Smart villages benefit the people.

Building smart villages is not only a step forward in applying technology but also opens up a new direction of development for rural areas, contributing to improving the quality of life of residents. This is also the foundation for forming a modern residential community that knows how to exploit technology in residential management activities, and effectively apply it in production and business.

Phu Ly Bac village has 13 security cameras installed in public areas and main traffic routes, contributing to ensuring security and order in the area.

To better understand the smart village, we met Mr. Pham Van Cu, Party Cell Secretary, Head of Phu Ly Bac village, Thieu Trung commune. Phu Ly Bac village was recognized as a model new rural village from 2022 and a smart village in 2024. With more than 2.7 billion VND from socialized capital sources to invest in completing the criteria of a model village and a smart village, Phu Ly Bac village has had a clear change, with many utilities contributing to helping rural people get closer to digital technology applications.

While showing us village management applications such as Zalo groups and camera monitoring software, Mr. Cu said: “I and many other village officials often use our phones to update information about the village, the village Party branch, and new documents from the commune via Zalo messages. It has many benefits! For example, when organizing Party branch meetings, the content and meeting invitations are sent to the group so members can study them beforehand. When they speak at the meeting, their presentations are more in-depth and focused. The village now has many ‘eyes and ears’ thanks to 13 security cameras located on main roads and in densely populated residential areas. And most conveniently, since installing information technology applications and digital transformation in the lighting sector, managing the automated electrical system is much easier; turning it on/off and adjusting it are all done through the application.”

Furthermore, the community center has installed free high-speed Wi-Fi, allowing residents to access and utilize information online. Over 70% of the working-age population in Phu Ly Bac village possesses the skills to use online public services and essential digital services. Residents are also gradually developing cashless payment habits. Bank transfers and QR code scanning are becoming increasingly common, creating a new level of sophistication in rural commerce.

The smart village model in Phu Ly Bac contributes to promoting digital transformation in Thieu Trung commune. The locality is striving to have a model of digital transformation in each village and each sector by 2030. It encourages businesses and households to apply digital technology, e-commerce, and production and business management software, thereby achieving a breakthrough in the strong application of science and technology , digital transformation, and artificial intelligence in all fields, contributing to the commune's transformation into a ward by 2030.

In Kim Son village - where there are more than 210 households with more than 900 people, the smart village model is not an achievement or slogan but has become a convenience in daily life. Achieving the standard of a model new rural village since 2021 and being one of the first villages in the commune to be recognized as a smart village in 2023, Kim Son village has clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of applying technology to community management.

Kim Son village chief Le Van Tu shared: “Building a smart village brings many practical benefits. From accessing public services, receiving government notifications to transactions, trading... all can be done easily via a smartphone.”

Thanks to completing the criteria of a smart village, technology infrastructure has been invested synchronously. Each family has a representative participating in the village's common zalo groups. These groups have become "hotlines" to help information be transmitted more quickly and conveniently. When the village needs to carry out tasks, just one notification is sent, and people can easily grasp it.

“When there is work to be done, announcements in the village, the village's zalo group becomes a useful "tool". Even when there is a field infested with pests, people also film clips, take photos and post them to the group to ask experienced people how to prevent and control pests," Mr. Tu added.

According to the Provincial People's Committee's decision on the criteria for smart villages in the 2024-2025 period, a village recognized as meeting the standards must satisfy 10 criteria, many of which require a high level of digital technology application. Specifically, at least 80% of households must have fiber optic internet, 80% of people of working age must own smartphones, over 70% must be equipped with basic digital skills, and 80% must have electronic payment accounts. In addition, 80% of people of working age must have digital signatures or personal electronic signatures, and 100% of households and businesses must accept electronic payments.

In addition to the criteria on infrastructure and digital skills, smart villages must deploy digital platforms in information and propaganda work; have at least one model of applying information technology, digital transformation in one of the following areas: security and order, production, business, agriculture , environment, health, education, energy, lighting... Surveillance camera systems on roads, community activity points with wifi, computers connected to the internet and online conference systems are also mandatory requirements.

The implementation in the province shows that up to now, the whole province has more than 30 villages recognized as smart villages. Many places have initially effectively operated digital platforms to transmit information, promote, support cashless payment transactions, serve production and life. This is a positive signal, affirming that rural digital transformation is on the right track and creating practical value for people.

However, the process of building smart villages and effectively maintaining the current criteria still faces many challenges. Most smart villages have only stopped at establishing interaction channels via social networks, while in-depth criteria such as putting products on e-commerce platforms, tracing origins or applying technology in production have not achieved clear results. Equipping machines for community activity points such as wifi, computers, online conference systems or security cameras all require regular operating and maintenance funds. However, in many localities, resources are still limited, the ability to mobilize socialization is uneven, causing many village units to be confused in maintaining operations, leading to investment that is difficult to promote long-term effectiveness.

Text and photos: Viet Huong

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/thon-thong-minh-nguoi-dan-duoc-huong-loi-271267.htm