Digital Transformation Helps Sharpen Competitiveness

The Department of Information and Communications of Long An province has advised and executed many tasks and solutions to speed up administrative reform, enhance competitiveness and obtain significant achievements in the past years. In particular, carrying out Resolution 21-NQ/TU dated August 20, 2021 of the Standing Board of the Provincial Party Committee on the digital transformation of Long An province to 2025 and further to 2030, digital transformation has been fully deployed to boost digital government, digital economy and digital society. Mr. Nguyen Ba Luan, Director of Long An Department of Information and Communications, gives an exclusive interview on these efforts.

Could you please tell us what tasks and solutions have been advised by the Department of Information and Communications to speed up public administration reform, improve the business environment and raise the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI)?

The information and communications sector has proposed using information technology (IT) application systems in administrative management and administrative procedure settlement. All eligible administrative procedures are provided online and delivered at the Provincial Information Services Portal (dichvucong.longan.gov.vn), helping to enhance publicity and transparency while reducing costs for businesses. Notably, the department advised the Provincial People's Committee to promulgate Directive 1559/CT-UBND dated May 27, 2022 on focused solutions for electronic settlement of administrative procedures via information services, and Decision 45/2022/QD-UBND dated August 17, 2022 on implementation of Resolution 08/2022/NQ-HDND dated July 13, 2022 of the Provincial People's Council on regulations on 50% fee reduction for implementation of administrative procedures to apply public services in Long An province.

The sector has also promoted IT application training regarding settlement of administrative procedures in order to improve productivity and working quality of responsible public employees; and coordinated in executing solutions to encourage enterprises to invest in Long An province by creating channels that provide information support, investment advice and investment promotion.

In addition, the sector has carried out communication programs to provide information about the latest policies and regulations for businesses and investors. Implementing the above solutions has helped Long An province improve its business environment and raise its PCI Index as well.

To embrace the digital transformation trend in the country, how have you advised the Party and local authorities to promote digital transformation?

We advised the Standing Board of the Provincial Party Committee to promulgate Resolution 21-NQ/TU on the digital transformation of Long An province to 2025, with an eye to 2030 to "bring digital technology into all aspects of social and economic life" and "open digital transformation for people and businesses to participate and interact with state agencies"; consulted the Provincial People's Committee to launch Program 3288/CTr-UBND dated October 8, 2021 to implement Resolution 21 and many programs and plans to foster digital transformation in the province with very specific targets and tasks. We also focused on consolidating steering committees on digital transformation from the province to the grassroots. Thanks to these efforts, digital transformation has been implemented comprehensively and synchronously in the province.

While building an information system to interconnect governmental agencies, businesses and people, the information and communications sector has also collaborated to advise and execute solutions to speed up digital transformation in companies to help them improve business capacity, management and cost reduction, while creating favorable conditions for technology startups.

The sector has also advised promoting training, raising awareness and capacity of public employees on digital transformation, and enhancing information security management of governmental agencies, organizations, enterprises and people against cyber security threats.

The above solutions have helped Long An achieve initial success. However, frankly speaking, digital transformation is still facing difficulties because professional human resources and infrastructure are insufficient, and habits and lifestyles to catch up with digital transformation are not very good. As a result, it is necessary to come up with more appropriate and stronger solutions in the future.

The launching ceremony of Long An province’s Intelligent Operations Center (IOC) and the Shared Database Deport

After more than a year of executing Resolution 21-NQ/TU dated August 20, 2021 of the Standing Board of the Provincial Party Committee on digital transformation of Long An province to 2025, with a vision to 2030, and Program 3288/CTr-UBND of the Provincial People's Committee, would you tell us about the province’s outstanding results?

So far, Long An province has achieved initial results on all three pillars: digital government, digital economy and digital society.

First of all, accelerating the construction of e-government toward the digital government has helped improve the effectiveness of administrative management and direction of local State agencies. Most of the professional activities and operations of the government have gradually shifted to the digital environment (100% of documents are electronically issued and digitally signed; 100% of administrative records are received and processed in the network environment, operational software and specialized databases.) The province has fully provided and increasingly used public services (over 96% of administrative procedures are submitted online).

In particular, the launch of the Intelligent Operations Center (IOC), the shared database storage, and the Open Data Portal of the province is a stepping stone for the province to open up a new way for leaders at all levels and branches to execute their leadership; a foundation to move towards a digitalized Long An, lead and boost the development of digital government, digital economy and digital society. This is an important basis for bringing the Resolution on Digital Transformation of the Standing Board of the Provincial Party Committee into practice.

Besides the digital government, the development of the digital economy and digital society also came to fruition. The province initially tested 5G coverage (five 5G BTS stations provided by Viettel) and saw 56,926 organizations and individuals selling their agricultural products on e-commerce platforms (https://postmart.vn, https://voso.vn) with 8,047 registered products. The agriculture sector has deployed digital applications (like blockchain and QR code) in traceability; and supported over 1.7 million electronic stamps with QR code traceability for 14 facilities certified with safe food supply chain certificates. The industry and trade sector has piloted non-cash payments at markets and commercial centers. The province has also focused on promoting cashless payment in education, healthcare, agriculture and public administration.

Clearly, efforts for stronger digital transformation have gradually changed the working methods of public employees; improved life quality for people and boosted economic growth. However, the province will need to make more efforts and must continue to invest in digital infrastructure, improve capacity and tackle difficulties and challenges in the digital transformation toward building a smart and sustainable province to realize its digital transformation goals by 2025 and by 2030.

In the coming time, how will you make efforts to help investors quickly access local potential, advantages and resources?

In order to help investors easily access the province's potential, advantages and resources, we will perform the following tasks:

1. Focus on perfecting digital systems and platforms, especially those that provide information and support interaction between people and businesses with State agencies, including Long An ID, Switchboard 1022 and websites; and carry out solutions to improve the use of public services.

2. Continue to improve the shared database and stimulate sharing for people and businesses through the province's open data portal, digital map data portal (GIS) and other platforms and applications to help investors easily look up and search information about industrial zones, urban areas and development projects in the province.

3. Organize events and seminars to introduce potential advantages and resources in industry, agriculture and tourism to attract investors, and provide opportunities for companies to meet and exchange with each other

4. Propose solutions to step up IT application and digital transformation in the management and operation of industrial zones, urban areas and other projects in the province.

5. Further train professional qualifications and skills for officials and employees working in the information and communications sector to meet the province's requirements for digital transformation.

6. Coordinate with relevant bodies to advise on support policies and advise enterprises, and empower digital companies to invest and do business in the province.

Thank you very much!

Source:  Vietnam Business Forum