Vietnam is persevering in its digital transformation strategy, which will identify priority domains and provide better services to citizens.
Priority sectors include health, education, finance, banking, agriculture, environment, and culture. The strategy engages the involvement of the government, businesses, and individuals.
The cornerstone of digital transformation is enhanced application of IT in all aspects of life, the Deputy Prime Minister, Vu Duc Dam, recently said during a seminar on the opportunities and challenges of Vietnam’s digital transformation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, digital change has accelerated in education, public service delivery, commerce, and healthcare.
According to a media report, the Ministry of Health has completed the provision of online public health services at level-4 for all the sector’s administrative procedures, after six months of implementation instead of the previous five-year roadmap.
The delivery of online public services at level-4 means service payments can be done online, and transaction results are available either online or by post, upon request.
The Deputy Prime Minister urged the Vietnam Association for Information Processing (VAIP), which organised the event, and other IT associations to coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) to develop new measurements for IT application in ministries and localities.
The Vietnamese business community must also participate to address the tasks defined by MIC.
Digital transformation cannot be separated from the country’s socio-economic environment, the Deputy Prime Minister noted.
The government needs a digital transformation to better manage and serve the people. Businesses carry out digital transformation to develop and bring better services to the people, and citizens participate to facilitate their own interests.
The Director-General of the MIC Authority of Information Technology Application said that a digital government would help enhance transparency and reduce corruption. A digital economy will help create new values and new growth models.
A digital society will allow citizens to access to new services and knowledge on an equal footing.
He highlighted the leading role of IT businesses in the national digital transformation process, and the need to introduce e-services to build a digital government and invest in human resource training and innovation.
As the digital transformation is advancing rapidly in the country, MIC reported that more multinationals are seeking to co-operate with the ministry in the switchover.
Data from the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment showed that some US $1.3 billion worth of FDI in Vietnam was spent on sci-tech last year, ranking fourth among the most attractive sectors.
Experts said as Vietnamese businesses’ awareness about the importance of technology has much improved, they are rushing to apply advanced technologies, creating new opportunities for multinationals.
Seeing the growth potential ahead, many tech giants, like Lenovo, Ericsson, and Qualcomm are targeting the Vietnamese market.
Qualcomm recently launched a new research and development facility in Hanoi.
It is the organisation’s first R&D facility in Southeast Asia. The new office will address requests from partner companies and government agencies.
The new facility is expected to help meet the growing demand for high-quality products and services in Vietnam.
It will also provide high-end testing services to domestic manufacturers for developing and producing high-quality equipment.
The new facility consists of three laboratories. The radiofrequency lab supports various development activities including design evaluation and calibration.
The second is for power consumption and performance metrics testing, and the third is an image service laboratory, providing services on adjusting and testing cameras and gauging image quality.