In the early days of re-establishment, Lao Cai was one of the six poorest provinces in the country with limited civil educational level. In the 2000s, information technology was a rather unfamiliar concept to Lao Cai, but only after two years, in 2002, Lao Cai province approved the "Overall project for information technology development in Lao Cai province for the period 2001 - 2010". This was the first project, laying the foundation for subsequent information technology programs and projects (digital transformation afterward) to be issued, which was included in the province's key programs and projects through each period.
We have been used to working in the physical environment for decades. Moving to a digital one means changing habits, which is a difficult and long-term task, requiring perseverance and persistence. Therefore, the biggest difficulty of digital transformation is changing habits. Changing habits in an organization or a locality depends mainly on the determination of the leader, since practical experience shows that where the leader is concerned and highly determined, digital transformation will be successful. The Party Committee of the Department of Information and Communications of Lao Cai has advised the province to establish a Steering Committee for Digital Transformation with the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee as the Head of the Committee and the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee as the Standing Deputy Head of the Committee. Besides, 100% of agencies, units, and localities from the province to the commune level have established a Steering Committee with the leader as the Head of the Committee. The province is determined to strongly implement digital transformation on all three pillars of building digital authority, digital economy, and digital society with the motto of concentrating on people and businesses as the center of digital transformation.
The communication work aiming at changing the awareness has been focused  and implemented. The Party Committee has directed to promote communication work to change people's and society's awareness of digital transformation. For instance, the Provincial Radio and Television Station promotes digital transformation in its daily news program and builds 01 propaganda report/month; Lao Cai Newspaper has opened the "Digital Transformation" column with thousands of news and articles; on October 13, 2022, the Lao Cai Provincial Digital Transformation Page officially went into operation at https://chuyendoiso.laocai.gov.vn; the Lao Cai Provincial Electronic Information Portal System and more than 190 component portals have built news, articles, and columns on digital transformation; advising the Provincial People's Committee to issue Decision No. 2280, designating each October 10 as Lao Cai Provincial Digital Transformation Day.
Following digital awareness, digital human resources are considered a key factor to implement effective and sustainable digital transformation. Human resource training for digital transformation has been promoted, proved by Conferences to disseminate policies and guidelines on digital transformation that were held at 3 levels: provincial, district and communal for more than 5,000 people. In 2023, nearly 2,000 people were trained on digital transformation and digital skills; information security skills were educated for cadres, leaders, civil servants, and public employees of provincial and district agencies and units, district-level party and mass organizations, and commune-level cadres and civil servants. Up to now, 116,000 people in the province have been educated in basic digital skills.
In the past, information technology was considered a "lever" for development, and now, digital transformation is opening up new space for development. The Party Committee advised the province to issue over 30 mechanisms, policies, programs, plans, and decisions on digital transformation, and its effectiveness has been increasingly affirmed. Being advised and approved the list of typical digital transformation products of Lao Cai province for the period 2023 – 2025, many digital transformation solutions have been recognized and highly appreciated by the Ministry of Information and Communications. Some contents and solutions help orient and promote digital transformation not only in Lao Cai province but also nationwide, namely: Cooperation mechanism on digital transformation; policies to attract and give incentives to human resources; Mechanism for ordering information technology services; Mechanism for managing information technology projects; Data strategy, etc.

Mr. Vu Hung Dung, Director of the Department of Information and Communications of Lao Cai province, gave a speech at the Vietnam - Asia Digital Transformation Summit 2023 in Hanoi.

Determining 2023 as the "Year of Digital Data, creating and exploiting data to create new values", the Party Committee of the Department has concerned and directed to focus on research to find new solutions and pathways for Lao Cai. Regarding policy, the Central Government has not yet issued a National Data Strategy. Ministries and branches have not yet issued a complete Data Strategy for the sector, or a complete list of shared databases (CSDL), or open data; have not yet issued a complete list of specialized information systems/software that the local level needs to implement. To solve the above difficult "problem", the Party Committee of the Department of Information and Communications has focused on the intelligence of a team of experts and engineers inside and outside the province, combined resources, and cooperated with FPT Group to provide consulting on the Data Strategy in the cooperation agreement between Lao Cai province and FPT Group. On January 16, 2023, Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 122 approving the "Data Strategy of Lao Cai Province by 2025, with a vision to 2030”. Lao Cai is the first locality in the country to approve a provincial data strategy. The provincial data strategy is built to exploit the potential of data to better serve the operations of provincial government agencies, providing more friendly and effective services to people and businesses.
