Tay Ninh is rated a good performer of e-government construction, an outcome of accelerated information technology application to public administration reform and delivery of online public services. 

Vietnam Business Forum’s reporter has an interview with Mr. Nguyen Tan Duc, Director of the Department of Information and Communications of Tay Ninh province, on this content. Ngoc Tung reports.

What do you think about the telecom and information technology infrastructure development of Tay Ninh province?

Currently, the telecommunication and information technology infrastructure is developing quite strongly in Tay Ninh province to spur socioeconomic development and improve people’s livelihoods. Up to now, 100% of communes, wards and towns have fiber optic transmission infrastructure. 

The growth rate of telecommunications services is always high. 3G mobile coverage rate reaches 100%, 4G coverage comprises more than 90% in the province and 5G technology will be tested in some areas in 2021.

In addition, local telecommunications businesses such as VNPT, Viettel and Mobifone also researched, developed and provided products, services and solutions of telecommunications and information technology to meet investment and transaction needs of local businesses and people. At the same time, they are also capable of providing digital infrastructure for digital transformation of the province in the coming time.

In the 2016-2020 period, the Government determined that building an e-Government towards a digital government, digital society and the digital economy is among top priorities to create a foundation for digital transformation in 2021-2023. How will the province carry out this? 

Over the past years, Tay Ninh province has focused on fostering IT application, carrying out public administration reform, building e-government and providing many high-level online public services for people and businesses, initially obtained practical results. Tay Ninh province was rated among good performers of e-government construction.

The Online Public Services Portal provides 1,818 administrative procedures of Category 4 or nearly 97% of this type of administrative procedures and 100% of online-eligible administrative procedures. Its online administrative procedures are being integrated and linked with the National Public Service Portal, using one-time login and authentication. Customers can use the payment system on the Online Public Service Portal, the National Online Payment Portal or through payment intermediaries registered with the province.

The province has also carried out a paperless meeting system since 2015, a proven way to save time and cost of printing and issuing paper documents. 

The document management and administration system is operated in a centralized model, deployed to all responsible agencies affiliated with the Provincial People's Committee, all District People's Committees and all Communal People's Committees. Documents are exchanged and processed on the network environment from province to commune and digital signatures have been applied in document distribution.

The electronic single-window software system has also been deployed in a centralized model from the province down to the commune level, through which all administrative procedures of the province are circulated and processed in the network environment.

Tay Ninh province launched an online question and answer system to create an information channel for people and businesses to ask questions about regulations, administrative procedures and operations of State agencies, which are obliged to respond to questions in seven working days. After nearly 5 years of operation, the online question and answer system has been highly appreciated by the people and businesses.

The IOC Smart Urban Monitoring and Operation Center was officially operated in 2020, with following operating modules: Field feedback system; traffic and security surveillance camera system; information safety and security monitoring system; social and economic reporting information system; public administrative service monitoring system; planning information lookup system; and monitoring system used for healthcare, education, environment and social network. The center has also provided a number of smart urban services for residents and businesses.

The Standing Board of Tay Ninh Provincial Party Committee issued Resolution 02-NQ/TU dated January 26, 2021 on digital transformation of Tay Ninh province to 2025, with an eye to 2030. Would you be kind enough to tell us tasks and solutions to be implemented by Tay Ninh in the period of 2021-2025?

To move towards a digital government, digital society and the digital economy, the province will focus on implementing the following tasks and solutions: 

Firstly, building the foundation and infrastructure for e-government development, digital transformation and smart city. In particular, restructuring and completing the infrastructure for the provincial data center with high computing capacity (big data processing, AI and IoT) and synchronous interconnectivity; deploying IoT infrastructure, including IoT sensors in different fields to serve urbanization management and development requirements like urban, environment, traffic, security and order management integrated with the administrative center. Data will be shared with administrative centers run by the police, health, education, natural resources and environment, and district-level agencies; and building a tailored shared database for operation, management and forecasting.

Secondly, ensuring information safety and security. Specifically, carrying out the provincial network information security monitoring system (SOC); developing a system operation procedure for the province to ensure continuous updating as recommended for information safety and security, risk identification and detection of hazards to and attacks on the system.

Thirdly, building a digital government, a digital economy, and a digital society; providing all administrative procedures of Category 4 online, integrated into the National Public Service Portal; conducting 50% of inspections on the digital environment; developing a smart city project for at least two districts, towns and cities, to basically complete the smart city infrastructure by 2030.

By 2025, Tay Ninh province will pilot digital transformation in some communes. By 2030, each district, town and city will have at least 1 commune, ward or town complete digital transformation. The province will test digital transformation for a commune in 2021. By 2025, Tay Ninh will be a good performer of digital government construction and information security and, by 2030, a good performer of digital transformation.