With deliberate steps and a fitting roadmap, Hanoi has achieved significant results in its digital transformation. As one of the pioneering provinces, the city has successfully ensured all necessary conditions and seamlessly connected to the national population database to facilitate the reception and resolution of administrative procedures.
Positive strides
In recent times, Hanoi has recognized digital transformation as an opportunity to bring equality and benefits to various segments of society. Thanks to a clear roadmap and meticulous step-by-step implementation, Hanoi’s digital transformation has been consistently applied from the city level down to the grassroots.
A noteworthy positive step in the digital transformation effort is the digitization of population data in residential groups and villages. At Group 7, Duc Thang Ward (Bac Tu Liem District), one can easily observe the application of information technology in the management and operation of the Party cell, residential group, and various community organizations.
Mr. Nguyen Manh Hoat, Secretary of the Party cell, shared that Group 7 has implemented the construction of “Population Data” and the “Electronic Residential Group” model. During the 2018-2019 period and up to now, after completing the construction of population data, Group 7 has assisted residents in performing various administrative procedures at level 3 public services, such as birth registration, death declaration, marriage registration, and determining marital status.
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Efficient population management in Group 7, Duc Thang Ward thanks to data digitization. |
Through the “Electronic Residential Group” model, a few mouse clicks on the computer have made the population management work of Group 7 in Duc Thang Ward notably effective. With this innovative approach, Party committee members, group leaders, and various community organizations in Group 7 can effortlessly access essential information such as the community’s educational background, demographics, age groups, and residential addresses on a digital map. Even details like the layout of streets, the number of floors in each house, the count of households, and the citizens reaching military service age are all displayed. This digital integration has made the population management efforts of Group 7 highly effective, avoiding the discrepancies in data that were encountered in the past.
Group 7 has also established two Zalo groups, focused on serving and coordinating the group’s activities, under the supervision of the Group Head. Among them, the “Group 7 Forum” Zalo group has the participation of key district leaders. Starting with just over 60 members, the group has grown to over 220 members to date, covering 78% of registered “Cultural Families” in Group 7, which accounts for 280 families.
The leadership of Duc Thang Ward stated that the model of Group 7 has been recognized and highly praised by the Ward People’s Committee and Bac Tu Liem District. In the coming period, the ward plans to expand the “Electronic Residential Group” model to all groups within its jurisdiction. This initiative is considered a successful approach in the digital transformation and the establishment of an electronic government.
Alongside the concerted efforts of government authorities at all levels, actively promoting awareness and guiding citizens, down to the communal and ward levels, about digital transformation is a crucial task. In the city, there are already over 500 Community Digital Technology Groups with more than 2,000 members spread across four districts and towns: Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Dong Anh, and Soc Son.
Each district and town in the City will proactively choose one commune/ward to pilot-test communication work, disseminating basic digital skills to the public, such as accessing and using the internet, email, online shopping, electronic payments, online public services, and ensuring the security of personal information. They will construct a model for digital transformation, serving as the foundation for replication at the local level. Additionally, they will establish proactive propaganda teams to guide citizens in performing administrative procedures.
An exemplary case is found in Truc Bach Ward (Ba Dinh District), where members of dynamic teams visit each household, approaching individuals to provide support and advice on the significance and convenience of using the national public service portal. This approach enhances understanding of online services and the new digital data platform. Consequently, the effectiveness of the local government’s administrative reform through the application of information technology is evident, significantly reducing the time required for administrative procedures in the ward.
Numerous innovative models and approaches have also been deployed by various units and districts across the City to optimize public service delivery time, progressively building a digital government. Examples include “Mobile teams supporting online public services at home,” “Green Friday,” “No-writing Tuesday,” “Saturday volunteer support for citizens to perform online public services,” and “24/7 administrative procedure support points.”
