam.

The content of the report include the following sections:

Literature review about GIS, Geoinformatics, and NDSI

Current status and challenges in establishing NSDI in Vietnam

Proposed solution for the development of applied Geoinformatics in Vietnam