CHIP Battlefield has received Vietnam’s highest National Book Award in science and technology, recognising its outstanding analysis of global semiconductor policy.
CHIP Battlefield: Strategic competition and indigenous innovation of China in the 21st century, co-authored by PSIRU-PEGFA senior research fellow Dr. Tue Anh (Jenny) Nguyen, has been awarded Vietnam’s prestigious National Book Award by the Ministry of Culture, Communication and Sports.
Published in late 2024, the book examines the global semiconductor industry through the lens of national innovation strategies, with particular attention to the intensifying technological competition between China and the United States. The study analyses how governments design industrial policies, mobilise public and private resources, and organise innovation systems to strengthen technological capabilities in this strategically critical sector.
The book received B-Prize of National Book Award, the highest honour for publications in the field of science and technology. It was selected from more than 50,000 titles published nationwide during 2025. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Vietnam Publishers Association, and Vietnam Television organized the awarding ceremony for the 8th National Book Awards, honouring the country’s most valuable and outstanding books and book sets on 08 March 2026, broadcast live on the national television and attended by the Politburo members and senior government ministers.
Co-author Dr. Pham Sy Thanh, Director of the Centre for Economic and Strategic Research of China, has also been invited by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to participate in a roundtable discussion on industrial policy in the Asia-Pacific region. And both authors delivered the international book launch at a PEGFA Seminar on 9th March 2026 at the University of Greenwich.
By combining industrial economics, innovation policy and geopolitical analysis, CHIP Battlefield provides a systematic framework for understanding how major powers organise innovation ecosystems and compete for leadership in one of the world’s most critical technologies.
Dr. Tue Anh (Jenny) Nguyen commented:
“Winning this award is both humbling and encouraging. It recognises the effort of academics who try to translate complex economic ideas into language accessible to policymakers and the wider public. My work was shaped by many years collaborating with the PSIRU team on the role of the state in economic development and by research with Professor Mariana Mazzucato at UCL on innovation policy. The evolution of the semiconductor industry is a powerful example of how long-term government commitment can shape entire technological ecosystems. From this research, I later worked as UNDP International Senior Consultant on a State Capabilities Report for Vietnam. At PSIRU-PEGFA, I continue exploring how governments create public value by shaping markets, directing investment, and strengthening public services.”