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.

Bringing the "Make in Vietnam" solution to Dien Bien not only benefits the local people but also helps businesses expand their markets and test products under specific conditions.

Participating in the exhibition booth at the workshop, Ms. Lo Thi Phuong, owner of the Ha Bac Kitchen business in Tuan Giao commune, said: "Currently, we have three dried meat products that have achieved OCOP 3-star certification. Applying digital technology to our production and business activities has helped our family gradually expand our market, improve product quality, and increase revenue. In the future, I hope our province will have effective solutions to optimize, save costs, and digitize agricultural production processes."

Similarly, for businesses like VNPT Dien Bien, the provision of services to meet digital transformation needs has been and is being actively promoted. Mr. Nguyen Cong Huan, a Telecommunications Programming Engineer in Dien Bien, said: Currently, the unit is providing digital services in many fields to meet the needs of organizations and people, such as: providing digital solutions and information technology applications to support medical examination and treatment activities for 5 medical facilities in the province; providing digital solutions and information technology applications to support teaching and learning activities for 226 educational institutions and schools; and 22,000 personal digital signature services for people and organizations. In particular, immediately after the two-level government system came into operation, VNPT ensured a dedicated transmission channel system for 45 communes and wards, ensuring smooth and efficient service from the central level to the commune level. They promptly adjusted the administrative procedure processing system according to the new model, preventing interruptions in serving people and businesses.

People visit the exhibition booths of the Ha Bac traditional kitchen business in Tuan Giao commune during the workshop.

Based on the expectations and encouraging signs of local digital transformation, Dien Bien province has proposed that ministries and agencies continue to cooperate with the province in connecting with reputable experts, research organizations, and technology businesses. Simultaneously, they should support the province in building brands, protecting intellectual property for key products, and guiding the application of new technology models suitable to the local conditions. Dien Bien province is committed to always accompanying and creating the most favorable conditions in terms of mechanisms and policies for digital technology businesses to deploy products and technological solutions in the area. Dien Bien hopes that businesses will provide solutions that are suitable for the mountainous region, easy to implement, cost-effective, and bring tangible benefits to the people and businesses in the province.

Text and photos: Mai Phuong

Source: https://dienbientv.vn/tin-tuc-su-kien/kinh-te/202512/chia-khoa-mo-cua-kinh-te-so-5822036/