Infinite Power of Digital Technology

According to a recent report by WB, although the internet, mobile phones and digital technology were rapidly popularising in developing countries, benefits such as growth promotion, job creation, and public service improvement fell short of expectations. Up to 60 percent of the world population was living on the sidelines of the digital economy which was growing faster than ever.

 

“The digital revolution is converting the world, supporting the information flow and facilitating the development of countries that know how to grasp these new opportunities. What an amazing transformation when 40 percent of the world population is now connected via the Internet. This achievement is worth celebrating, but it also makes us think about whether it is creating another class at the bottom, when there’s still 20 percent of the world who cannot read or write, technology alone is unable to close the gap on the world's knowledge,” said Mr Kaushik Basu, Chief Economist of WB.

 

From this perspective, in order to fully honour development commitments in this digital age, WB proposed two key actions. First, to bridge the digital gap by making the Internet universal, cheap, open and safe. Second, strengthening state management to help ensure fair competition between businesses, as well as tuning vocational training to requirements of the new economy and improving institutional accountability. The report called these measures the “analog complements” to digital investments.

 

Also, according to Ms Victoria Kwakwa, WB Country Director for Vietnam, the digital technology was not only about the ability to read and write, but also the popularisation of information technology to benefit the people. The implementation of E-government to help improve skills, governance efficiency and management was a content Vietnam should take into account in the development process in order to benefit the people. Digital technology had the power to even transform the economy, society and public institutions, but the changes wouldn’t come automatically. Countries needed to invest in digital technology and complements in order to gain desired results. Countries that failed to do so would be left behind. Technology, if not accompanied by a solid foundation, would likely bring in risks and create polarisation in development, with widening inequality.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam was one of the first three Vietnamese licensed by the State to use a personal computer in Vietnam; he also was the first to witness the introduction of the Internet in the country. According to him, to develop digital technology, in addition to the functions and powers of the government, enterprises should play a pivotal role, applying information technology in development. For IT corporations, besides benefits and interests, it’s important to focus on promoting shared social responsibilities to create an “ecosystem” where businesses could grow together.

 

According to Mr Vu Duc Dam, the government was doing its best to bring technology closer to the people. In return, the government expected every citizen to use this technology with a mindset that this was a marvellous tool to open opportunities. In terms of the downside of using technology, it’s crucial to establish of practice of self-protection as well as protection for the community. In addition, the community and society needed to show respect and admiration to those who create technology products. There’s no reason to hinder the development of digital technology just because it has some shortcomings. IT management in Vietnam must follow the philosophy of “adapting while moving,” emphasised Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.

 

Mr Truong Gia Binh, Chairman of FPT, referred to the practical example of the taxi service Uber, a good service to the people, cheaper and more efficient in terms of using society's resources, there’s no reason to go against it. Instead, we needed to further facilitate the use of this service. The faster the application of information technology in business the better, affirmed Mr Truong Gia Binh. From a more macro viewpoint, Mr Truong Gia Binh said as the information technology industry was growing rapidly, the concern about whether traditional businesses could “stay alive” or not before the invasion of new enterprises using advanced technology was no longer a hot topic, but more important was the need to “push” old businesses to go faster in the access and application of technology in business to stay competitive in the market.

 

Regarding the professional management of information technology, Mr Nguyen Thanh Tuyen, Deputy Director of Information Technology Department, Ministry of Information & Communications, said the government was doing its best to create more opportunities for the people to access technologies. However, facing much unfavourable information, the government must also raise some kinds of barrier concretized into law. Currently the draft Law on Information Security was under discussion. Also, other laws such as the Civil Code and the Criminal Code had their own provisions to ensure information security.

 

According to Mr Tuyen, closing the Internet means a stifling space, opening up would let in the fresh air but we would have to deal with dust, flies and beetles. Therefore to handle the outstanding problems, legal background was very important for the handle of violations. In parallel, the work of propaganda to raise awareness also needed more attention to stem unintentional violations in everyday life.