Da Nang is the most potential locality in Viet Nam to execute digital transformation.

Picture taken at the Da Nang-based FPT Co.,Ltd

The statement was made by Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung at the Monday workshop to launch a project on boosting digital transformation in Da Nang to 2025, with a vision to 2030.

Hosted by Da Nang People’s Committee, the event was attended nearly 100 delegates who were digital transformation experts, and representatives from associations and business, across Viet Nam.

Putting citizens and businesses at the heart of digital transformation

In his opening speech at the workshop, Da Nang Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Van Quang highlighted the significance of boosting digital transformation in Da Nang to realise the city's ambitious target of completing the building of a smart city connected with the networks of smart cities in Viet Nam, and in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as becoming an ecological, modern, smart and liveable city in Viet Nam.

Mr Quang said Da Nang boasts great potential for digital transformation thanks to its rich experience in, and positive results from, the development of e-government model over the past decade, and the implementation of the ‘Building a Smart City’ project for nearly 2 years.

Additionally, Da Nang people have initially formed a habit of accessing and using online services.

The city Party Chief also pointed out the biggest challenge facing Da Nang in making the public's engagement in digital transformation. Mr Quang also said that the city identified people and businesses being the driving forces behind any successful digital transformation.

“The focus should be on raising public awareness about digital transformation, and promoting the application of digital technology in such aspects as administration, public services and business activities” remarked Mr Quang.

Deputy Minister Dung said that Da Nang was the most potential locality in Viet Nam to execute digital transformation thanks to its population of around 1.5 million people, the great efforts of the city's leaders and the efficient operation of enforcement forces.

Mr Dung pledged that the Ministry of Information and Communications would be willing to help Da Nang to perform its short-term and long-term digital transformation tasks.

Da Nang Party Secretary Quang (centre) witnessing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on digital transformation between the municipal Department of Information and Communications and the Department of Information Technology under the Ministry of Information and Communications

Promoting the exploitation of social resources

During the workshop, participating experts highlighted the vital role of businesses and people in executing digital transformation.

Dr Nguyen Quan, the former Minister of Science and Technology, underlined a must-do for Da Nang to develop key businesses that can localise the national government-developed digital transformation platforms, thereby creating its own specific products for tourism and high-tech industries.

Professor Bui Van Ga, former Deputy Minister of Education and Training cum former Director of the Da Nang University (UDN), stressed the need for the city to establish specialised educational establishments for digital transformation.

“Importance should be attached to building a smart product research and development centre, developing a data transmission platform over the LORA network and clean energy controlled by Internet of Things, and building energy-saving smart homes, in the city” Mr Ga said.

Mr Truong Gia Binh, Chairman of the Vietnamese technology company FPT and the Vietnam Software and IT Services Association, said transformation in the new digital era requires a holistic, human-centric approach, so digital transformation would be successfully executed with the 3H principle (Heart, Head and Hands).

Mr Binh added 3H is a fresh approach to digital transformation in which the order of the three steps is vitally important: starting from aspiration and will (heart), mapping out short-term and long-term plans and strategies (head), and putting knowledge into practice (hands).

By KHANG NINH - Translated by M.D