The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated Vietnam’s digital transformation as the government, ministries, localities, and businesses have effectively applied IT in both epidemic prevention and production.

Businesses have used IT to boost production and sales. Digital models have created breakthroughs in productivity and management during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nguyen Xuan Truong, former Director of ewallet app MoMo and co-founder of the AhaMove delivery app, said “During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people worked from home. Who remained on the streets? The drivers of either Grab or AhaMove. A digital platform allows a company to grow rapidly. For example AhaMove is several times larger than it was 4 years ago. Technology has created new jobs.”

IT has played an important role in the fight against COVID-19. IT experts have developed 20 applications useful in epidemic prevention and control measures like tracing, monitoring, and quarantine activities.  

Online administrative services have increased during the pandemic. The Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Health now provide online public health services for pandemic prevention. Vietnamese IT experts have developed and produced several new 5G devices, which will enter the market later this year.

Vietnam is implementing the Prime Minister’s directive on “National Digital Transformation until 2025 and vision to 2030.”

"The Ministry considers super broadband and cloud computing the most important telecommunication technologies to be developed this year. The Ministry will instruct all localities to develop new telecommunications infrastructure and increased the rate shared infrastructure to 20%. Telecom companies are allowed to provide 5G services at industrial parks, research centers, universities, and big cities", Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Phan Tam noted. 

The National Digital Transformation Program until 2025 targets completion of a national database and putting 80% of online public services online at level 4, usable on most mobile phones, as well as 90% of documents at the ministerial level, and 80% of documents at the district level. It plans to handle 50% of state monitoring and management online to improve accountability and transparency and minimize corruption.

Nguyen Huy Dung, Director of the Computerization Department of the Ministry of Information and Communications, pointed out that the digital economy is projected to generate 20% of Vietnam’s GDP in the near future, with the digital portion of each economic sector reaching at least 10%.

"Labor productivity will likely increase at least 7% a year. A digital society goal is every household with a fiber optic cable and every citizen with smartphone access to digital services. Non-cash transactions will make up 50% of all payments", Hung stressed.