In conjunction with the development of the digital government, the initial results of digital transformation have permeated into the daily lives of citizens, becoming a habit. This is most evident in activities such as electronic transactions for paying utility bills (electricity, water, digital television), taxes, school fees, fees, and charges for administrative procedures. People are also increasingly using electronic health insurance cards, installing VneID applications, and creating accounts on the province’s and the national public service portals to carry out necessary administrative procedures.
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An official is guiding a citizen to complete online public service procedures. |
For businesses, the most noticeable benefits of digital transformation lie in enhancing transparency and effective business management, cost savings in operations, and optimizing employee productivity – all contributing to creating the optimal customer service experience.
A case in point is the Hanoi Power Corporation, where, with the customer service platform implemented since 2021, citizens can access electricity services anytime, anywhere, continuously, through online transaction channels such as the EVNHANOI app and the evnhanoi.vn website. Digitizing electricity services has significantly boosted EVNHANOI’s labor productivity and saved travel time, as all processes are now conducted online.
Digital transformation is the political determination of the City.
According to information from the Department of Information and Communications, Hanoi’s digital transformation efforts began in 2021. This is an area of special concern for the City Party Committee, the City People’s Committee, and the functional agencies.
Although there were no specific legal documents on digital transformation from 2022 until now, immediately after the issuance of Resolution No. 18-NQ/TU by the City Party Committee on digital transformation, building Hanoi into a smart city by 2025, with a vision to 2030, a significant transformation has occurred in awareness and actions at all levels, sectors, and units.
The initial results of the digital transformation recorded in the first six months of 2023 show that Hanoi is one of the first provinces/cities to ensure full conditions and successful connection to the national population database, serving the reception and resolution of administrative procedures.
Digital transformation-related rankings and assessments for 2022 have improved, with the Provincial Digital Transformation Index (DTI) ranking 24th out of 63 provinces/cities, marking a 16-place jump from 2021…
Hanoi is actively collaborating with businesses to provide free digital signatures for citizens at the one-stop section of departments, sectors, and district/commune/ward People’s Committees. Up to now, approximately 10 thousand free digital signatures have been issued across the city for Hanoi residents to utilize online public services…
Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, Tran Sy Thanh, emphasized that Hanoi is at the forefront nationwide in implementing measures to assist citizens in participating in online public services and digital transformation when interacting with the authorities.
The City People’s Committee has concentrated its directives to ensure that, within a short period, the city-wide shared data systems have been completed (Report Information System, Document and Operation Management System, 3-level Administrative Procedure Resolution Information System). Regulations and guidelines have been issued to ensure the safe and efficient operation of information systems.
“It can be said that, despite the considerable workload and the challenges posed by these new tasks, especially given the large scale of the city with 10 million inhabitants, with political determination, the City will undoubtedly undergo positive transformations in the coming time, effectively implementing digital transformation tasks and contributing to the economic and social development of the Capital,” stated the Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee.
Continuing to strengthen digital transformation activities, for the tasks in the last six months of 2023, the Department of Information and Communications stated that it will advise on building plans for applying information technology in the activities of state agencies, developing electronic governance towards a digital government, and ensuring the cybersecurity of the city by 2024.
Also, the Department has developed the smart city of Hanoi city scheme and Hanoi city’s open data inventory. The Department is actively reviewing, updating, adjusting, and supplementing the database inventory of the city, incorporating electronic identification codes for agencies and units under the direct jurisdiction of the City People’s Committee.
The Department is developing an index set for evaluating the digital transformation of state agencies within the city, intensifying efforts to promote the development of digital technology businesses, products labeled “Make in Vietnam,” and the infrastructure for the digital technology industry. The focus is on refining the procedures for issuing and implementing plans subsequent to the issuance of national strategies by the Prime Minister.
The department is continuing to implement the city People’s Committee’s plans for developing the Postal and Telecommunications infrastructure to serve the city’s digital transformation program. It supports bringing agricultural households onto e-commerce platforms, driving the digital economic development of agriculture and rural areas in the city. Additionally, there are initiatives to pilot the national digital address platform integrated with digital maps across the city.
Ngan Phuong