Strengthening the connections between applications and digital platforms.

Việt Nam•07/04/2024

Engineer atFPT Software Co., Ltd. in Hoa Lac High-Tech Park, Thach That District, Hanoi.

However, most of these applications and digital platforms lack strong interconnectedness. Therefore, it is time to increase interoperability and connectivity so that these applications can fully utilize their value and features to serve the people most effectively.

According to a report by the Ministry of Information and Communications , Vietnam currently has approximately 1,500 digital technology enterprises with revenue from overseas markets. The digital technology industry is increasingly developing, bringing "Make in Vietnam" technology into all aspects of social life. Along with this, the investment and attention of local governments nationwide have achieved significant progress in digital transformation and the development of e-government.

Progress in administrative reform

Ms. Dao Thi Thu Hien (Xuan La, Tay Ho, Hanoi ) received a notification on her VneID application that her driver's license was about to expire and needed to be renewed. She accessed the Public Service Portal to find out more about the renewal process, went for a health check-up, and then uploaded photos of her old driver's license, identification documents, and health certificate to the public service system. After two weeks, she received her new driver's license delivered to her home. The VneID system also updated Ms. Hien's new driver's license. Thus, the system has been interconnected and shared...

This is one of the administrative reform steps taken by the government when applying applications, sharing data, and connecting... The increasing application of software and digital platforms is a prerequisite for Hanoi to set a goal that by 2025, science, technology, and innovation will truly become the main driving force for the socio-economic development of the capital city.

According to Nguyen Hong Son, Director of the Hanoi Department of Science and Technology, the city is implementing the "Capital City Innovation Network" and promoting its role as a "Creative City" to closely link managers, intellectuals, and entrepreneurs to serve and solve specific problems in the development process.

Not only Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, but many localities nationwide have identified the construction and development of e-government and digital government as one of their key tasks, in line with the roadmap for building the Smart City Project and the Digital Transformation Program; striving to ensure that by 2025, 100% of departments, agencies, district and commune/ward/township people's committees will implement and maintain interconnected database systems.

In Binh Duong province, Mr. Le Tuan Anh, Director of the Department of Information and Communications, said that to date, the province has developed digital infrastructure down to the neighborhood and hamlet level; 100% of communes, wards, and towns have dedicated data transmission networks; 3,666 4G BTS stations cover 100% of the province, serving 4 million subscribers. To date, 100% of applications are processed online; 1.2 million people have activated level 2 identity verification accounts; the rate of online applications has reached 76%...

Connecting, integrating, and sharing data among state agencies, especially from national databases and information systems with a scale and scope from the central to local levels, helps maximize data value and improve the quality of public services provided to users in a "citizen and business-centric" manner. Citizens and businesses do not have to provide information multiple times to state agencies or service providers, avoiding duplicate investments and waste.

Recently, the Ministry of Information and Communications launched the "Digital Village Handbook" on digital platforms to guide each citizen and household in proactively building a Digital Village – the smallest model of digital economy and digital society. As a result, many communes, hamlets, and villages have become digitized. Yen Dinh district, Thanh Hoa province, is piloting digital models in two communes, Dinh Hung and Dinh Long, bringing many practical benefits to people in various aspects of social life.

Giao Phong commune in Giao Thuy district has received an investment of 11 billion VND to implement the first "Smart New Rural Commune" model in Nam Dinh province. It is expected that by 2025, Giao Phong will successfully build a smart new rural commune ensuring three pillars: digital government, digital economy, and digital society. In the mountainous province of Lao Cai, Gia Phu commune in Bao Thang district has applied digital transformation in public administration, with over 95% of commune-level documents managed, processed, and circulated online, and over 30% of residents completing electronic authentication registrations and digitizing personal data and documents.

IGB Joint Stock Company, a pioneer in the field of digital transformation, has many applications that share and connect people in mountainous areas with those in lowland areas for trade. Among them is the "Smart Tourism" application, a platform that helps authorities manage and businesses operate and exploit tourism in the area very effectively. Notably, all of these utilities are open-source, integrating services already in operation in the area and other tourism-related services outside the area.

Digital technology businesses are gradually becoming a key factor in the country's strong development. Currently, Vietnam has more than 64,000 businesses operating in the digital technology sector, of which 1,500 have revenue from overseas markets and have reached over $7.5 billion. FPT is a pioneering model with its strategy of developing artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductor chips, and automata (automotive technology). In 2023, FPT's revenue from overseas markets reached $1 billion, accounting for more than 77% of its technology sector revenue.

Adequate investment combined with institutional and organizational transformation.

In reality, the implementation of e-government also faces certain difficulties. The technological resources needed for digital government, such as digital identification codes, digital payments, and data interoperability platforms, are not yet suitable in Vietnam due to a lack of policy and institutional consensus.

The government's cloud computing platform has not yet been built, and digital databases and integrated systems for secure data sharing have only been partially implemented. There is still a large gap to complete data and workflow digitization. Furthermore, the staff of public officials and civil servants still have limitations in terms of awareness, scientific knowledge, and management skills.

Vu Xuan Nguyen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of IGB Joint Stock Company, shared: “We are very keen to collaborate with reputable newspapers and magazines to disseminate domestic and international information through API integration, similar to many other interactive information services. However, many large newspapers and magazines are still not truly interested in connecting to the information platform, even though this integration increases reader interaction, boosts traffic to news sites, and allows information to reach people and businesses more quickly.”

Information technology experts believe that building a digital government and modernizing its operations, with the support of digital technology applications and the exploitation of digital data, requires adequate investment, combined with institutional and organizational transformation, improved human resources, and the methods and extent of mobilizing investment capital. Furthermore, promoting awareness of the benefits of a digital government should be linked to raising public awareness and providing support measures to encourage citizens to accept and participate in the digital government development process.

Decree No. 47/2020/ND-CP on the management, connection, and sharing of digital data of state agencies has established the Framework for Vietnam's e-Government Architecture. The connection of information systems and databases between ministries, sectors, and localities on a national scale must be done through the National Data Integration and Sharing Platform (NDXP). In fulfilling the task assigned by the Government and the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Information and Communications has developed and put the NDXP into use.

Currently, NDXP has connected with ministries, departments, localities, and businesses, with approximately 500,000 transactions conducted daily. For each transaction, citizens and businesses do not have to provide or declare information multiple times; civil servants and employees do not have to enter or aggregate data across multiple software programs; leaders have access to consolidated, unified, and reliable information for timely and effective decision-making; and this helps to increase data reuse, avoid duplicate investments, and prevent waste.

According to Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung: To ensure uniformity, synchronization, and enhanced connectivity between digital applications and platforms, the Ministry of Information and Communications has issued and implemented the "Vietnam e-Government Architecture Framework," which helps identify common components at the central and local levels, and defines models for connecting and sharing data on a national scale.

The Minister of Information and Communications also approved the "Program to promote the development and use of national digital platforms to serve digital transformation, the development of digital government, digital economy, and digital society." These actions by the Ministry of Information and Communications will contribute to realizing the goal of forming a digital government by 2025, gradually enabling telecommunications and digital infrastructure to fulfill its role as a crucial economic and technical infrastructure for the digital government, digital economy, and digital society.

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