Promoting the application of digital solutions to improve the quality of service for the people.

At the recent ASOCIO Digital Summit in Seoul, South Korea, Ho Chi Minh City was awarded the ASOCIO 2023 prize for Outstanding Digital Government by the Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO). Speaking with a reporter from SGGP newspaper, the Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Information and Communications, Lam Dinh Thang, stated that the city's efforts are aimed at better understanding its citizens, thereby providing better digital services and care for them.

Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Information and Communications, Lam Dinh Thang

Easier access to public services

* REPORTER: What is the significance of the Outstanding Digital Government Award for Ho Chi Minh City in particular and Vietnam in general in the current context, sir?

- Mr. LAM DINH THANG: Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in the country, one of the fastest-growing urban areas in Southeast Asia, with a high population density and strong urbanization. Building a digital government plays a crucial role in helping the city innovate its operational methods, optimize the efficiency of state management, and facilitate convenient access to public services for citizens and businesses. The Outstanding Digital Government Award recognizes the continuous efforts of the government system, officials, civil servants, and citizens of Ho Chi Minh City in implementing the city's digital transformation program.

The award also serves as a strong impetus for Ho Chi Minh City to continue innovating, developing, and applying digital solutions in city management and service provision for its citizens. In particular, it enhances the reputation of Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam in administrative reform, creating favorable conditions for attracting foreign investment and international cooperation.

* Could you elaborate on the specific efforts and solutions the city implemented to achieve this award?

- Ho Chi Minh City was the first locality to issue the Ho Chi Minh City Digital Transformation Program. The city also focuses on investing in and striving to build digital infrastructure, including telecommunications infrastructure, information technology (IT), and data. To date, the city has a modern digital infrastructure that meets the development needs of a digital government. Ho Chi Minh City also promotes the application of IT in government operations, focusing on improving the efficiency and quality of public services for citizens. In the field of public service provision, the city strives to implement many solutions to improve service quality, bringing satisfaction to citizens and businesses. For example, Ho Chi Minh City has moved all administrative procedures to the digital environment, linking administrative agencies and promoting online public services in various fields to minimize time and costs for using services. Along with that, it has changed the method of receiving and processing citizen requests more effectively by linking over 700 units; Providing a single portal, app, and 1022 hotline for citizens.

The city has also strengthened the effective exploitation and use of data, applying artificial intelligence to help speed up city administration and make more effective decisions. Simultaneously, it has promoted awareness campaigns about digital transformation among officials, civil servants, and citizens and businesses, creating social consensus and support for the city's digital transformation. Based on the award results, the Department of Information and Communications will continue to leverage and develop these achievements in the future, including the effective implementation of the Information Reception and Response Portal for citizens, businesses, and organizations in Ho Chi Minh City (Portal 1022) across all areas related to the city's cultural and social life.

“Ho Chi Minh City is one of the first units in the country to change the way it works and interacts with citizens through social media platforms. The city quickly and promptly records all opinions and feelings of citizens on the digital environment, leading to better management solutions. This new and timely approach has created transparency, increased trust, and greater consensus among citizens regarding the city government.”

Director of the Department of Information and Communications of Ho Chi Minh City, Lam Dinh Thang

Supporting people and businesses in digital transformation.

* So what solutions does Ho Chi Minh City have to innovate the methods of providing public services and amenities to citizens and businesses, and to quickly achieve the goal of building Ho Chi Minh City into a smart city?

- Ho Chi Minh City will continue to promote the deployment and improvement of interconnected digital platforms, applying artificial intelligence and big data to enhance the quality of public administrative procedures and other public services in urban management, culture, and social affairs. Alongside achieving digital government goals, Ho Chi Minh City will promote the digital economy and digital society to enhance flexibility, efficiency, and connectivity in all areas of life, from businesses to education, healthcare, and politics , creating a more effective digital environment for the community. Simultaneously, it will implement policies and solutions to support citizens and businesses in digital transformation, applying digital technologies, and assisting the poor and disadvantaged so that no one is left behind in the city's digital transformation journey.

Ho Chi Minh City was honored at the ASOCIO Digital Summit with the Outstanding Digital Government Award.

* The development of the legal environment to support the building of a digital government has not yet kept pace with societal needs, especially in new areas. How will Ho Chi Minh City address this?

- It is true that the process of building a digital government in Ho Chi Minh City still faces many significant obstacles. These include an incomplete legal framework for the deployment of information technology (IT) applications. The national database is still in the process of being finalized and shared. While data sharing and openness by government agencies and businesses are underway, they have not yet yielded the desired results. Meanwhile, the protection of personal data and private information online, as well as the dissemination of information and guidance to organizations and individuals on using online public services, remain limited and ineffective. Citizens and businesses still have reservations and lack trust in the online handling of administrative procedures… Therefore, Ho Chi Minh City has proposed to the Government ; and proactively coordinated with relevant ministries and agencies to deploy IT applications and share data from the central to local levels; and to manage, provide, and use internet services and online information to protect personal data and private information. Internet advertising… This aims to gradually remove and resolve difficulties in order to meet the requirements of implementing digital transformation and building smart cities.

* The level of human resources is also a major issue. How will Ho Chi Minh City address this to serve the development of a digital government that meets practical requirements, sir?

- To address the issue of human resource skills for building a digital government, Ho Chi Minh City has implemented a comprehensive set of solutions. These include training and professional development programs for officials and civil servants to enhance their knowledge of digital government and digital transformation; skills in using IT software and applications; and communication and interpersonal skills with citizens and businesses in the digital environment. Ho Chi Minh City also focuses on attracting and utilizing talent, especially in the IT field; building a culture of innovation and creativity in management and administration; and creating a professional, dynamic, and creative work environment that encourages officials and civil servants to innovate and apply IT in their work.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/day-manh-ap-dung-giai-phap-so-de-nang-chat-phuc-vu-nguoi-dan-post714858.html