Moving far beyond administrative master plans or statistical reporting on paper, Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, taking root in the realities of frontier territories, demonstrates the core humanitarian values of Party guidelines. Digital transformation is not the exclusive preserve of lowland plains or urban centers; it represents the master key unlocking an equitable future for every citizen, even at the farthest reaches of national frontiers.

Part 1: Transcending signal blanks, paving digital path

Amid digital infrastructure voids across the Điện Biên frontier, through sharp responsiveness and love for their homeland, youth from ethnic minority communities are rising to master technology. Rather than merely surmounting geographical hurdles, they are transforming digital platforms into robust drivers of socio-economic progress across borderlands.

A Hà Nhì girl introduces Sín Thầu to the world

Sín Thầu welcomes visitors with the crisp, sweet cold characteristic of remote borderlands. Mountain mists wrap tenderly around rammed-earth dwellings nestled under the canopy of the A Pa Chải primary forest. For generations, the rhythm of life for the Hà Nhì people in Tá Miếu village, Sín Thầu commune, drifted by serenely and quietly. Yet over the past two years, online communities domestically and abroad have grown familiar with and traveled to witness firsthand this westernmost territory where a single rooster’s crow is heard across three nations, driven by the magnetic appeal of videos crafted by Chang Khừ Pứ.

Born in 1999, Pứ is an indigenous Hà Nhì woman. Without professional camera rigs, costly studio stages, or elaborate production crews, her sole production tool remains a smartphone. Viewed through Pứ’s lens, the everyday life of border-adjacent Hà Nhì folk radiates with vibrancy and warmth.

Pứ selects camera angles from ordinary daily routines: family meals around glowing hearths; village elders extracting dipping sauces drop by drop from forest plants; the deft hands of Hà Nhì women meticulously sewing traditional garments; or simply the moment of dawn breaking over the westernmost rooftop of the Fatherland. Eschewing elaborate staging or bizarre spectacles that could distort local identity, she focuses her lens on what she has cherished since childhood.

On the social media channel HaNiChang, frontier life appears authentic, raw, and rustic, generating surprising emotional resonance. Stories once familiar only within the hamlet have traveled thousands of kilometers to touch hearts across the internet. A short video capturing the traditional Hà Nhì method of preserving kitchen-hung pork garnered over 2.2 million views. A clip detailing the recipe for grilled meat dipping sauce reached 1.7 million views, while a instructional video on fermenting pork belly in earthenware jars surpassed 1.2 million views. The HaNiChang channel quickly amassed tens of thousands of followers, carrying the image of Sín Thầu across borders to Japan, Thailand, China, and the United States.

Pứ recounted that initially, she filmed simply to preserve memories for herself and her family. Upon posting, queries flooded in, prompting her to realize that the rustic beauty of her homeland was precisely what urban dwellers were seeking. From then on, she dedicated time to learning, investing in higher-quality videos to introduce the land and people of Sín Thầu.

“I want to turn my social channels into a modest information portal so that anyone, anywhere, can easily discover A Pa Chải through boundary stones, flagpoles, traditional Hà Nhì culture, or rugged backpacking trails. Behind that outward allure lie warm hearths, daily customs, and hospitable, steadfast people. I stand ready to welcome anyone coming to experience those values,” Pứ shared.

Digital classroom hours in signal voids

While in Sín Thầu Chang Khừ Pứ leverages social media to introduce native culture to the globe, at the Cây Sặt school point of the Huổi Lếch branch in Mường Toong commune, young Si La teacher Lỳ Mì Lé quietly employs technology to gather external knowledge for young children.

Cây Sặt village sits tucked amid remote, towering mountain ridges. The school site is located in a severe digital infrastructure blank, with cell reception flickering sporadically and no dedicated projector available. Yet within the cramped classroom, instructional sessions for over twenty Hmông ethnic children are exceptionally vibrant. Displayed on teacher Lé’s personal laptop screen, visual images and dynamic audio tracks simulating birdsong and rushing streams play sequentially, captivating the wide eyes of highland children.

In an area facing severe hardship and infrastructural deficits like Cây Sặt, delivering such digital lessons requires immense personal exertion. Teacher Lé recounted that although her residence lies nearly ten kilometers from the school site, she travels back and forth daily. The reason is simple: only at the commune center can one access cellular signals and reliable internet connectivity to design digital lesson plans. Each night, she searches for materials and deploys artificial intelligence tools to craft lively visual illustrations tailored to preschool psychology. All contents are subsequently stored on her laptop before being carried to the mountain hamlet for classroom delivery.

Extending beyond classroom lessons, the young educator utilizes her smartphone to construct a communication bridge linking schools and parents. Cây Sặt village encompasses 86 households with 464 residents, 100% of whom belong to the Hmông ethnic group. Although most residents possess smartphones, they frequently swap SIM cards and primarily use devices to watch videos on YouTube and Facebook, remaining largely unfamiliar with digital applications. Teacher Lé patiently visited each home, providing hands-on instruction to guide parents through installing and navigating the Messenger messaging application. Through this communication thread, updates on class schedules, health statuses, and student nutritional care are transmitted swiftly, dissolving distances between educators and families.

A child of the Si La ethnic minority born in the impoverished village of Nậm Sin, having braved dozens of kilometers of muddy dirt tracks in search of literacy, Lé understands the hurdles confronting local residents and young pupils. Following years of training at Mường Nhé Ethnic Minority Boarding General High School and Điện Biên Pedagogical College, Lé chose to return to her homeland. From an impoverished child seeking the light of knowledge, she has emerged as an educator bringing literacy and technology to illuminate her village.

Her maturity and quiet contributions propelled Lỳ Mì Lé to become a Deputy to the 16th National Assembly for the 2026 - 2031 tenure. She expressed that while serving as an immense personal honor and source of pride, she views the mandate as a significant opportunity to voice the aspirations of disadvantaged communities in the parliamentary hall. Her greatest yearning is that highland students suffer no deprivation, securing adequate conditions to access technology and modern pedagogical methods on par with lowland peers.