Vietnam Poised To Lead E-commerce, Digital Transformation In SEA
By 2030, Vietnam targets to have established an e-government and digital economy that contributes around 30% to the GDP. It also aims to be in the top 50 countries for e-government development and the third in ASEAN in the same period.
Reports project Vietnam to be the leading e-commerce market in Southeast Asia by 2026, with e-commerce gross merchandise value reaching US$56 billion by 2026.
Digital transformation efforts in the country continued last year despite the pandemic, according to the Deputy Minister of Information and Telecommunications, Nguyen Huy Dung. In Da Nang, for instance, residents now have the ability to register for electricity supply and pay power bills via their smartphones. Village chiefs in Lang Son are leading community groups that teach villagers to develop online digital shops in a bid to boost agricultural product sales. In Quang Ninh, a digital system was deployed to ensure public administrative services are delivered.
While there is still a long way to go, Vietnam businesses have become aware of how technologies transform the delivery of public services and healthcare. The national portal for public administrative services for instance offers nearly 3,000 services, while the remote medical support network Telehealth connects around 1,000 clinics nationwide to deliver services and reduce loads at central hospitals. Many hospitals now provide digital health records, remote health services, and e-payments.
Do Cong Anh, the Director of the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications’ Information Technology Application, emphasized that technology is only a fraction of the entire transformation. A large portion of it entails regulatory frameworks, policies, awareness, and people, he said.
