 (illustrative photo: chinhphu.vn) |
The Law on Digital Transformation lays an institutional foundation for developing a digital government, a digital economy, a digital society, and a digital culture. It clearly defines the responsibilities of the state, enterprises, and citizens in the digital transformation process.
People-centered targets
The draft Law on Digital Transformation institutionalizes Party and State policies, particularly the Politburo’s Resolution 57, addressing challenges facing Vietnam’s digital transformation.
Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung said: “The law aims to perfect the legal system to promote comprehensive digital transformatio, toward the formation of a digital nation. It regulates the relationships between entities in digital activities and strengthens international cooperation and integration. The law is based on Party and State directions on national digital transformation, ensuring consistency with existing legal frameworks and international treaties.”
The Law on Digital Transformation provides a legal framework for development and lays the foundation for a safe, human-centered, humane digital society.
All digital transformation activities aim to serve citizens better, from administrative procedures and public services to healthcare, education, and social welfare. The law clearly stipulates the responsibilities of state agencies to simplify processes, ensure transparency, and guarantee equal access for all citizens, regardless of region, economic status, or technological literacy.
The law places special emphasis on protecting personal data and information security in cyberspace and building trust, a key factor for confidently engaging in and benefitting from digital transformation.
It encourages digital skills development and digital literacy, and helps people acquire the necessary competencies to use technology and avoid being left behind.
National Assembly Deputy Nguyen Quang Huan of Ho Chi Minh City said: “This law is urgently needed. As we develop the digital economy, digital government, and digital society, a legal framework is essential. The Law on Digital Transformation is highly specialized and interconnected with current laws like the Cybersecurity Law and the Law on Electronic Transactions. It focuses on building a digital government and digital society, standardizing digital procedures, reducing transaction costs, and ensuring information transparency. Once the law is adopted, the implementation of the digital literacy program will be clearer and citizens will understand it better.”
Digital transformation is about people. Citizens are the agents and beneficiaries of the transformation.
Data safety and digital culture underpin digital transformation
The draft Law on Digital Transformation focuses on infrastructure and technology and aims to transform mindsets, production methods, and socio-cultural life. Article 33 on developing digital culture is a major step forward, upholding the spirit of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, which identifies culture as the spiritual foundation of sustainable development.
The law focuses on digital skills education, integrates it into school curricula, and sets national digital competency standards. Nguyen Quang Huan, Deputy for Ho Chi Minh City, said incorporating digital culture education into digital human resource training will build digital citizens who are cultured, responsible, and ethical in cyberspace.
“One pillar for developing a digital society is people – the human infrastructure. We must ensure that the human foundation operates sustainably and gives individuals opportunities to demonstrate their talent and participate fully in the digital transformation process,” said Huan.
The Law on Digital Transformation provides a legal basis for national digital transformation and affirms Vietnam’s vision of building a safe, human-centered, humane digital society. This is an essential step to make technology serve development and turn digital transformation into a new driving force for national modernization.