Promoting the 'digitalization' of household businesses.

Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW dated May 4, 2025, of the Politburo sets a strong requirement for the development of the private economy in conjunction with the modernization of governance. In this spirit, Thai Nguyen identifies digital transformation for household businesses as a crucial task. This is both an inevitable trend and a condition for this sector to enhance its competitiveness, maintain stable operations, and open up new growth opportunities for the local economy.

Thanks to the acceleration of digital transformation, the digital consumer and payment ecosystem is increasingly being widely applied in supermarkets and convenience stores throughout the province. Photo: Provided

The foundation for transformation

Digital transformation can only be truly effective when supported by a sufficiently strong and extensive digital infrastructure. This is a key advantage for Thai Nguyen province at present, as the province proactively takes a step ahead in investing in telecommunications and internet infrastructure, creating a solid foundation for the household business sector to thrive in the digital environment.

Currently, the province has approximately 357,000 fixed broadband internet subscribers, including 339,000 household fiber optic subscribers, equivalent to nearly 80 subscribers per 100 households. Fiber optic networks have been deployed to 99.3% of villages and hamlets; about 95% of the population has access to fixed broadband internet with speeds up to Gbps. This shows that businesses, including those in rural and mountainous areas, have relatively equal access to digital platforms.

Along with fixed infrastructure, mobile communication infrastructure continues to expand and upgrade. With 3,348 broadcasting locations and 5,884 BTS stations of various types, the mobile network has covered 99.5% of the province's population. Notably, 156 5G stations have been put into operation, covering approximately 28% of the population, contributing to improved connectivity quality and creating opportunities for digital business models such as multi-channel sales, livestreaming, and real-time data management.

With 1.78 million mobile subscribers, of which approximately 90% are broadband internet subscribers, it can be affirmed that Thai Nguyen's digital infrastructure is already in a state of readiness. The issue now is no longer whether or not there is connectivity, but how to transform that connectivity into productivity, efficiency, and a competitive advantage for each business household.

An employee at a business in Van Xuan ward prints an electronic invoice generated from a cash register for a customer.

This requirement becomes even more urgent as, from January 1, 2026, the lump-sum tax mechanism will officially end, and business households will be required to declare taxes based on actual revenue.

The use of electronic invoices, revenue management software, and digital data storage and reporting will become the new operating standard for the grassroots economic sector.

This presents a significant challenge, but at the same time opens up opportunities for a fundamental shift from manual business methods to modern management, from experience-based business to data-driven business.

Transparency in the governance of household businesses.

If digital infrastructure is the foundation, then transparency is the turning point that determines the quality of the digital transformation process. Thai Nguyen is one of the localities that has aggressively implemented the application of electronic invoices with tax authority codes generated from cash registers, with 100% of businesses and business households participating.

This is not simply a tax management requirement, but a "boost" to force business households to change their management mindset. When all transactions are recorded using digital data, revenue and expenses are clearly reflected, optimizing operations and improving production and business efficiency.

At Huong Tam Mart in Pho Yen, compliance with electronic invoicing regulations is considered a mandatory requirement linked to reputation and service quality. Ms. Vu Thi Khanh Ninh, representative of Huong Tam Mart, said: "With a large number of customers and continuous transactions, errors would easily occur if we didn't manage everything with electronic invoices and sales software."

Revenue transparency is not only essential for fulfilling tax obligations, but also helps control inventory, cash flow, and serve customers more quickly and accurately. In the modern retail environment, especially with customer groups such as factory workers, electronic invoices and digital payments have become a familiar part of business operations.

Tax officials at local tax office 6 are disseminating information to business households about the abolition of lump-sum tax and the switch to tax declaration. Photo: Provided.

Along with increased transaction transparency, the digital consumer and payment ecosystem in the province is developing strongly. The province currently has 181 online sales websites registered with the Ministry of Industry and Trade; the Thai Nguyen provincial e-commerce platform is maintained and developed as an official connection channel.

Notably, the "Ban Viet - Thai Nguyen" agricultural product store on Shopee has helped many local products overcome geographical limitations and directly reach consumers nationwide.

