Digital citizens: foundation of a digital society

Dong Nai is accelerating efforts to expand public access to knowledge and technology on digital transformation, along with essential digital skills for all residents. The goal is to ensure that every citizen can access and use a wide range of digital services and platforms effectively, becoming a true digital citizen. When people are empowered to master technology, society can move faster on the path toward modernization.

Dong Xoai Ward publicizes administrative procedures via QR codes, making it easier for residents to look up information and submit applications online. Photo: Ngan Ha

Proactively entering the digital world

In remote hamlets and villages, especially those with large ethnic minority populations, access to technology remains limited in Dong Nai Province. However, village heads and local Party cell secretaries are demonstrating strong adaptability to digital transformation. A notable example is Dieu Lich, Head of Hamlet 5 in Bu Dang Commune, who has proactively applied digital tools to community activities, making them more engaging and helping to spread the spirit of digital transformation throughout the neighborhood. Not only did he purchase a computer and smartphone to become a true “digital hamlet head,” but he has also continued to learn and overcome age-related barriers to keep up with new technologies.

Dieu Lich shared: “I have to take the initiative to learn and make the most of social media as a channel for communication and for gathering feedback from residents in the locality. Having a computer and a smartphone means hamlet officials no longer have to travel back and forth so hard. As a result, Party resolutions and State policies can reach our people faster and more effectively.”

The Community Digital Technology Team of Hamlet 5 in Nha Bich Commune has more than 10 members. Every month, team members arrange their family and farm work so they can visit households and provide hands-on, step-by-step guidance, helping older adults and vulnerable groups learn to use smartphones confidently for daily life. Nguyen Thi Chung, Party Cell Secretary of Hamlet 5 in Nha Bich Commune, happily noted that with the “one Party member or hamlet official mentors 10 residents” approach, more than 90% of local people can now use smartphones, submit administrative procedures online, make online payments, and protect themselves in cyberspace.

The “Digital Literacy for All” movement is being rolled out substantially and in a coordinated manner across Dong Nai Province, from urban areas to rural communities, from government offices to schools, from businesses to individual households, driving a broad shift in public awareness and digital capability.

Meanwhile, Mai Que Anh, Head of the Skills and Events Club “Que Anh Skill” in Loc Ninh Commune, Dong Nai Province, is organizing free classes on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for residents and teachers in border communes. Learners range from young people to seniors, but share one goal: gaining skills that support daily life, entering the “digital world” with confidence and safety. Mai Que Anh explained that in remote areas, introducing AI tools through community classes is not only a technological step forward, but also a way to narrow the digital gap between cities and rural regions, and to reduce people’s hesitation when approaching new technology.

For Nguyen Thi Bich in Dong Xoai Ward, now over 60, the change has been equally striking. From initially struggling with computers and smartphones, she can now use them with ease to read news, search for information, shop online, and even earn a stable income by selling products online. This endeavor reflects how strongly residents are embracing the “Digital Literacy for All” movement, turning it into a culture of lifelong learning in which each person voluntarily upgrades their digital skills to avoid being left behind on the journey of digital transformation.

The province’s “Digital Literacy for All” programs and action plans are all geared toward one overarching goal: ensuring no one is left behind in the digital transformation journey. Dong Nai is working toward ensuring that 80% of adults can use smart devices, effectively access and benefit from essential digital platforms and services, and protect themselves in the digital environment…

Building bridges to shape digital citizens

In Tran Bien Ward, where the number of residents coming to handle administrative procedures has surged sharply after the merger, “Digital Literacy for All” teams were deployed early. Every day, Youth Union members are on duty at the Public Administration Service Center, assisting residents with queue numbers, counter guidance, e-form declarations, VNeID installation, and on-the-spot submission of online applications.

Huynh Thi Kim Tuyet, a resident of Tran Bien Ward, shared: “The support from these young volunteers has helped ease my anxiety when dealing with administrative procedures. At first, I thought online applications would be complicated, but with guidance, it’s actually quite simple and convenient. Things I used to think I had to rely on my children and grandchildren for, I can now do myself.”

In Bien Hoa Ward, grassroots police officers are also becoming a vital pillar in the journey to build digital citizenship. Well-organized peak campaigns of “going door to door, household by household” are being carried out to assist with the registration of Level-2 VNeID electronic identification accounts, with priority given to elderly seniors and those unfamiliar with technology. Senior Lieutenant Tran Ho Tuan Kiet from the Bien Hoa Ward Police said: We don’t just do it for people. We guide them so they can operate it themselves. The goal is for residents to understand and confidently use online public services proficiently.

Beyond administrative services, the “Digital Literacy for All” movement is also spreading into other essential sectors such as healthcare. The application of AI in diagnostic imaging at major provincial hospitals has helped improve the quality of medical examination and treatment, shorten waiting times, and enable residents to access more modern healthcare services. Doctor Nguyen Viet Lanh, Deputy Head in charge of the Diagnostic Imaging Department at Thong Nhat General Hospital, noted that AI helps doctors detect lesions faster and more accurately, facilitates remote consultations, and ensures patient data security.

This reality highlights a crucial point: a digital citizen is not only someone who can access online public services, but also someone who enjoys digital conveniences in all areas of life. Digital transformation cannot succeed without the proactive participation of the people. When each individual knows how to use technology correctly, safely, and effectively, digital transformation will no longer be a distant goal, but a foundation for sustainable local development.

Dong Nai’s journey to cultivate digital citizens is taking shape through concrete and persistent actions. In 2025, more than 98% of administrative procedure dossiers in the province were received and processed electronically, with the on-time and early resolution rate exceeding 99%. These figures not only demonstrate the determination and effort to build digital government from the grassroots level, but also indicate a clear shift in public awareness and habits, as residents take the initiative to access and use online public services.

Digital transformation is an irreversible trend, but its success or failure ultimately rests with each individual. Digital infrastructure can be built with investment; digital government can be shaped through policy, but digital citizens can only be formed through consensus, sustained effort, and change from within. Enabling each resident to become a digital citizen is not merely a goal, as it is the key to unlocking Dong Nai’s path to sustainable development in the digital era.

By Ngan Ha, Thu Hong – Translated by Quynh Giao, Minho