Vietnam has set a target of bringing telecommunications and internet services to 80 percent of ethnic minority communities living in remote and disadvantaged areas by 2030 as part of its broader digital transformation agenda.

The goal is outlined in Plan No. 447/KH-BDTTG on Digital Transformation for the 2026 - 2030 period, issued by the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs on February 13.

The plan aims to transform the ministry into a data-driven, technology-enabled institution that operates in a modern and transparent manner while delivering high-quality digital public services.

It also focuses on strengthening data connectivity, ensuring information security and improving the effectiveness of state management in ethnic, religious and belief-related affairs.

Through these efforts, the ministry seeks to establish a specialized data ecosystem to support policymaking, public administration and services for citizens and local authorities. The initiative is expected to contribute to the development of Vietnam’s digital economy and digital society while narrowing the digital gap in ethnic minority regions.

Narrowing the digital divide and promoting regional economic development

The plan outlines a set of concrete and breakthrough targets for different phases.

For digital government development, during the 2026 - 2027 period the ministry aims for 100 percent of eligible administrative procedures to be processed entirely online.

Citizen and business satisfaction with online public services is expected to reach 90 percent. At the same time, all internal administrative procedures will be managed electronically and 90 percent of the ministry’s shared digital platforms will be put into operation.

During the 2028 - 2030 period, the satisfaction rate is expected to increase to 99 percent.

Notably, all end-to-end online public services will incorporate artificial intelligence in at least one stage - such as receiving applications, processing documents, assisting users or supporting automated decision-making - to improve efficiency, speed and service quality.

The plan also envisions that all public officials and civil servants will regularly use virtual assistants or intelligent digital tools, while all leaders will utilize personal digital signatures when handling documents and administrative tasks in the digital environment.

Beyond administrative reform, the strategy places strong emphasis on developing both the digital society and the digital economy.

From 2025 to 2027, the ministry aims to promote digital economic activities in ethnic minority regions through platforms that provide information, knowledge and support for appropriate economic models in the digital environment.

During the 2028 - 2030 period, the ministry plans to optimize internal operations and reduce operating costs by 30 percent through automation while also supporting the development of OCOP products produced by ethnic minority communities.

Regarding the development of a digital society and efforts to narrow the digital divide, the ministry has set the goal of ensuring telecommunications and internet services reach 80 percent of ethnic minority populations in remote and disadvantaged areas by 2030.

Training local digital human resources is also a key focus.

By 2030, all village heads and community leaders in ethnic minority areas are expected to receive training in digital transformation. In addition, 80 percent of businesses, cooperatives and household economic models operated by ethnic minority communities will receive support in accessing digital technologies to apply in production and business activities.

The plan also aims to ensure that 100 percent of individuals appointed to religious positions will be assigned digital identification by the 2028 - 2030 period.

Strong implementation guided by the “six clear principles”

To achieve these goals, the plan outlines a comprehensive set of solutions.

A central element is clarifying the responsibilities of leaders of agencies and units in directing and implementing digital transformation tasks, based on the principle of “six clear elements”: clear people, clear tasks, clear timelines, clear outputs, clear responsibilities and clear authority.

The strategy identifies key priorities that require focused direction and resource allocation, including the development of the ministry’s digital architecture framework, data architecture framework, infrastructure improvement, platform development, database construction and the cultivation of high-quality technology human resources.

Specialized agencies are tasked with completing and officially launching databases on religious affairs as well as ethnic affairs, including data on ethnic minority groups. Training and capacity-building programs related to ethnic and religious affairs will also be strengthened.

A centralized database will also be built to support the National Target Program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority areas for the 2026 - 2030 period.

The process of collecting, digitizing, standardizing and updating data will follow the principles of being accurate, sufficient, clean, up-to-date, unified and shareable.

Cybersecurity will also be strengthened through comprehensive information security solutions implemented under a four-layer protection model, along with regular drills and real-world exercises to ensure cybersecurity and emergency response capabilities for information systems and databases.

To develop digital human resources, the ministry will study the application of special mechanisms related to salaries, incentives and working conditions to attract technology talent for digital transformation initiatives.

At the same time, training programs will be expanded to raise awareness, promote innovative thinking and improve the ability of officials and employees to adapt to the digital environment and effectively use data and technology.

In terms of the digital economy and digital society, the ministry will implement digital development initiatives under the National Target Program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority areas for the 2026 - 2030 period.

Du Lam