While these operations are relatively simple for youth, they present formidable hurdles for many elderly residents, particularly in remote and highland areas. Standing beside them are members of community digital technology teams - the “digital arms” extending technology to each household.

Visiting homes, untangling digital bottlenecks

Past the age of 70, Lò Văn Kẹo from Na Sang village, Na Sang commune, found it difficult to adapt to rapid technological shifts. Recently, his health insurance information integrated into the VNeID application expired and required an update. Struggling on his own for days without success, he immediately turned to village Head Quàng Văn Việt. Upon receiving the call for assistance, Việt and members of the village Community Digital Technology Team arrived at his house, verified details, reviewed data, and provided step-by-step instructions. Within minutes, Kẹo’s health insurance details were fully updated. Kẹo shared that at his advanced age, handling a phone is quite difficult, and without guidance for online data updates, he would be at a loss; now, the Community Digital Technology Team provides enthusiastic help whenever needed.

Beyond Kẹo, many elderly residents in Na Sang rarely use smartphones, lack fluency in the national language, or feel hesitant when navigating digital applications. Whenever needing to install VNeID, integrate civil documents, look up information, or settle online procedures, villagers turn to team members. In difficult cases, the team visits homes directly or gathers at the village cultural house to assist; residents receive on-the-spot troubleshooting, observing demonstrations before practicing independently.

The Community Digital Technology Team of Na Sang village comprises 8 members, led by the village head. Without formal background in information technology, members supplement training courses by proactively engaging in self-study, exchanging experiences, and updating new features to fulfill operational requirements. The task demands patience alongside technological literacy, requiring members to master tools while formulating simple, clear explanations so residents can perform tasks independently.

Quàng Văn Việt, village Head and Team Leader of the Na Sang village Community Digital Technology Team, shared that members attended training sessions and continued self-study upon returning home to assist fellow villagers. With many elderly residents encountering difficulties with technology, the team endeavors to visit them directly. Some require only a single demonstration, while others need repetitive practice to remember. Through patient instructions from members, villagers grow accustomed to digital tools and can eventually perform operations by themselves.

This hands-on, demonstrative approach is narrowing the digital divide for villagers. Moving past initial hesitations, many are boldly adopting digital utilities in everyday life.

Spreading digital skills from youths to wider community

In Mường Ảng commune, forces participating in Community Digital Technology Teams also include high school students. This contingent possesses strong adaptability to technology, quickly mastering novel applications and instructing relatives and fellow villagers. In Bó Mạy village, student Tòng Công Vinh is among the youths mobilized to assist residents, particularly during peak digital campaigns.

Entrusted with the assignment, Vinh quickly mastered essential features to instruct fellow villagers. During the academic year, he participates mainly on days off, while the summer holiday affords him ample time to accompany the village Community Digital Technology Team. From guiding VNeID operations, checking information on driver’s licenses, vehicle registrations, and health insurance cards to demonstrating basic interactions across applications, Vinh has progressively become an active young “digital arm” in the village.

Vinh’s advantage lies not only in technological agility, but also in being a local villager who is approachable and capable of explaining procedures in terms residents easily grasp. For older people intimidated by smartphones, youthful patience builds confidence in every tap. Tòng Công Vinh shared that joining the Community Digital Technology Team allowed him to explore numerous features on VNeID, which he learned to operate and passed along to villagers, showing step-by-step instructions for unfamiliar tasks so everyone could execute them independently.

Across remote, highland, and ethnic minority areas, access to technology is shaped by economic circumstances, device availability, and language barriers. Consequently, frontline grassroots-level personnel play a vital role in bringing digital utilities closer to the populace. From creating accounts, logging into VNeID, and scanning QR codes to integrating documentation, searching records, and executing online administrative procedures, every step is conveyed meticulously, clearly, and tailored to individual cases. The objective is not to complete tasks on behalf of residents, but to assist them in developing skills for autonomous execution.

Currently, Community Digital Technology Teams are deployed across all villages, hamlets, and residential groups in the province, forging a digital transformation support network extending from lowland to highland areas. Team members consist primarily of grassroots-level cadres, youth union members, association members, and tech-savvy youths.

They are not technology experts, yet they shoulder practical duties: visiting homes, guiding each operation, and resolving public questions to build confidence in the digital realm. These community “digital arms” are helping Điện Biên’s digital transformation enter daily life in the most practical way, starting with every individual citizen.