Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam highlighted the role ofdigital transformation when he met with leaders from the Ministry of Informationand Communications (MIC) and the Vietnam Computer Association, as well asmembers of the IT community, at a recent seminar.

“Withno digital transformation, Vietnam will lose in international competition,”said the Deputy Prime Minister.

Expertsat the seminar said the COVID-19 pandemic was one of the factors toaccelerate the digital process in the country as it has shown how theGovernment and businesses could apply IT effectively to fight the disease. 

Damsaid since the very beginning of the pandemic, Vietnam has planned to connect20 hospitals so patients could receive consultations from leading doctors.

Damsaid: “Vietnam considers digital transformation a national strategic programme.”

Damtold MIC and the association to identify areas that need work, mentioning thefirst field of health, followed by education, banking and finance, agriculture,transport, as well as energy and environment.

Alsoattending the seminar, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen ManhHung said: "I have a strong belief that digital transformation willpositively contribute to changing the country's rankings and help Vietnamdevelop.”

Again,Hung mentioned the pandemic as a huge opportunity for the IT industry.

Hungsaid local apps designed to fight the pandemic were better than those of othercountries.

“Wehave many IT businesses, many of which are coding for foreign customers. Ifthere is a market, they will return to develop their own products in Vietnam,”he said.

Withnearly 100 million people, Hung said: “Vietnam has a large potential to developits own platforms.”

Headded: “Vietnam could be a place for IT businesses to develop and expandto the world,” adding that MIC was launching new digital conversion platformsevery week. It will also launch a competition to find solutions for digitaltransformation in the country.

Seeingthe strengths of Vietnam in its dynamic economy and hardworking people, thedeputy PM also told the seminar to clarify the weaknesses, which he said were alack of discipline and cooperation.

Accordingto the computer association, on June 3, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucapproved the National Digital Transformation Programme. However, manyexperts believed that the process will face difficulties and challenges due tothe intellectual difference between regions of Vietnam, adding it was more of achallenge to undertake the digital conversion process in rural and mountainousareas. 

Atthe same time, they mentioned local infrastructure, platforms and environmentfor digital transformation were not yet ready, while the number of digitalsavvy businesses was still low.

Toend the seminar, the Deputy PM noted: "Digital transformation is a longjourney that requires us to identify each step in a patient and logical way."

Accordingto the MIC's leaders, the approved national digital transformationprogramme will build a digital Government, digital economy anddigital society for Vietnam in the future./.