Strive for 100% of adults to have digital identity and electronic payment accounts

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung speaks at the event. (Photo: BICH LIEN)

On October 21, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Science and Technology - the Standing Agency of the Government Steering Committee on Science, Technology, Innovation, Digital Transformation and Project 06 organized a program to celebrate National Digital Transformation Day 2025 with the theme: "Digital transformation: Faster - more effective - closer to the people".

Attending the program were Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung, along with representatives of Party, National Assembly, Government agencies, leaders of ministries, central and local agencies, typical technology enterprises, universities, organizations and individuals with achievements in digital transformation... The event was held live in Hanoi and online to 34 locations across the country.

Digital transformation is faster, more efficient and closer to the people

The event reviewed the journey of national digital transformation, starting from 2020 to present, from start to breakthrough, reaching out and increasingly creating practical results in all aspects: Awareness, institutions, digital government, digital economy and digital society. Achievements in national digital transformation in all sectors, fields and localities are opening a new digital era, where technology and data become the driving force for growth and productivity improvement.

At the event, Permanent Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan said: "With the theme "Comprehensive, comprehensive digital transformation for the entire population to accelerate and break through the development of the digital economy", after 5 years of digital transformation, we have passed the starting stage. Digital transformation has been spread, entered all aspects of people's lives, applied in every family from the most familiar platforms such as VneID, to calls, Zalo messages, initial online public services...".

To date, digital infrastructure has developed strongly. Broadband telecommunications networks have covered 99.3% of villages and hamlets nationwide; mobile internet speed has reached an average of 146.64 Mbps, ranking 20th in the world; 5G networks have also begun to be deployed, reaching 26% coverage. These figures demonstrate that Vietnam's digital infrastructure is ready for a service boom.

Digital government and online public services have made remarkable progress. The rate of online public services used by people has increased, with nearly 40% of all online applications being processed, a 9-fold increase compared to 2019. Vietnam's digital government ranking according to the United Nations assessment has also increased by 15 places compared to the previous announcement (2022). This shows that efforts to build e-government and digital government have brought initial results.

The digital economy is making an increasingly large contribution. The revenue of the information technology industry in 2024 will reach about VND 2,772 trillion, up 24% over the previous year; hardware and electronics exports will increase by 29%. The digital economy currently accounts for about 14-15% of GDP and is moving towards the target of 20% of GDP by 2025. These figures show that the digital sector is becoming an important growth driver of the economy.

In addition, many national digital platforms and basic digital services have been put into use; in particular, electronic identification and authentication infrastructure has been formed, creating a foundation for people to conduct safe and convenient electronic transactions in the future.

The above results show that the foundation for national digital transformation has been basically formed. From infrastructure, services to institutions, we are ready to enter a new phase with higher determination and more drastic actions.

According to the Deputy Minister, the next 5 years (2026-2030) will be the period when we will transform digitally at a deeper level, focusing on creating specific socio-economic values. The highest goal of digital transformation phase 2 is to transform digital achievements into economic growth, improve productivity, national competitiveness; improve governance efficiency and decision-making quality at all levels.

Permanent Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan speaks at the event. (Photo: BICH LIEN)

Permanent Deputy Minister Vu Hai Quan said that an important focus is to build the Law on Digital Transformation, drafted by the Ministry of Science and Technology. This bill is considered the legal "backbone" for the national digitalization process, not a technical law, but a law to coordinate, organize and create a unified digital ecosystem. This law will focus on 5 major contents: Forming a unified legal framework for a digital nation; establishing a legal mechanism for the digital economy and digital society; establishing a national governance structure for digital transformation; legalizing financial resources and digital human resources; regulating a mechanism for periodic assessment and publicizing digital transformation indicators. This will be a fundamental step, creating a legal corridor for Vietnam to move towards a modern, transparent and data-driven governance system.

Emphasizing that "being closer to the people" is the central focus of the digital transformation theme in 2025, the Deputy Minister stated that the goal is to narrow the digital gap, ensuring that all people, whether in rural, mountainous or urban areas, have access to digital utilities, online public services and equal development opportunities in the digital space. "Being closer to the people" is also about building digital trust - a key factor for people to feel secure, confident and proactively participate in digital transformation. When they see real benefits and safety, people will become the center and driving force of the national digitalization process.

