Women adapt quickly to digital transformation.

Hello everyone, this is Som. Come watch the live stream!

What products does the whole family need to buy?

Ms. Luong Thi Som, from Hua Na village, Tong Lanh commune (Thuan Chau district, Son La province), gracefully and enthusiastically opened her livestream sales session. With just a few simple steps on her smartphone, the Thai ethnic woman quickly began her livestream sales, "professionally" creating a fun and relaxed atmosphere for viewers, even though in 2020 she was still shy and not yet "skilled" at it...

“In the 4.0 era, selling online has become very convenient. During the day, after work, women can take advantage of the time to watch livestreams, choose items, and easily place orders. Many customers message me to place urgent orders: 'Sister, I have to go to a wedding next week, please ship me a shirt in size... please!'” said Ms. Luong Thi Som.

Regularly, she livestreams twice a day, a midday session starting at 12:30 PM and a nightly session starting at 8:30 PM, introducing her products – traditional blouses, skirts, blankets, pillows, and mattresses – to women in Thuan Chau district in particular, and Son La province in general. After nearly 5 years of diligently selling goods and leveraging the benefits of digital platforms, Ms. Som has now created a stable income to raise her children and improve her family's economic situation .

In addition to conducting live stream sales of clothing, many women-owned cooperatives in Thuan Chau district are striving to keep pace with digital transformation, boldly implementing live stream sessions to introduce local agricultural products such as dragon fruit, passion fruit, hawthorn, products made from hawthorn vinegar, honey, Trong Nguyen tea, etc., to bring local agricultural products closer to customers in Son La province and neighboring areas.

“Over the years, the Women's Union of Thuan Chau district has identified digital transformation as an important task, opening up many opportunities for innovation in the Union's work and supporting women to easily exchange and absorb knowledge, experience, and good models in economic development; overcoming all prejudices and gender barriers…,” shared Ms. Luong Thanh Thuy, President of the Women's Union of Thuan Chau district, Son La province.

Currently, Thuan Chau district is developing many types of agricultural products and local specialties. Therefore, in recent times, the District Women's Union has coordinated with various units to organize training courses for women-owned businesses and cooperatives, helping women access various business models, introduce products and agricultural produce to customers through livestreaming sessions, and learn how to build and manage sales websites (instead of just selling at traditional markets as before).

The association has coordinated with agencies and units to provide guidance to help people preserve and transport agricultural products safely to consumers… In particular, it has implemented activities to support women in applying science and technology to enhance the economic empowerment of ethnic minority women… A positive sign is that many women are now utilizing social media platforms to sell consumer products, agricultural products, and specialties of Thuan Chau district that have received OCOP certification. From there, the district is developing many models of ethnic minority women starting businesses that apply information technology and digital platforms in the process of promoting and introducing products, initially increasing their income.

Besides supporting female members in applying technology to improve labor productivity and economic independence, in 2024, the Women's Union of Thuan Chau district also focused on digital transformation in its activities. Sharing with reporters about the journey of digital transformation, Ms. Luong Thanh Thuy, President of the Women's Union of Thuan Chau district (Son La province), recalled the time she became an "unwilling" actress, helping to build scripts, participating in skits, and listening to the thoughts and aspirations of women in building a stronger Women's Union when participating in the "Application of Information Technology in Women's Union Activities" competition in 2024.

Video of sisters in Son La selling local agricultural products on an e-commerce platform:

According to the digital transformation report of the Son La Provincial Women's Union, as of March 2024, the Provincial Women's Union had received and processed 8,428 documents; issued 3,181 documents directing and implementing the Union's work and women's movements...; ensuring that 100% of the documents were issued and processed entirely online, using digital signatures. Simultaneously, it organized 6 training conferences to improve and popularize digital skills and information technology application capabilities for 600 Women's Union officials at all levels; and implemented online competitions launched by the Central and provincial authorities (Provincial-level Online Folk Dance Competition; Competition on Understanding the Law on Gender Equality; Competition on Understanding Digital Transformation in Son La Province; Competition on Administrative Reform in Son La Province; Competition on Understanding Democracy at the Grassroots Level; Competition on Digital Transformation...).