Lao Cai has announced the Lao Cai e-Government Architecture, version 2.0; inaugurated the Smart Urban Operations Center; successfully connected the platform, integrated, shared (LGSP) of Lao Cai province; inaugurated the Intelligent Operations Center (IOC) of Lao Cai province; successfully integrated the Zalo application into the e-Government, etc., creating a breakthrough in IT application. Up to now, the telecommunications network infrastructure has covered mobile coverage to 100% of commune centers, over 98% of villages and hamlets. The fiber optic transmission network infrastructure connects and provides services to 100% of district and commune centers. Modern and IT technical infrastructure has synchronized from the provincial to district and communal levels. The provincial data center has been invested, upgraded, and expanded to meet the requirements of deploying shared applications of the province, ensuring data safety, security and meeting the requirements of digital transformation implementation.
With the view of digital transformation for people and businesses to benefit, creating resources for development, the Department Party Committee has promoted consulting on the implementation of online public services for organizations and citizens. Up to now, Lao Cai has integrated 1,323/1,797 public services onto the National Public Service Portal, reaching 73%; 100% of administrative procedures requiring financial obligations are provided on the National Public Service Portal. The rate of online application submission is 59.44%, the rate of online payment application is 63.79%. Thanks to that, Lao Cai is always in the top of the country in implementing the index set for serving people and businesses in administrative procedures and providing public services.
On October 6, 2023, Lao Cai province launched the mini app "Lao Cai Digital" on the Zalo technology platform, which  contributed to improving people's experience with digital transformation software, creating a breakthrough in supporting online public services, aiming at digital citizens formation.
Document management software has been effectively deployed. Up to now, the rate of work records in state administrative agencies being processed entirely online has reached over 95%.
Currently, businesses have also been strongly responding to the local digital transformation program. 100% of Lao Cai's OCOP products are put on e-commerce platforms; 100% of enterprises, cooperatives, and households with OCOP products have created digital booths and have electronic payment accounts; 100% of import-export enterprises and import-export support services have applied digital signatures, electronic invoices, and performed import-export declaration procedures in the digital environment; etc. These are results demonstrating that digital transformation has had a profound and positive impact, bringing practical benefits to people and businesses.
2024 is the year of accelerating digital transformation. The Party Committee of the Department has proposed 6 groups of tasks and solutions to promote digital transformation in Lao Cai province: Building policy institutions; transforming awareness; training digital human resources; developing digital infrastructure, digital platforms; developing digital government - digital economy - digital society; ensuring network safety and security. In order for digital transformation to be substantive and effective, in 2024, the Provincial People's Committee will advise the Provincial People's Committee to assign specific goals and tasks for each implementation target; Integrating digital signature features into the Provincial Public Service Portal; encouraging agencies, organizations and enterprises to use digital signatures; popularizing the use of personal digital signatures for adults. The comprehensive and substantive digital transformation will contribute to improving and enhancing the Information and Communication Technology Index (ICT Index), Digital Transformation Index (DTI), and Administrative Reform Index towards the goal of bringing satisfaction to people and businesses.
The 16th Provincial Party Congress identified “Developing a synchronous and modern infrastructure in both economic and social aspects, prioritizing the development of key transport projects, large urban infrastructure, telecommunications infrastructure, digital infrastructure” as one of the two strategic breakthrough areas for the period 2020 - 2025. That demonstrates the great attention of generations of provincial leaders for digital transformation, in the context of a poor province that is constantly striving to rise up. Difficulties have been gradually overcome with the will and determination passed down through many generations. From that care, information technology and digital transformation have truly brought about strong changes, opening up new opportunities for breakthrough development. Thanks to that, we can continue the source of aspirations from many generations, soon bringing Lao Cai out of the poor province category, actualizing the goal of building Lao Cai into a developed province of the country, a growth pole and a center connecting the Southwest region of China with Vietnam and ASEAN countries./.