Upbeat economics aiding Thai Nguyen’s digital ambitions

The province is pushing the digital transformation so it can be one of the top localities this decade

Thai Nguyen has been proactively deploying diverse information systems and digital platforms for common use in the entire province, simultaneously becoming well-prepared for upgrading and supplementing mobile versions to ensure comfort and effective management of the province’s leadership at different levels, and not reliant on their geographical location.

Significantly, Thai Nguyen Intelligent Operation Centre (IOC) has been pressed into service with efficient performance since July last year. It is deemed the province’s ‘digital brain’, allowing seamless integration of data and systems, connection of information fields, and data extraction, as well as receiving information from people and businesses serving research and management activities of state administrative agencies and local government at all levels in a transparent manner.

Thai Nguyen has teamed up with state-owned leading telecom group VNPT for trial deployment of smart city solutions in Pho Yen town and Song Cong city. Currently, Song Cong has completed investment and construction of Song Cong IOC for smart city supervision and management.

With respect to digital economy development, Thai Nguyen is pushing up e-commerce and beefing up online payments through banks with a wide range of public services in tax, electric and water bills, and tuition and hospital fees, as well as payment under social welfare programmes in the province.

The province has been coordinating with leading telcos Viettel Group and VNPT to stimulate installation to best avail of digital bank and mobile payment benefits, of which Viettel Pay has reported more than 95,000 regular customers making online transactions, while VNPT Pay has reported over 105,000 subscribers.

Thai Nguyen is actively deploying digital citizenship platforms, striving to shorten the digital gap in a bid to bring public administrative services in the province right into people’s hands through mobile devices, firstly focusing on serving workers in the province’s industrial zones.

According to Do Xuan Hoa, director of Thai Nguyen Department of Information and Communications, the sectors and the management at grassroots level are eagerly embracing the development of digital government, economy, and society, and have posted upbeat results.

Thai Nguyen has reached the target of entirely providing level 4 administrative procedures in the province’s public services portal, as well as surpassing the target of having more than 80 per cent of online public services reaching level 4 standards. It aims to quicken the pace of digital transformation; upgrade and integrate its level 4 online public services on the national public information portal; and deploy a digital society platform across the province.

In light of its plan, Thai Nguyen aims to grow into a major digital transformation centre for the northern midlands and highlands region, along with the set target of carving a spot in the top 15 localities nationwide in digital transformation by 2025, laying the bedrock to reach the top 10 by 2030.

Up to 560 businesses were granted new business registration certificates during the period, pushing up the province’s total cumulative number of businesses to 7,700 units with a total capital value exceeding VND109 trillion ($4.73 billion). Thai Nguyen is now home to 169 foreign-invested projects worth more than $8.7 billion in the total committed capital value.

Trinh Viet Hung, Vice Secretary of Thai Nguyen Party Committee and Chairman of Thai Nguyen People’s Committee, noted that in a recent visit, the prime minister and the government’s working group appreciated the province’s efforts in pandemic containment, investment attraction, and socioeconomic development. They also revealed expectations that Thai Nguyen could help alleviate the difficulties facing other localities and the government in common efforts to bring the economy out of challenging times for stable development ahead.

“The rest of 2021 is important for all sectors and agencies to raise a sense of responsibility, self-reliance, and reaching consensus, striving for accomplishment of socioeconomic development targets set for 2021 beyond expectations,” said Hung.