Over 1,000 communication materials were published on the website or official social media platforms of the Provincial Women's Union; training on digital transformation, information technology application, and safe social media use was provided to 11,015 union members and officials. Approximately 3,000 members and women (including 30% ethnic minority women and 50% OCOP (One Commune One Product) businesses) received support in knowledge and skills to participate in and apply digital platforms, e-commerce platforms, and in production and business activities. They also received support in using smart devices, electronic transactions, and social media platforms in economic development and financial management. In addition, in 2023, the Provincial Women's Union also coordinated with banks, credit institutions, and payment services to implement the collection of membership fees using cashless payment methods via the internet and mobile devices.

Highly regarded for its application of information technology in the Association's activities, each female official and member of the Hanoi Women's Union always proactively and actively proposes new initiatives and methods to improve the Association's work, helping women in the area quickly, systematically, and accurately access information and directives from all levels...

During her seven years working for the Women's Union, Ms. Do Thi Phuong (a member of the Standing Committee of the Dan Phuong District Women's Union, Hanoi) noticed that disseminating information on social media platforms like Facebook and Zalo groups had some limitations. Coincidentally, during a conversation with young people, she learned about the Padlet software. The more she learned about it, the more certain she became: "This will be a useful tool to innovate the Union's communication work. The interface is easy to view, easy to access, and provides quick and systematic information access… Especially, it can incorporate mini-games, where members who answer questions correctly receive small prizes. Content such as videos, promotional links, Union activities… can easily be displayed on the electronic board within the application, helping women receive information without being distracted by advertising or product promotions…", Ms. Do Thi Phuong shared.

The propaganda content is fully and systematically posted on the Padlet software of the Women's Union of Dan Phuong District (Hanoi City).

Speaking with reporters, Ms. Phuong said that in the beginning, when the application was implemented in the Women's Union's activities, the members were hesitant to use it… But at meetings, she patiently guided members on how to access it, encouraging them with games that offered prizes; after that, everyone gradually accepted it, and the number of visits increased. Currently, the Padlet page "Dan Phuong Women" is the main channel for disseminating information and propaganda to women members and is operating well. However, this Padlet page is just a small idea to support the Union's propaganda work and help women quickly, systematically, and accurately grasp information in the area. Each women's officer at her workplace, as well as at the Hanoi City Women's Union, is very dedicated to the Union's activities and they often offer new suggestions and ideas…

After 6 years of working in tourism and running a traditional homestay business (mainly catering to regular customers and word-of-mouth referrals), Huynh Thi Tuyet Mong (Chau Thanh district, Ben Tre province) recently started promoting and showcasing images and videos of her resort on Facebook.

“Before choosing a travel destination, young people and families tend to research information and images on social media and websites… so I started exploring and learning how to make videos, create posts, and share images on Facebook Fanpages with the desire to introduce travel experiences to customers, as well as express gratitude for their participation… When posting on social media, we can reach and advise many customers who have travel and vacation plans during holidays; creating a potential customer base for the future…,” Ms. Tuyet Mong said.

Over the past period, the Ben Tre Provincial Women's Union has also strengthened the application of information technology and participated in the digital transformation process. The Union at all levels has actively proposed and mobilized various resources to fully equip itself with computers and devices for internal online meetings, integrating and promoting the application of information technology in conferences and meetings organized by the Union. Simultaneously, it has applied digital signatures and used the I-Office document management and operational system in document processing, shortening information exchange time and saving office costs. Currently, most management, direction, and operational activities at all levels are basically carried out online, instead of reporting on paper documents as before.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa, President of the Ben Tre Provincial Women's Union, enthusiastically shared the highlights of the Union's digital transformation efforts, including mobilizing 2,200 female members to participate in 150 women's savings groups to purchase 1,466 smartphones; building 350 models and activities applying information technology; and ensuring that all local branches of the Union have women's groups and teams dedicated to digital transformation. Currently, many local branches have conducted surveys and collected opinions from members through email boxes such as "Listening to Women Speak" and "Suggestion Boxes for Building the Union" on various applications and software, and have effectively established and utilized Zalo groups, Facebook pages, and fan pages of the Union.

