The government needs to adapt for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) in order to be able to govern the country in the digital age, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Addressing the Vietnam ICT Summit held in Hanoi last week, the government leader said Vietnam has recorded achievements in e-government development which began in 2000. However, he admitted shortcomings in the work such as an incomplete legal framework, lack of high-quality human resources, low safety level of the information infrastructure and low rate of public service users.

Phuc highlighted the role played by the heads of agencies in e-government development, as well as the significance of information-technology (IT) in administrative reform. Vietnam is working to establish a National Committee on e-government led by Phuc, with members being ministers, he said, adding that the committee also expects the participation of representatives from the private sector in order to utilise the public-private partnership in this regard.

The government has assigned its office to compile the government’s resolution on major tasks and solutions in e-government development during 2018-20, with a vision towards 2025, he said.

He asked ministries, agencies and localities to continue to improve the quality of legal institutions and policies, creating a framework for the process. “A smart labour force plus creativity would serve as driving forces for economic development amid Industry 4.0,” the leader stressed.

He also called for efforts in building technological platforms for e-government, including updating the e-government architectural framework, completing the national database and building the national public service portal and the national information system, which serve as the IT foundation for e-government.

It is necessary to diversify financial and human resources by identifying key targets in both the short and long term, while promoting the role of businesses and improving the capacity of experts, he noted. The premier also emphasised the importance of information work so as to raise public awareness of e-government, digital government, digital economy and digital infrastructure.

GDP to increase

Nguyen Chi Dung, minister of Planning and Investment agreed, saying that the country should take action to catch up with the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

“We should not only react, but create new opportunities with action. This needs to be done now, because the opportunity only comes once,” Dung said.

He believed that this is an opportunity for Vietnam. Taking advantage of Industry 4.0 could help Vietnam overcome challenges in narrowing the development gap in technology and economic sectors.

The minister said a market survey showed that the Fourth Industrial Revolution could help the economy’s GDP increase by $8-18 billion per year. This would provide momentum for Vietnam to restructure its economy and renew its growth model as well as promote current reform efforts.

However, the opportunity requires us to be active in implementing a range of reforms.

The ministry was assigned by Phuc to implement three tasks of building a national strategy for Industry 4.0 development, building a national renovation centre and building a national innovation network. It was expected that the tasks must be completed by the end of this year.

He also said the ministry committed to become a reliable partner for parties to implement tasks in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Modern technology solutions

Vietnamese businesses brought a lot of modern technology solutions to the ICT Summit 2018, which are ready for Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Phan Thanh Son, director of FPT Information Systems, said they are ready to accompany the Government, ministries and localities nationwide in building a digital government. They introduced a digital infrastructure in Quang Ninh Province which has been applied in more than 400 administrative units in the locality.

Notably, MISA Joint Stock Company introduced the first e-invoice solution using blockchain technology in Vietnam. The solution helps enhance security, safety and transparency of transactions and saves up to 80 per cent in invoice issuing costs.

In addition, its MeInvoice.vn software is integrated in accounting systems such as MISA SME.NET and corporate administrative software AMIS.VN. This makes it more convenient for businesses to produce data, saving time and money.

Under the theme “Towards the digital government and economy,” Vietnam ICT Summit 2018 focused on e-Government Construction towards a Digital Government, Digital Economy and Digital Infrastructure.

The Vietnam ICT Summit is a national and global Summit on IT policy, which began in 2011, organised annually by the Vietnam Software and IT Services Association, with sponsorship from the Ministry of Information and Communications. The Summit gathers senior government leaders, ministries, provincial leaders, business enterprises, IT-application enterprises, experts and media, in order to share vision, growth potential, strategies and especially big solutions for development, utilising IT as a foundation to modernise the country.

The Summit annually delivers messages about policies, technology, and recommendations to the Communist Party, the Government, management agencies and business community, as well as society in order to push forward the application and development of IT.