"Digital literacy for the masses" - A driving force in building a learning society in the digital age.

In the course of the nation's development, the "Popular Education Movement" launched by President Ho Chi Minh after the August Revolution of 1945 was not only a historically significant literacy campaign but also laid the foundation for the aspiration of lifelong learning and the building of a learning society. Eighty years later, in the digital age, that spirit has been revived and renewed through the "Digital Popular Education Movement." This is a step forward in the modern era, contributing to the creation of digital citizens, a digital nation, and a smart and sustainable learning society.

Vu Duc Cuong, Secretary of the Youth Union of Binh Dinh commune (Yen Lac district), guides people on using digital technology. Photo: Tra Huong.

From written letters to digital knowledge

After the August Revolution of 1945, the country gained independence, but over 95% of the population was illiterate. With the ideology that "an illiterate nation is a weak nation," President Ho Chi Minh identified "ignorance" as one of the three most dangerous "internal enemies." On August 9, 1945, he signed Decree No. 17 establishing the Department of Popular Education and launched a nationwide literacy campaign. Subsequently, many other decrees were issued to concretize the policy of eradicating illiteracy for the entire population.

Thousands of "Popular Literacy Classes" were opened nationwide for all segments of the population, from the elderly to young children, from farmers and workers to officials and civil servants. In just over a year since its launch, 2.5 million people nationwide had learned to read and write, and after five years, that number had risen to nearly 12.2 million. This was not only an unprecedented educational achievement but also a vivid testament to the democratic, enlightened, and humane spirit of a nation determined to learn for self-reliance. More importantly, this movement sowed the seeds of lifelong learning in the minds of the people, becoming the foundation for building a learning society.

In this era of technological and knowledge explosion, digital skills have become essential for everyone to adapt and develop. In this spirit, on March 26, 2025, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh officially launched the "Digital Literacy Movement" and introduced the national online training platform at binhdanhocvuso.gov.vn. The movement aims to popularize basic digital skills for the entire population, especially vulnerable groups, giving them opportunities to learn, access digital services, and master digital technology.

The Prime Minister emphasized that this is "a command from the heart and mind," a political task and also a civic responsibility in the digital age. The movement needs to be widely implemented, ensuring that no one is left behind, with the goal of building a digital learning society, digital citizens, and a digital nation.

To ensure effectiveness, the Prime Minister requested ministries, sectors, and localities to proactively provide learning materials on the platform, reduce training costs by 80%, and promote public-private partnerships based on market mechanisms. In particular, the VNeID application will be used to identify learners, ensuring transparency and security during the learning process...

Vinh Phuc builds a learning society in the digital age.

In Vinh Phuc, even before the "Digital Literacy Movement," the province had already focused on promoting digital transformation. 100% of the province's communes, wards, and towns had developed models for disseminating information about digital transformation. The 1,240 community digital technology teams, later merged with the working groups under Project 06, played a crucial role in raising public awareness about digital transformation and guiding and supporting people in installing and using digital technology in their lives and work.

Based on that foundation, in April 2025, Vinh Phuc will implement the "Digital Literacy Movement" in conjunction with the implementation of Resolution No. 57 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in the development of science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation; the Project "Raising awareness, popularizing skills and developing human resources for national digital transformation by 2025, with orientation to 2030" and the Government's movement "The whole country competes to build a learning society, promoting lifelong learning in the period 2023 - 2030"...

In particular, Vinh Phuc focuses on thoroughly understanding and raising awareness, responsibility, and participation of the entire political system in implementing the "Digital Literacy Movement"; promoting propaganda, raising awareness, and encouraging people to self-study, improve their digital knowledge and skills, and proactively participate in the digital space; strengthening the organization of training courses to improve digital skills for people; continuing to promote the role of community digital technology groups in implementing the "Digital Literacy Movement" to help people access digital technology and devices in a simple and easy-to-understand way; and building the "Digital Family" model as the core to create a self-motivated learning community, spreading from each individual, each family to the whole society.

Every Vietnamese person has the right to education and lifelong learning. Building a learning society is a nationwide undertaking. If the "Popular Education Movement" of 1945 was a revolution to eradicate illiteracy, then the current "Digital Popular Education Movement" is a journey to eradicate technological illiteracy, arousing in each citizen the desire to learn, master technology, and become a learning citizen and a digital citizen. This is both a continuation and a step forward in building a modern, sustainable learning society with a strong Vietnamese humanistic identity.

Minh Huong

Source: https://baovinhphuc.com.vn/Multimedia/Images/Id/127089/%E2%80%9CBinh-dan-hoc-vu-so%E2%80%9D---Dong-luc-kien-tao-xa-hoi-hoc-tap-trong-ky-nguyen-so