Villages catch up with the numbers

- Currently, the province's population is over 810,000 people, of which more than 80% are ethnic minorities, many of whom live in remote, mountainous and border areas. In recent years, the digital transformation policy has been promoted from the provincial level to the grassroots level, and the information technology and telecommunications infrastructure system has been invested in, creating conditions for the highland villages to gradually catch up with the digital age.

A Dao ethnic minority family in Hin Dam village, Kien Moc commune, is watching the news on their smartphone.

One day in July, we had the opportunity to visit Hin Dam village, Kien Moc commune - one of the mountainous areas still facing many difficulties.

According to Mr. Duong Van Sy, head of Hin Dam village: The village has 55 households and over 300 inhabitants, all of whom are Dao ethnic people. Previously, there was no mobile phone signal in the village; to make a call, people had to travel 2-3 km to an area with coverage. Since 2022, the village has been covered by 4G, and the lives of the villagers have changed dramatically. 90% of households in the village have at least one smartphone and an electronic payment account; 100% of smartphone users have installed useful applications such as VneID, electronic health records, and online banking applications. Thanks to the Internet, everything is much simpler: communication is convenient, online shopping is easy, and even paying utility bills and transferring money can be done from home.

Beyond using technology for connection and entertainment, the people of Hin Dam and many other villages are also proactively integrating digital applications into production and trade. Ms. Duong Thi Van (born in 1993), a Dao ethnic minority woman from Lang Dong village, Nhat Hoa commune, shared: "My family has a traditional herbal medicine business. Before, I used to take my medicine to various markets to sell, but I didn't sell much. Since 2022, I've been using social media platforms like Facebook and Zalo to connect with customers, informing them of my schedule, sales locations, and available products. Thanks to this connection method, I can not only sell directly but also send goods to customers via post . Each month, I earn between 20 and 30 million VND, double what I earned before."

Vi Anh Duc, a delivery driver for Best Express, said: "I'm in charge of deliveries to Dinh Lap, Chau Son, and Kien Moc communes. Besides me, there are 5-6 other drivers from other companies on this route. Every day I deliver 60-70 orders to people in the villages and hamlets, and most people pay by bank transfer; only about 10% of customers use cash."

This shows that digital transformation, e-commerce, and cashless payments have been spreading strongly to every village and hamlet, including remote areas and ethnic minority communities.

Mr. Tran Huu Giang, Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology, said: "People and businesses are at the center of digital transformation. Therefore, in recent times, we have proactively coordinated with telecommunications businesses to promote the development of digital infrastructure. Along with that, the department has also strengthened training and guidance on technology usage skills for more than 8,000 members of community digital technology groups. This is the core force that helps spread the spirit of digital transformation and guides people in villages and hamlets to apply digital applications to serve their lives and production. Thanks to these efforts, to date, most people in the province have accessed and used digital technology and applications effectively in their lives and work."

In 2021, the province still had 268 villages without 3G/4G mobile coverage or with unstable coverage; and 405 villages without broadband internet service infrastructure. By the end of July 2025, 100% of communes will have fiber optic broadband networks; 99.7% of the population will be covered by 3G/4G/5G. Over 84.5% of households will have fiber optic connections at home; the province will have over 920,000 smartphone subscribers; and over 76% of adults will have electronic payment accounts. The current telecommunications infrastructure can adequately meet current needs and has the capacity to be upgraded to serve new services.

Digital transformation is no longer a distant concept but is present in every aspect of daily life and every production and business activity of the people in the highlands. People not only know how to use technology to search for information and contact relatives, but are also gradually applying it to develop their livelihoods, connect with markets, and preserve traditional cultural values... the entire community is moving towards a digital life.

With the decisive direction and implementation by Party committees and authorities at all levels, as well as the enthusiastic support and participation of the people, the digital transformation in the province has achieved outstanding results. In 2024, the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations awarded Lang Son province the "Top Industry 4.0 Vietnam 2024" award in the category of exemplary localities proactively implementing the Industry 4.0 revolution and digital transformation. From remote villages, digital transformation is contributing to opening up new opportunities and narrowing the gap between mountainous and lowland areas.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/ban-lang-chuyen-minh-cung-thoi-dai-so-5054864.html