Advancing Digital Transformation

To become a Top 10 performer of digital transformation, smart city development and smart administrative reform in the country, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province is trying to engage the whole political system, provincial and local agencies, business organizations and people in carrying out digital transformation.

2021 witnessed Ba Ria - Vung Tau province launching its digital transformation program, marked by a resolution on digital transformation and smart cities associated with administrative reform issued by the Provincial Party Committee. Closing this "banner" year, the province obtained outstanding achievements in digital transformation: Launching the province's integrated sharing platform and data connection center; 100% of administrative procedures of Level 3 and Level 4 provided online; electronic single-window software applied at all three levels of government, connected to the National Public Service Portal. Many information systems, specialized databases and fields have been deployed. In particular, Ba Ria - Vung Tau is the 8th locality in the country to have 5G coverage after the fourth COVID-19 epidemic outbreak is basically controlled, thus creating a foundation for accelerating infrastructure construction for digital environment and digital business and making Ba Ria - Vung Tau move faster on the road of digital economy.

In agriculture, the province has supported activating 9,000 accounts for agricultural production households on e-commerce platforms; piloted the Intelligent City Monitoring and Operation Center (IOC); and tested AI-powered automatic telephone switchboards. In addition, Ba Ria-Vung Tau is the first province nationwide to integrate digital signature authentication services on mobile platforms into the Provincial Public Service Portal; and put into operation tourism e-commerce platform - a market for local products, specialties, services, restaurants, hotels, attractions that works as a bridge for tourists nationwide to search for tourism products in Ba Ria - Vung Tau.

With a massive workload, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Ba Ria - Vung Tau is one of seven departments, agencies and localities of the province prioritized to choose for deployment of the "smart city, e-government" model. In 2021, the agency completed building a land management instruction book application on both Android and iOS mobile systems, deployed to the Subdepartment of Natural Resources and Environment and People's Committees at all levels, enabling local authorities to access the land database. The department completed applying Public Land Management, built a database for 7,571 land plots with a total area of over 11,104 ha and published data to citizens and businesses on the Internet. It also promoted methods of receiving dossiers and delivering results of administrative procedures via public postal services and the electronic network environment; and deployed cashless payment of fees, charges and other expenses for people and businesses with various means.

At the local level, over the past time, Vung Tau City has focused on implementing key tasks of digital transformation in all three aspects: digital government, digital economy and digital society. Up to now, all 17 People's Committees of wards and communes have established digital transformation steering committees and issued action plans to this effect. All ordinary administrative documents (except for confidential documents) of professionally specialized departments and divisions are sent and received in the electronic environment and signed digitally. In addition, the city has effectively carried out online meetings between Vung Tau City People's Committee with People's Committees of 17 wards and communes on jabber application; organized training courses for agencies and units to use QR codes and scan QR codes to receive meeting documents in the online environment for paperless meetings. As for digital economic and social transformation, Vung Tau City has cooperated with service providers to launch Market 4.0 with cashless payment at four markets: Vung Tau Market, Thang Nhat Market, Nguyen Cong Tru Seafood Market and Ward 7 Market. As a result, 168 out of 542 small traders are using QR codes. Up to now, more than 50% of citizens are settling online payment for electricity, water and telecommunications service bills.

Together with Vung Tau City, Phu My Town has also fostered information technology application in local administration; increased the rate of online public service delivery to Level 3 and Level 4; focused on applying digital information, digital knowledge and digital data as main production factors; used the Internet as an activity space; and used digital technology and digital platforms to increase labor productivity. At the same time, the town has appealed and encouraged people to change their habits and switch from direct cash payment to noncash payment. By late 2025, the town will have 800 points of noncash payment acceptance and 90-95% of services will be paid online.

Resolution of the 7th Ba Ria - Vung Tau Provincial Party Congress (2020-2025 term) defines smart city development as one of key and breakthrough tasks. The province worked out the "Ba Ria - Vung Tau Smart City Development Project in 2020-2022, with a vision to 2025 and to 2030" with the aim of turning Ba Ria - Vung Tau into a smart city, confidently joining Top 10 leading provinces and cities nationwide in digital transformation, smart city development and administrative reform. To accomplish these goals, in the coming time, Ba Ria - Vung Tau will focus on integrating services for people and businesses; foster digital transformation, create a strong change in awareness and actions so that digital transformation is really the driving force for local development. The province has gradually carried out digital economy and digital society in some priority sectors and fields such as tourism, services, seaports, environmental resources, health, education, transport and urban areas.

In addition, the province will mobilize social resources for developing digital infrastructure and information technology infrastructure for information technology development and smart city development, with focus on construction of an intelligent operation and control center, thereby creating the foundation and driving force for future development of digital economy.

Source: Vietnam Business Forum