Digital transformation efforts in ethnic minority areas

With many benefits, digital transformation is being actively implemented in Khanh Hoa province, especially in ethnic minority areas, contributing significantly to socio-economic development, gradually improving the quality of life for people.

Digital transformation efforts from the grassroots

At this time, schools in Bac Ai commune are bustling to prepare for the new school year. Sharing the joy of the students, Ms. Patâu Axa Thị Phiễm - Secretary of the Party Cell of Ma Ty village is even more excited because last school year (2024 - 2025), the village had no students dropping out of school like in previous school years. In the 2025 - 2026 school year, according to initial information, there were no cases of students dropping out of school. This achievement was thanks to the fact that at the beginning of the 2024 - 2025 school year, she and the village chief created a Zalo group; members were parents, homeroom teachers, and also commune leaders and representatives of the school's board of directors. In addition to mobilizing students to go to school, announcing regulations, timetables, changes in school schedules, and activities in class and at school, the village also propagates the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws, ethnic policies, and security and order situation in the village.

Ms. Patâu Axa Thị Phiễm - Secretary of the Party Cell of Ma Ty village, Bac Ai commune guides people to join the village's Zalo group.

In recent times, the use of social networks such as Zalo, Facebook... to exchange information has been very popular. However, in reality, the implementation in ethnic minority areas is still facing many difficulties due to weak Internet, some people do not have smartphones, many people do not have the conditions to register for Internet services, or go to work in the fields only once a week... To overcome this situation, Ms. Patau Axa Thi Phiem established Zalo household groups, in which the group leader is the person with a smartphone connected to the Internet; when receiving information, he will immediately notify the remaining households in the group to transmit information quickly and promptly. In addition, the Zalo group is also a place for members to discuss, share, reflect, contribute opinions, and make recommendations on people's issues. Many events, after receiving comments from people, have been adjusted to suit the situation, creating consensus in the community.

Not only bringing many conveniences to life and society, social networking sites such as Facebook and Zalo are also a means to help people, production facilities, and cooperatives advertise and sell local products and specialties, helping to increase the value of agricultural products, bringing products to many consumers across the country, contributing to the economic development of ethnic minority areas. Ms. Cao Thi Thanh Huyen, representative of Phuoc Chinh General Service Agricultural Cooperative, said that in recent years, through social networking sites such as Facebook and Zalo, the cooperative has sold many products: rice, dried bamboo shoots, green beans... in large quantities.

Implementing sub-project 2, project 10 (National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas, with the content of Applying information technology to support socio-economic development and ensuring security and order in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the period of 2021 - 2025), the whole country has implemented 60 information technology projects; organized 81 conferences and seminars on digital transformation; built 933 points to support ethnic minorities in applying information technology to serve socio-economic development and ensure security and order; organized 248 training courses, instructions on equipment management, maintenance and operation of information technology application points with 6,060 participants.

Continue to support people

Bac Ai commune currently has a population of more than 12,000 people, of which nearly 90% are Raglai ethnic people. As a mountainous area with difficult transportation, Bac Ai commune has recently promoted digital transformation. Currently, villages and hamlets have used social networks to organize meetings and community activities to inform and disseminate information on the political , economic, cultural, social, security and order situation to the people.

According to Mr. Truong Cong Huan - Vice Chairman of Bac Ai Commune People's Committee, along with propaganda by loudspeaker, using social networks to propagate the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws, especially ethnic policies, socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas is an effective way. In particular, using social networking sites such as Facebook and Zalo to promote typical products of ethnic minority areas brings practical results. In addition, thanks to digital transformation, many people in remote areas and ethnic minorities do not have to spend time going to payment points, to the commune People's Committee... to pay electricity and water bills, register administrative documents, declare health, digital social insurance, pay taxes electronically...; these services are all performed through online services. Up to now, more than 60% of records at the commune's Public Administration Service Center are submitted through the online system. The locality has proposed installing free Internet broadcasting stations in 13 village cultural houses. In the coming time, the Commune People's Committee will coordinate with associations, unions, schools, and cooperatives to organize training courses on smartphone usage skills, improve information technology skills, help people promptly access the Party's policies, State policies and laws, ethnic policies, and at the same time promote local agricultural products and specialties.

According to Mr. Bach Van Duong - Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions, thanks to strong investment solutions, the initial digital transformation work has achieved many positive results, bringing many utilities to actively support ethnic minorities, people in remote areas in production, business, and increasing product value. From there, it opens up development opportunities for ethnic minority areas, gradually narrowing the gap between mountainous, rural and urban areas in the province.

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Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/chuyen-doi-so/202509/no-luc-chuyen-doi-soo-vung-dong-bao-dan-toc-thieu-so-60b1c23/