Digital transformation in border regions opens up new development opportunities.

Digital transformation is deeply ingrained in the lives of people in the border region of Lang Son province, bringing about many positive changes in socio-economic development, border security, and improved quality of life.

In the border communes of Lang Son province, the sight of border guards, youth union members, and community digital technology teams guiding people in installing public service applications, making cashless payments, or using smartphones to exchange goods has become familiar.

Throughout the remote villages along the border patrol route, digital transformation is deeply ingrained in people's lives, bringing about many positive changes in socio -economic development, border security, and improved quality of life.

Promoting technology access for ethnic minorities.

Chi Ma village in Mau Son commune currently has 230 households with nearly 1,000 inhabitants. The majority of the people here are ethnic minorities, and many elderly people have limited access to technology. Therefore, to truly bring digital transformation to the people, officers and soldiers of the Chi Ma Border Guard have directly visited each household to guide them on specific operations on smartphones, installing public service applications, electronic identification, creating digital platform accounts, and using the internet safely...

According to Vi Van Nhu, head of Chi Ma village in Mau Son commune, many villagers were previously hesitant to embrace technology, believing it to be difficult to use and lacking personal benefits. However, thanks to dedicated guidance and education from border guards, the villagers have gradually recognized the convenience and become more proactive in using digital tools to improve their lives. As a result, many households in the village have proactively used technology to develop their economy and conduct business effectively.

Mr. Truong Xuan Lai, a resident of Chi Ma village, Mau Son commune, Lang Son province, shared: “Thanks to access to information on social media and community groups, guided by the Border Guard, we have been able to update ourselves more quickly on new policies and guidelines from the State. Especially in border areas, thanks to mobile phone applications, we can quickly access warnings related to security and order. This is truly very useful.”

In addition to guiding people on the safe use of smartphones, the Border Guard Force also applies digital transformation to the dissemination of border laws. Through Zalo and Facebook community groups, officers and soldiers have conveyed information on crime prevention, illegal immigration, and border sovereignty protection... using various appropriate forms such as vivid images and short videos that are easily accessible to people in mountainous areas.

From 2025 to the present, the Chi Ma Border Gate Border Guard Station has organized over 80 large-scale and small-scale legal awareness sessions, attracting over 3,500 participants. All these sessions effectively integrated guidance on digital transformation for the local population.

Officers from the Chi Ma Border Gate Border Guard Station, Lang Son province, instruct residents of Mau Son commune on using digital applications on smartphones. (Photo: Quang Duy/VNA)

Lieutenant Colonel Tran Trong Toi, Political Officer of the Chi Ma Border Gate Border Guard Station, Lang Son province, informed that the unit is currently closely coordinating with local Party committees and authorities to maintain the effectiveness of the Information and Communication Team in order to improve the quality of mass mobilization and meet the increasingly high demands of digital transformation. At the same time, officers and soldiers in the unit are also actively improving their knowledge of technology, especially applications on digital platforms to serve their professional work.

"Digital bridge" at the grassroots level

In Ba Son border commune, home to over 10,000 people scattered across 25 villages, including 13 border villages, the digital transformation story is unfolding daily with the active participation of local youth and the Border Guard force.

Khuoi Phieng village is located nearly 20km from the commune center. The Dao ethnic people here mainly live by forestry and slash-and-burn farming. Previously, for many, smartphones were only used for making calls. Concepts such as "online public services," "electronic identification," or "information retrieval on the internet" were still quite unfamiliar.

Recognizing this reality, the Youth Union of Ba Son Border Guard Station, in coordination with the Youth Union of the commune, regularly sends officers directly to households to guide people in accessing digital technology.

Ms. Duong Mui Pham, a Dao ethnic minority woman from Khuoi Phieng village, Ba Son commune, Lang Son province, said that thanks to guidance on installing the VNeID electronic identity card, integrating social security information, and recognizing official news sources, she has learned how to follow local information as well as cultural and social activities via the internet. Now, she no longer needs to travel far to get information about the commune, and many cultural activities can also be viewed on her phone.

To overcome the "bottleneck" in technological skills, Ba Son has established 25 community digital technology teams with a core force of commune youth union members and border guards. These technology teams have directly assisted people in carrying out many basic administrative procedures such as birth registration, residence confirmation, health insurance registration, etc., online.

From 2025 to the present, the forces have organized dozens of awareness campaigns and digital transformation guidance sessions for the people. Due to the specific characteristics of the area, many local volunteers have directly used the Tay, Nung, and Dao languages ​​to guide the people, making it easier for them to access technology.

According to Luong Bich Loan, Secretary of the Youth Union of Ba Son commune, local youth have continued to play a pioneering role on all fronts, including assisting people in carrying out administrative procedures in the digital environment, contributing to building a digital government and digital society in the locality. As a result, people's travel time and costs have been significantly reduced. Many people are gradually forming the habit of using smartphones to handle daily tasks. To date, more than 90% of households in Ba Son commune have been able to use basic digital applications.

Border guards in Lang Son province disseminate legal knowledge to people in border areas via the internet. (Photo: Quang Duy/VNA)

In fact, digital transformation in the border areas of Lang Son province not only helps people access public services more easily but also contributes to improving the effectiveness of legal dissemination, maintaining security and order, and promoting socio-economic development.

Despite numerous challenges related to telecommunications infrastructure, literacy levels, and geographical conditions, with the support of various units, notably the Border Guard and local youth union members, digital transformation is gradually helping people in the border region of Lang Son province overcome technological illiteracy, proactively access and apply digital technology to their lives, and open up new development opportunities.

(VNA/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/chuyen-doi-so-vung-bien-mo-ra-co-hoi-phat-trien-moi-post1111907.vnp