Completion of population database among breakthroughs in Vietnam’s digitalization drive: PM

Such a database would serve as a foundation for the formation of a digital society and stay in line with the global trend of digitalization.

Developing the application of population database, e-identification and e-authentication would serve as the breakthroughs for Vietnam's national strategy on digitalization in 2022 and subsequent years.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. Photos: Nhat Bac

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh gave the remarks at a national conference on the implementation of such a project to support Vietnam's national digital transformation in the 2022-2025 period, with a vision to 2030, held today [January 18].

The project's main objectives are to realize five groups of utilities, including realizing administrative procedures and providing online public services; supporting socio-economic development; assisting digital citizens; finalizing an ecosystem for connectivity, utilization, and enrichment of population database; aiding the policy-making process.

According to Chinh, a push for digitalization and a digital economy based on science, technology, and innovation has been referred to as a major orientation in the resolution of the 13 ^th National Party Congress for Vietnam's development in the 2021-2030 period.

Overview of the conference.

"The Government continues to urge localities and ministries to embark on digitalization process for greater efficiency and sustainability," Chinh noted.

So far, the Vietnamese Government has launched several core components for the e-Government model, including national databases on citizens, land, business registration, finance, and insurance.

Throughout this process, a key achievement was the completion of the digitalization of data for over 98 million people.

"A national database on population is significant in the way that is related to each person, each family, serving as a foundation for the formation of digital society and in line with the global trend of digitalization," Chinh added, noting the Ministry of Public Security has provided identification number for 100% of the population and issued 50 million identification cards.

Overview of the conference.

During the recent Covid-19 outbreak, the Ministry of Public Security and other agencies have put in place applications to control mobility for effective pandemic containment.

Chinh said such an effort would help transform the current state governance operation towards a paperless approach for a more accurate, effective, and quality management of public data.

"From this basis, the Government is expected to create a favorable platform to carry out online public services for the people and businesses," he said, stressing its increasingly important at a time when Vietnam is shifting its Covid-19 strategy towards safe and flexible adaptation to the pandemic.

In the coming time, Chinh urged Government agencies to set out a clear plan for the launch of all basic public services mentioned in the project, along with the completion of other databases on businesses, taxes, customs, banking, driver’s license, insurance, healthcare, and education.