People are increasingly applying information technology in conducting purchasing activity and popularizing agricultural products.

Băng Sản Hamlet (Quài Tở Commune, Tuần Giáo District) is undergoing rapid changes. With access to electricity and the internet, residents are now able to engage with modern technologies, mass media, and social networks such as Zalo and Facebook, as well as access e-commerce platforms to market their agricultural products.

Mr. Cà Văn Thiện, Head of Băng Sản Hamlet and leader of the community digital technology team, shared that thanks to digital transformation, he no longer needs to visit the commune People’s Committee as often since most communications now happen via a Zalo group connecting local authorities with villages’ heads.

“In turn, I established a Zalo group for the village with 160 members, representing all households. Aside from announcing meetings and work schedules, I also relay directives from local authorities through voice messages, including information on crops, new rice and corn varieties, child and maternal vaccination, and livestock care during cold weather. The efficiency of our work has significantly improved”, he added.

Maximizing the benefit of digital transformation, Băng Sản Hamlet now operates five Zalo groups, in addition to the leadership group connecting village, commune, and district authorities. These include Party Cell Executive Group (3 members), Party Cell Group (14 members), Village Security Group (8 members), and Cultural Performance Team (10 members).

Băng Sản Hamlet’s success is largely due to the role of its community digital technology team, which helps implement policies and directives from provincial, district, and commune digital transformation committees down to each household. The team consists of nine core members, primarily youth union members, who actively support and guide villagers in using smart technology, e-commerce, and public administration services, such as installing and using apps like VNeID, Điện Biên Smart, Electronic Health Records, and Agribank Plus on smartphones.

Mrs. Lò Thị Thu, a cultural officer in Quài Tở Commune, stated that as a member of the community digital technology team, she regularly assists residents in installing and using digital applications. She has noticed that people adapt quite quickly. Many now use online public services for birth and marriage registrations, while some even livestream and post about their pomelos, mangoes, and dried meat products on Facebook and Điện Biên Smart.

According to statistics, Điện Biên Province has 652,476 citizens registered for national ID cards (99.7%, ranking third nationwide); 1,400 active community digital technology teams; 72,320 registered accounts on Điện Biên Smart (11.35% of mobile users in the province).

With speed and convenience, cashless payments are increasingly used in highland and rural areas. This method is no longer limited to supermarkets and convenience stores in urban centers but has expanded to traditional markets and small grocery stores in villages.

At the Búng Lao Central Market (Mường Ảng District), most transactions go cashless. Nearly all vendors use QR codes and have registered mobile banking accounts. Every stall, from meat and fish to dried goods and spices, displays a QR code for customer payments.

Mrs. Lò Thị Xuyến, a vendor at the Búng Lao Market, held that cashless payments are now quite common. Over 50% of daily transactions are made via bank transfers. Not only officials and civil servants but also residents from remote villages frequently use this method.

Notably, the “Market 4.0” model is rapidly expanding to remote highland areas, providing free QR codes for vendors and free Wi-Fi at markets, contributing to embracing new financial technologies. The branch of the Military Industry-Telecoms Group (Viettel) in Điện Biên Province (Viettel Điện Biên) has deployed this model across the province, including deep-lying areas such as Nà Hỳ Market (Nậm Pồ District), Xá Nhè Market (Tủa Chùa District), Mường Luân Market (Điện Biên Đông District).