The ‘National Population Database’ and ‘Producing, Issuing, and Managing Chip-based Citizen ID Cards’ which are the two largest and most meaningful ever IT projects for the establishment of an electronic and then a digital government in Viet Nam will officially come into operation on July 1.

The IT projects are being developed by the Ministry of Public Security with a wide implementation range from national agencies to 63 nationwide provinces and cities.

The duo have achieved four major results: basically completing the national population data centre, completing the granting of personal identification numbers for citizens nationwide, completing the design and production of chip-based ID cards, and successfully connecting the national population database with ministries, sectors, and localities on a trial basis.

Approved by the Prime Minister in 2015 with a total capital of more than VND3,000 billion, the National Population Database collects and updates basic information of citizens, creating a database on the population in a concentrated, unified, complete, accurate and timely manner for common use by national ministries and authorities at all levels.

The project creates a basis for State management agencies to propose a roadmap to simplify administrative procedures and reduce citizenship papers towards switching from the use of paper-based household registration books to electronic residence management.

The ‘Producing, Issuing, and Managing Chip-based Citizen ID Cards’ project, approved by the Prime Minister in 2020 with a total cost of VND2,800 billion, features the construction of a data collection centre and the production of identity cards.

Chip-based ID cards only differ from previous versions in the addition of an electronic chip, while other information, including the ID number, will remain unchanged. The smart card, which is designed to be encrypted, will store facial recognition features, fingerprints, and anthropometry.

The chips can store 20 personal data fields, and have a high security level so they cannot be falsified easily.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh highly hailed the official operation of the national population database and the citizen ID database as a stride in the national governance reform to meet the regional and international integration demand.

The two projects’ outcomes will create optimal conditions for the provision of online public services and the reform of citizen management activities, thus helping with the crime fight and ensuring social order and safety.

Reporting by PHONG LAN – Translating by A.T