Overview of the program to celebrate National Digital Transformation Day 2025. (Photo: BICH LIEN)

Focusing investment resources on digital infrastructure and popularizing digital identity

Speaking at the event, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung emphasized that this is an important event in raising social awareness of the role of digital transformation, bringing digital transformation into life, bringing practical benefits to people and businesses. The Deputy Prime Minister said that the world is entering a period of profound transformation with the breakthrough of artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, new energy and the dual trend of digital transformation and green transformation. This is both a challenge and an opportunity for Vietnam to make a breakthrough. In that context, the Party, State and Government identify science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as the foundation of a new development model, a driving force for growth and an inevitable path to build a prosperous and sustainable Vietnam, improve productivity, competitiveness and quality of life for people.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that from 2022 to now, digital transformation in Vietnam has made remarkable progress and is increasingly entering life. State management activities and administrative procedures have been digitized; 80% of ministries, branches and localities have built a common data sharing platform, many digital government and smart city models have initially taken shape. The Government has deployed 5 key national databases and Project 06 on population data management and electronic identification, creating a foundation for data-based management. Essential public services such as: Residence registration, ID card issuance, birth registration, insurance, health care, education, etc. are all digitized, helping people to easily perform in the digital environment. The national digital infrastructure has been consolidated, the digital economy has reached nearly 20% of GDP and Vietnam has risen to the top 50 countries in the world in terms of e-Government. These are important results in the national digital transformation process.

Promoting the effectiveness achieved in the past time, the Deputy Prime Minister requested ministries, branches and localities to continue to improve institutions, promptly issue guidelines for implementing laws on science, technology and digital transformation, as well as carefully prepare for new laws such as the Law on Digital Transformation and the Law on Artificial Intelligence. The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the need to focus investment resources on digital infrastructure, popularize digital identity, and strive for 100% of adults to have digital identity and electronic payment accounts by 2026. In addition, it is necessary to promote comprehensive digital transformation associated with the national database system, and innovate thinking in the direction of taking real efficiency as a measure. Enterprises need to develop a real digital economy, restructure business models based on data and technology to create growth momentum and new jobs.

The Deputy Prime Minister called on institutes, schools, businesses, startups and scientists to proactively grasp new trends and become pioneers in developing science, technology and innovation. Every official, civil servant and citizen needs to become a true “digital citizen”, knowing how to exploit and create value in the digital space, complying with the law and digital cultural standards.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that as the country enters a new era of development, Vietnam identifies science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as the “golden key” for the breakthrough period. The Deputy Prime Minister expressed his belief that with the determination of the entire political system, the aspiration of the innovation community and the support of international partners, Vietnam will spread the spirit of digital transformation to every agency, business, school and household, so that technology can truly serve people, towards a developed, self-reliant and prosperous country in the 21st century.

A highlight of the program was the visual presentation “Digital Citizen Journey”, recreating how people apply technology in their daily lives - from payments, healthcare, education to public administration. That image clearly shows the spirit of digital transformation “close to the people, easy to understand, easy to do, practical efficiency”.

After 5 years, the concept of “digital citizen” has become familiar, which is people who use the Internet safely, creatively, responsibly, contributing to increased productivity and improved quality of life.

At the event, the Ministry of Science and Technology honored collectives and individuals with good, proactive, creative and decisive ways of doing things in the national digital transformation process, recognizing their intellectual and dedicated contributions to the country's digital transformation process; at the same time, announced the results of the Digital Transformation Index (DTI) ranking in 2024 of provinces and centrally run cities. The annual DTI index is considered an important basis reflecting the level of readiness and effectiveness of digital transformation implementation nationwide.

BICH LIEN

Source: https://nhandan.vn/phan-dau-100-nguoi-truong-thanh-co-danh-tinh-so-tai-khoan-thanh-toan-dien-tu-post916849.html