Lao Cai promotes digital transformation, aiming to serve people and businesses.

Accordingly, the Provincial Party Committee issued Project No. 08-DA/TU, dated December 11, 2020 on information and communication technology development in Lao Cai province in the period 2020 - 2025; Resolution No. 20-NQ/TU, dated January 17, 2022 of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee on digital transformation in Lao Cai province by 2025, with a vision to 2030.
Lao Cai province has established a Steering Committee for Digital Transformation headed by the Provincial Party Secretary; the Deputy Head of the Committee is the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee. Recently, Lao Cai province has continued to consolidate 03 Steering Committees on Digital Transformation, administrative reform, and implementation of Project 06 into 01 single Steering Committee to focus on direction and unify implementation methods.
Accelerating institutional building
Lao Cai province has enacted mechanisms and policies to attract, compensate, and train IT human resources from 2021 to 2025. According to Decision No. 1857/QD-UBND dated July 23, 2024, approving the list of beneficiaries of IT and digital transformation incentives in 2024, a total of 119 civil servants and public employees will receive allowances. These individuals are divided into three groups: Group 1 with a monthly allowance of 5.4 million VND, Group 2 with 3.6 million VND, and Group 3 with 0.9 million VND.
The policy of reducing fees and charges is under the decision-making authority of the Provincial People's Council for the provision of online public services throughout Lao Cai province. Accordingly, people are entitled to a 40% reduction in fees and charges for performing online administrative procedures.
The province provides guidance on investment management in applying information technology to remove difficulties and obstacles in the implementation process; clearly defines the responsibilities and time to handle work of each agency and unit in the process and strengthens stricter management in some stages in the project implementation process.
The authority also issues technical and economic norms and order prices for Lao Cai Newspaper; Lao Cai Radio and Television Station; Information Technology and Communications Center.
Lao Cai issues the Data Strategy; List of shared data and open data of the province; List of internal administrative procedures between agencies and units in the province that are implemented online on the province's public service portal.
Applying information technology and digital transformation to serve people and businesses
Lao Cai has established 1,556 community digital technology teams to inform people the method to use online public services; the method to buy and sell products and services online; the method to make cashless payments; the way to use essential digital services for life (health, education, communication, travel, tourism, reading, entertainment, etc.); the way to apply basic information security and safety solutions to protect themselves and their personal data in cyberspace.

Community digital technology team guides people on digital skills. Documentary Photo.

The digital border gate platform has invested in infrastructure and completed items to serve the flow separation work at Kim Thanh border gate, connected and shared data with relevant agencies and organized testing of the entire digital border gate platform (reviewing the procedures operation of functional forces, checking the operation of the AI camera system and automatic barriers).
The province's Local Government Service Platform (LGSP) has integrated 29 applications and connected to national information systems and databases on population, land, finance, justice, construction, businesses, social insurance, and more. It also connects to national electronic payment platforms and the National Public Service Portal through the National Data Exchange Platform (NDXP). The provincial public service portal is connected to the National Public Service Portal, the national population database, and the national social insurance database, as well as information systems and databases of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and others.
Lao Cai was one of the first 23 localities to complete the target of providing online public services on the National Public Service Portal. According to the ranking, Lao Cai province achieved 83.02/100 points (ranked the 11th over 63 provinces and cities). Accordingly, the rate of online application submission reached 80.4% (the national average rate is 55.1%); Administrative procedures that provided online public services throughout the process reached 57.4%; The rate of administrative procedures with online payment transactions was 57.2%; The rate of online payment records was 76.6%. The province is piloting 22 internal administrative procedures among agencies and units in the province on the Provincial Public Service Portal.
The province has successfully implemented e-commerce development initiatives, with 197 out of 205 OCOP products and local specialties (96%) being listed on e-commerce platforms. Additionally, 100% of businesses are now using electronic invoices. 100% of petrol stations have issued electronic invoices and implemented cashless payments. Furthermore, 100% of import-export enterprises and supporting services have adopted digital signatures, electronic invoices, and conducted import-export procedures online.
129/129 information systems are approved (100%). 100% of computers in state agencies are installed with anti-malware software. This maintained the sharing of information security data with the National Cyber Security Monitoring Center. The province organized conferences, training, refresher courses, and security drills for 1,656 IT specialists and civil servants in charge of agencies and units of the province.

Launching ceremony of the Smart Digital Transformation Village Model in Ban Phiet Commune, Bao Thang District.

Fundamental solution
Lao Cai identifies that building e-government, digital transformation and ensuring network information security are important strategic tasks, both urgent and long-term for the entire political system and society, and are breakthrough solutions to achieve the goals of economic and social development, administrative reform, etc. To successfully achieve the set goals and tasks, in the coming time, the province will focus on directing and implementing the following solutions:
Developing a digital governance platform that integrates digital tools, processes and technologies to support management, operations and the provision of public services in an efficient and transparent manner. Enhancing the management, monitoring and decision-making capacity of state agencies, while creating a digital working environment and close connections between departments (replacing the document management and operations system, adding centralized digital governance functions).
Building and completing the shared data storage system, open data system of the province. Integrating population database, data on health, education, economy, social security, traffic, environment, etc.
Developing data centers that meet data storage, processing and protection requirements. Applying cloud computing technology to optimize data management.
Terminating 2G service and implementing 3G, 4G coverage to 100% of villages and residential groups in the province. Deploying important applications on mobile platforms to serve people and businesses (citizen app, Zalo mini app, etc.).
Deploying Virtual Assistant to support the activities of civil servants and public employees in a number of departments and branches.
Deploying a network security monitoring system, preventing network attacks, and protecting critical information systems. Developing security policies, information security monitoring systems, issuing and enforcing data security policies, and ensuring the safety of the database system./.