“The women at the Ben Tre Provincial Women's Union are still talking about the '15-day and night' campaign to promote the installation of digital signatures for the people. During this campaign, the Women's Union set targets; actively guided female members and people from all walks of life to install and use digital applications to carry out public administrative procedures. Encouragingly, at the end of the campaign, we successfully mobilized 100% of Union officials and people to install nearly 20,000 VNPT Smart CA personal digital signatures; and installed VneID level 2 electronic identification accounts. At the same time, we encouraged over 3,000 female members to open bank accounts and 2,579 business households to create QR codes for online transactions, contributing to the cashless payment policy. Through the implementation of this campaign, the Ben Tre Provincial Women's Union developed an initiative on 'Applying information technology in credit and savings management,' which was recognized as a provincial-level initiative.” "2024," Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa shared.

Digital transformation is a priority for all levels of the Women's Union in Ben Tre province.

In particular, to commemorate the 94th anniversary of the Vietnam Women's Union on October 20, 2024, the Standing Committee of the Ben Tre Provincial Women's Union launched the "Ben Tre Women's Handbook" application. This application operates on both a website and a mobile app, utilizing modern technology and an optimized interface to meet the needs of disseminating information and reporting on Union activities. It integrates statistical data on members and provides many other useful functions for users. With this application, in the future, women's union officials and members in Ben Tre province will have an additional channel to access Union activities and information more quickly.

Over the years, especially in 2024, in addition to successfully implementing the theme of the year "Strengthening the application of information technology in the activities of the Women's Union," the Women's Union at all levels nationwide has continued to focus on raising awareness and capacity among women in applying information technology to production and business, creating opportunities for women to participate in and benefit from the digital economy. Accordingly, about 1,000 female entrepreneurs and newly established women have had their capacity enhanced in using social media channels, creating advertising banners, generating QR codes, building online sales channels, creating storefronts on e-commerce platforms such as Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok, building a team management system to support startups, and assisting women-owned businesses in registering for OCOP certification and upgrading OCOP products.

The 2024 "Women Entrepreneurs: Innovation and Green Transformation" competition received 2,545 startup projects (a 26% increase compared to 2023). The quality of the submitted projects is increasingly high, focusing on innovation and technology application, spreading the entrepreneurial spirit among members and women nationwide. The Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Association focuses on organizing training programs and workshops, attracting thousands of members and businesses owned by women; and organizing over 200 trade promotion events domestically and internationally to introduce products, seek investment opportunities, and expand markets for products participating in the digital economy. However, the digital transformation efforts of women still face many difficulties.

During the process of creating digital content, Ms. Huynh Thi Tuyet Mong (Chau Thanh district, Ben Tre province) shared that she wanted to create short videos to post on social networks, taking advantage of the "explosion" of TikTok. However, building and developing an effective channel with community reach is not an easy task.

“Some of the videos I upload to this platform are often blocked or flagged for violations… I don’t know how to fix this problem. I hope that the Ben Tre Provincial Women’s Union will have more programs and courses to help women build brands, introduce and promote tourism products through short videos on various digital platforms,” Ms. Huynh Thi Tuyet Mong shared.

"The biggest challenge in the Women's Union's work is bringing information dissemination applications and software closer to specific member groups, including middle-aged and elderly members," shared Ms. Do Thi Phuong, a member of the Standing Committee of the Women's Union of Dan Phuong district.

A video clip shared by Mr. Matt Jackson, Head of the United Nations Population Fund in Vietnam:

During his tenure as the Head of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Vietnam, Matt Jackson implemented and participated in numerous programs and activities in the field of gender equality and support for women and girls in many provinces and cities across Vietnam, especially in remote and disadvantaged areas. Matt Jackson shared that women are playing a crucial role in Vietnam's development, from the local to the national level. However, society is witnessing significant changes in population and technology, and it is important for women to seize the opportunities of the digital age. Understanding and applying digital technology not only helps women develop themselves but also opens up opportunities for employment, business, and financial management… This is also key to helping them balance their personal lives, work, and family responsibilities…

Many programs and activities support Vietnamese women, especially in the field of digital transformation.