Cashless payments are gradually becoming commonplace, with over 1.4 million accounts verified using biometrics; Mobile Money services have attracted over 513,000 customers and more than 9,300 payment acceptance points. Cumulative e-commerce revenue reached nearly 11.2 trillion VND, clearly demonstrating the dynamism of the digital economy in the grassroots sector.

In particular, over 554,000 active public digital signatures, representing over 41% of the adult population, have facilitated the full participation of business households in electronic transactions and online administrative procedures. Transparency thus serves both state management and directly enhances the competitiveness of individual business households.

However, in many traditional markets, especially in the northern part of the province, the process of transparentizing business operations still faces many difficulties. Some small traders are still hesitant to switch from manual record-keeping to digital data management, due to limitations in technological skills and anxiety about mandatory changes.

Tax officials from facility 1 and the software provider guided a representative of a business in Phan Dinh Phung ward on installing and using the tax declaration software on a computer.

Ms. Vu Thi Duyen, a small business owner at Duc Xuan Market, is one of the first to adopt electronic invoices in the traditional market environment. After more than two years of using electronic invoices for both input and output, Ms. Vu Thi Duyen believes that transparency has created a fundamental change in the way she manages her business. Previously, income and expenses were mainly recorded by memory or in a fragmented manner, making control very difficult. With the application of electronic invoices, revenue has become clearer, and reconciliation of records is more convenient, allowing her to proactively adjust her sales methods based on actual results.

The story from Duc Xuan Market shows that transparency is both a management requirement and a driving force for small traders to improve business efficiency. When psychological barriers are removed and skills are honed, electronic invoices and digital tools are no longer a burden, but become the foundation for a modern business management method, in line with the trend of digital transformation.

Accelerating digital transformation for household businesses.

Recognizing that digital transformation cannot succeed if it remains merely a policy, Thai Nguyen has chosen a grassroots approach, focusing on household businesses. After a foundational phase through extensive communication, synchronized training, and direct support at the grassroots level, the province is now entering an acceleration phase with specific, measurable goals.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy, Deputy Director of the Thai Nguyen Department of Science and Technology, the current acceleration phase is crucial because digital transformation needs to start with practical tools. Through these tools, businesses can gradually become familiar with transparent management and efficient operation before new policies are officially implemented.

On November 28, 2025, in Thai Nguyen, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in coordination with the Ministry of Science and Technology, the People's Committee of Thai Nguyen province, and digital technology businesses and banks, organized a conference to implement a pilot plan to support shops and business households in the province to accelerate digital transformation.

A highlight of Thai Nguyen's approach is the close collaboration between the locality and central ministries, agencies, and technology businesses. The Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Industry and Trade are currently piloting support for nearly 20,000 wholesale and retail households, thereby forming standard models for replication. This collaboration provides businesses with additional support during the transformation process, while significantly reducing initial costs and risks.

According to the plan, the province will conduct surveys of 15,000 business households, organize training in 100% of communes and wards, and standardize data and integrate it into the national digital transformation assessment system. The goal is that by June 2026, all business households will be guided to access digital platforms and complete the assessment of their digital transformation level according to the standards of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Sharing his perspective on the grassroots approach, Mr. Nghiem Xuan Quyet, Head of the Economic, Infrastructure and Urban Planning Department of Linh Son Ward, stated: Digital transformation only truly goes in-depth when local authorities directly get involved. Coordinating with tax authorities and technology companies to provide guidance right at markets and residential areas helps small traders familiarize themselves with basic operations such as registering tax codes, using electronic invoices, and managing sales on digital platforms. The synchronized support from the central government to the local level has contributed to strengthening the confidence of business households during the transformation process.

With a decisive, focused, and practical approach, Thai Nguyen is gradually asserting its role as a pioneering locality in the digital transformation of the grassroots economic sector. The digital transformation of household businesses thus becomes a solution to management challenges, while also serving as a driving force for growth, improving the quality and sustainability of the local economy in the digital age.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202512/thuc-day-so-hoa-ho-kinh-doanh-62f2059/