The "key" to unlocking the digital economy.

Dien Bien Province - The "Make in Vietnam" Trade, Investment and Digital Technology Product Promotion Workshop, aimed at boosting the digital economy and digital transformation in the Northwest region, recently took place, providing an opportunity for Dien Bien to connect with technology businesses. Having the "key" to unlock the digital economy will help the Northwest provinces, including Dien Bien, build a network of cooperation in the digital economy sector – considered a crucial driving force for sustainable development.

Bringing digital technology to the province.

In recent years, digital transformation and the development of the digital economy have been identified as key priorities for Vietnam. However, in the Northwest provinces, including Dien Bien, technological infrastructure remains limited, and the deployment of digital technologies faces many difficulties. In this context, bringing the "Make in Vietnam" digital technology product ecosystem closer to the government, businesses, and people is of particular importance. Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024, of the Politburo on breakthroughs in national science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation has provided strategic direction for ministries, sectors, and localities to vigorously implement digital transformation. In line with that spirit, Dien Bien province has determined that the application of science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation are not only key tasks for socio-economic development, but also important solutions to overcome difficult natural conditions, narrow geographical gaps, enhance competitiveness, and create new development momentum.

Provincial Party Secretary Tran Tien Dung and delegates visited the digital technology product booth at the "Make in Vietnam" Trade, Investment and Digital Technology Product Promotion Conference to boost digital economy and digital transformation in the Northwest region.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Phu, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, stated: The need for digital transformation in Dien Bien is becoming clearer than ever, especially in the two priority areas: agriculture and tourism. Dien Bien possesses significant advantages in land and climate with large-scale raw material areas such as macadamia, coffee, and rubber, along with 138 OCOP products. However, to increase value and expand markets, the locality urgently needs Make in Vietnam technology solutions to serve traceability, supply chain management, quality forecasting, and especially carbon credit measurement and assessment – ​​a development direction in line with the green agriculture trend. Regarding tourism, with the goal of welcoming over 1.45 million visitors in 2025, the province places its hopes on VR/AR technologies recreating the Dien Bien Phu battlefield, smart tourism systems, and centralized data platforms to enhance visitor experience and the quality of service provided by businesses.

Delegates attending the workshop learned about digital technology products.

With the participation of over 300 delegates from ministries, departments, localities, institutes, universities, technology companies, and innovation support organizations, the "Make in Vietnam" Trade, Investment, and Digital Technology Product Promotion Workshop, aimed at boosting the digital economy and digital transformation in the Northwest region, is considered the largest-scale activity with the most direct impact on the digital transformation process of the Northwest provinces. Notably, the CheckVN traceability platform helps control the quality of agricultural products, especially specialty products from the highlands. The VDAPES digital agricultural ecosystem supports farmers from cultivation and crop management to product consumption, helping them increase productivity and reduce costs. Many AI-based solutions for rice cultivation and greenhouse gas emission reduction were also presented. Digital cooperative models, e-commerce platforms for agricultural products, and smart tourism management systems like Travel are attracting attention from localities due to their high feasibility and the ability to be implemented immediately at the grassroots level.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Tu, Head of the Food Engineering Department, Institute of Health Sciences and Technology (Hanoi University of Science and Technology), stated: Besides rice, Dien Bien province currently has many other key agricultural products such as coffee, macadamia nuts, Shan Tuyet tea, pineapple, and cassava vermicelli... These products have all achieved OCOP certification, but the province's key agricultural products are mainly consumed locally. To enhance the value of agricultural products, Dien Bien province needs to focus on applying technology to deep processing. In particular, implementing traceability and origin verification; deep processing technology; and green technology in the food industry are prerequisites.

Delegates visit the exhibition booth of Dien Bien Telecommunications.

Promoting the application of digital technology.

A key highlight of the workshop was the awarding of Geographical Indication Certificates to three specialty products of Dien Bien province. These products have high economic value and are considered to have the potential to become national-level regional agricultural brands if digital technology is applied to quality management and market expansion. In addition, several important cooperation agreements were signed, creating a framework for long-term collaboration and contributing to the promotion of the innovation ecosystem in the Northwest region.