“Gender inequality exists in every province and every country in the world. Each context and region faces unique challenges. In some areas of Vietnam, especially mountainous provinces with large ethnic minority communities, we must ensure that information and recommendations are conveyed in a way that women can understand and access, in accordance with the local language and context. But that information must be culturally sensitive to local characteristics; this is a key factor in ensuring the message truly reaches the people,” said Matt Jackson.

As the Chairwoman of the Ben Tre Provincial Women's Union, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa frankly pointed out the difficulties and obstacles in the process of digital transformation for women, such as: lack of funding for regular training and skill development; inconsistent information technology infrastructure, although computers are widely available, many places experience malfunctions and lack funds for replacement.

Internet coverage and access to high-speed internet still vary between rural and urban areas, especially for elderly members and women in remote areas. Knowledge and skills in applying information technology software are limited; there is a lack of digital equipment and smartphones. Although the Women's Union at all levels consistently focuses on disseminating information and providing training on social media usage, cashless payments, and online fraud prevention, in recent times, female cadres and members have also faced numerous risks: the risk of personal information leakage or loss, exploitation, and fraud in the digital environment.

Along with women in provinces and cities across the country, women in Son La are striving to overcome all difficulties and adapt to digital transformation.

In the face of these difficulties and limitations, in the coming time, the Women's Union at all levels in Ben Tre province will continue to implement programs to achieve breakthroughs in the application of information technology in Union activities. At the same time, they will maximize the advantages of social media platforms in communication activities, ideological guidance, and moral and lifestyle education for members and women; guide and encourage members to share, post, and comment on positive information; and combat and refute harmful and negative information.

“Specifically, we will promote exemplary individuals and groups in digital transformation and the application of information technology in the Association's activities; proactively guide and support members and women in participating in digital transformation activities, e-commerce transactions, accessing public services on digital platforms, and using smartphones to access information in a modern way. In addition, we will organize training courses to improve the knowledge and skills of staff in applying information technology; and guide the gathering of members through piloting a model of gathering women in cyberspace to improve the quality of the Association's activities…”

Furthermore, to mitigate risks for female members participating in the digital environment, the Women's Union at all levels provides knowledge and skills so that women know how to participate safely and effectively, and promotes understanding of the benefits of digital transformation, as well as potential risks, so that they can consciously protect themselves and their loved ones when participating in the digital environment,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa, President of the Ben Tre Provincial Women's Union.

Along with women in provinces and cities across the country, women in Son La are striving to overcome all difficulties and adapt to digital transformation.

Not only in Ben Tre, but also in Son La province, women are facing difficulties on their digital transformation journey. Specifically, in Thuan Chau district (Son La province), where over 90% of the population are ethnic minorities, women have limited education and lack the knowledge and skills to use social media to introduce and promote local products, especially older women.

“Supporting women in developing local agricultural products still faces many difficulties. Most of the ideas from participating women belong to small-scale businesses and cooperatives, and have not received much investment in terms of criteria… In addition, when selling online, customers cannot see the products directly, only online, and the product packaging is not attractive, and the way products are introduced does not highlight the outstanding features of local products…”

In the coming time, to support members in livestreaming and selling online, the Women's Union of Thuan Chau district will continue to coordinate with specialized agencies and units to strengthen the organization of training courses on applying digital technology in connecting and consuming local agricultural products for female members, businesses, cooperatives, and cooperative groups owned by women. At the same time, it will actively inform organizations and individuals about digital transformation in agriculture such as: selecting appropriate standards, production processes; using software to digitize production activities, connecting with e-commerce platforms, etc.,” Ms. Luong Thanh Thuy emphasized.

Article by: Hong Phuong

Photos and videos: Le Phu, provided by the interviewee.

Presented by: Le Phu

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/long-form/xa-hoi/phu-nu-thich-ung-nhanh-voi-chuyen-doi-so-20250305091415406.htm