Bringing digital skills to every village: New push to bridge digital gap

ĐBP - As 2026 begins, Điện Biên province has identified the “Digital literacy for all” campaign as a strategic task to narrow the digital divide, improve digital awareness and skills, and lay the groundwork for comprehensive digital transformation.

To ensure the campaign delivers real impact, the province has seconded and reinforced specialized civil servants and public employees to directly support communes and wards in addressing bottlenecks in online public services, data management and digital system operations. In education, 1,239 school administrators and 12,060 teachers have received training in artificial intelligence (AI). For local residents, digital knowledge is disseminated through conferences, village meetings, community digital technology teams and networks of “technology ambassadors”.

The movement has spread across sectors and industries. Province-wide, all 88 OCOP entities now promote their products on social media platforms, e-commerce marketplaces and sales websites; 138 products have been uploaded to ocop.dienbien.gov.vn; and more than 1,200 farmer members have been supported to open online transaction accounts. Digital social infrastructure continues to improve, with 94.4% of households notified of their digital addresses, 75% of residents using smartphones, and over 50% of the population holding electronic payment accounts.

In 2026, the campaign’s targets are comprehensive in both coverage and quality. On a broad scale, the province aims for 100% of officials, civil servants and public employees to receive job-related digital skills training; more than 80% of adults to be able to use fully online public services; and over 70% of rural households to know how to leverage digital platforms for production and product marketing. At a deeper level, the campaign seeks to foster digital thinking, digital habits and a digital culture within communities.

Staff of the Tủa Chùa transaction office of the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) introduce digital applications to customers.

However, challenges remain. Across the province, 33 villages still lack mobile broadband services (3G/4G), including 30 villages without access to the national power grid, while 255 villages have yet to be covered by fixed broadband internet. This reality shows that the digital divide is not only a matter of skills, but first and foremost an infrastructure issue. Uneven educational levels, language barriers in some ethnic minority areas, and hesitation toward technology also make it harder to change traditional transaction habits.

In Chiềng Sinh commune, for example, Huổi Nôm and Hua Sát villages remain without access to the national power grid, making it difficult for telecommunications companies to deploy transmission stations and, in turn, limiting the rollout of digital services. According to Đỗ Văn Sơn, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Chiềng Sinh commune, the lack of electricity prevents residents from accessing online public services and digital platforms for agricultural production and marketing, and also creates major difficulties for local authorities in their daily operations.

At present, fiber-optic broadband coverage in residential areas such as villages and residential clusters stands at around 88.5%, while smartphone usage is about 75%. From this reality, targeted support policies are needed to expand network coverage in disadvantaged areas, alongside stronger socialization efforts and the mobilization of resources from national target programs to ensure that “electricity comes first, connectivity follows.” Once infrastructure is in place and skills are strengthened, the digital divide can be gradually reduced.

A key solution is to improve the quality of community-based “digital core teams.” Community digital technology teams must operate in a practical and results-oriented manner. Hands-on, step-by-step guidance will help residents gain confidence in using technology. Training content should be flexible and tailored to each group. For farmers, the focus should be on product promotion and sales on e-commerce platforms and using social media to connect with customers. For women and older people, priority should be given to cashless payment skills. For students and young people, greater emphasis should be placed on accessing and using digital learning resources.

In Mường Ảng commune, the “Digital literacy for all” campaign is being implemented across all sectors. The commune People’s Committee has developed a detailed plan, clearly assigning responsibilities to each unit and linking them to performance results. All villages have signed commitments to carry out the campaign, requiring village heads and mass organizations to directly guide residents in using online public services and participating in digital platforms for production and business. The movement is gradually shaping a “digital market - digital rural” model, while strengthening digital skills education for students. Community digital technology teams play their role by “going door to door, guiding every household and every individual.”

According to Nguyễn Đức Quang, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Mường Ảng commune, the campaign’s goal goes beyond basic smartphone use or simple applications. More importantly, it aims to bring about a shift in awareness among every resident. When people clearly understand the benefits of the digital environment, they will proactively apply digital tools to production, business, learning and administrative procedures. Digital transformation, therefore, must start with changes in mindset and the formation of digital habits at the grassroots level.

With strong political commitment, coordinated action by authorities at all levels and active public participation, the “Digital literacy for all” campaign is expected to become a driving force in narrowing the digital divide, promoting socio-economic development and improving people’s quality of life in the digital era.

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