Digital transformation is taking place at many different levels in almost all businesses in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. Tran Van Dung, general director of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Seafood Import Export Processing JSC (Baseafood), said that the company has applied digital transformation in all its production, processing, and export activities.

“Now, we can participate in domestic and global e-commerce exchanges, negotiate with partners, and make transactions at lower costs,” said Dung.

Previously, Baseafood often organised trade promotions and negotiated orders directly with partners, which was costly. Now, however, its data has been updated and stored on the cloud.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has coordinated with the relevant units to put all the province’s One Commune, One Product items on e-commerce platforms, creating more than 25,000 digital data accounts and e-commerce stores.

In addition, the department is supporting many businesses when applying the origin traceability system, including QR codes to make information about the origin of goods transparent, meeting the export market's strict requirements.

Digital transformation is promoting the development of Ba Ria-Vung Tau’s digital economy, facilitating consumption and market diversification. However, speaking at a seminar on digital transformation for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on September 15, Dr. Truong Thanh Cong, chairman of the Provincial Union of Science and Technology Associations, said that the province’s transition process is facing many challenges.

According to Thanh, limited financial resources, an insufficient technology platform, and administrators’ lack of awareness of digital skills are the main issues.

According to Professor Dr. Hoang Van Kiem, former chairman of the State Council for Professor Title of Vietnam, many businesses in the province are still afraid of the risks when applying advanced technology.

“Transitioning to a new model is only effective when businesses are consistent with their management, transition plans, and implementation methods. It must be based on the careful calculation of resources and analysis of both the potential and the risks,” Professor Kiem said.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau’s economy is changing positively, ensuring an economic growth target of 8.1-8.5 per cent in 2023. Data from Ba Ria-Vung Tau Department of Planning and Investment shows that the total development investment capital for the first nine months is estimated at VND42.1 trillion ($1.78 billion), reaching 71.6 per cent of the plan and increasing by 12.4 per cent on-year. The disbursement of public investment capital has reached 56.6 per cent of the total plan for 2023.

Do Huu Hien, director of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Department of Information and Communications said, “We expect the digital transformation to impact business strategies, creating comprehensive changes to companies' operations, especially SMEs.”

According to Hien, Ba Ria-Vung Tau has developed and implemented many digital transformation policies, paying special attention to the digital economy, aiming to achieve growth of 35-37 per cent by 2030. However, according to statistics for the first nine months of this year, this rate only reached 6.8 per cent because many businesses have not participated in this trend.

"Ba Ria-Vung Tau is providing both financial and technological support policies to help firms with their digital transformation activities, and a series of solutions have been implemented to change the perception of the business community," he said.

According to analysts, Ba Ria-Vung Tau’s digital transformation goals can still bring greater efficiency if solutions are implemented synchronously.

Firstly, for businesses that have not yet begun their digital transformation, their awareness and skills can be improved with training courses.

In addition, for those that have already begun the process, it is necessary to promote their business activities further. Businesses should choose suitable platforms with easy-to-exploit features that effectively serve their needs.

Thirdly, it is important to have cooperation from the local authorities in terms of infrastructure construction and connections to online public service portals, combining bank branches in industrial parks and export processing zones to support businesses.

Dr. Truong Ba Ha, CEO of Pyramid Software and Consulting, suggested that Ba Ria-Vung Tau should consider building a digital transformation strategy. Businesses could then survey and evaluate the current situation, allowing them to plan for the digitalisation of their company’s data.

Ha added that promoting digital transformation is an essential aspect of Ba Ria-Vung Tau’s resilience and growth. The province is striving to develop its sci-tech market in a modern direction by 2025, with online trading platforms contributing half of the total value of product sales.

Dang Minh Thong - Deputy Chairman of Ba Ria Vung Tau People’s Committee Digital transformation is no longer a trend. However, the level of proficiency in applying digital technology of businesses is still limited, the application of digital technology in the fields of processing, manufacturing, supply chain management, and service provision is at a very low level. Currently, digital technology is only applied in sales, business administration, and payment. Digital transformation in businesses has low efficiency, with limited digitalization activities, and concerns about information security. Some businesses believe that digital transformation is not necessary, while others have not yet identified a digital transformation roadmap. Ba Ria - Vung Tau has issued a plan to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the period 2023-2025, with the aim of synchronously and effectively implementing the contents of the Law on support for small and medium-sized enterprises, government decrees and related guiding documents, focusing on content to support SMEs in digital transformation. To support businesses in effective digital transformation, Ba Ria - Vung Tau is focusing on improving capacity and competitive advantage, creating new values for businesses. By the end of 2022, the province has 11,549 small and medium-sized enterprises, accounting for 97 per cent of the total number of businesses operating in the area.