Deputy head of the department for enterprise development under the Ministry of Planning and Investment Bui Thuy Thuy speaks at a conference on how the country's economic policies can help foster creativity and innovation among the business sector in Hanoi. (Photo courtesy of the ministry )Deputyhead of the department for enterprise development under the Ministry ofPlanning and Investment Bui Thu Thuy said digitalisation was no longer anoption for businesses, especially as the world is still trying to recover fromthe pandemic. The digitalisation of business data, management, automation,reporting and collaboration within enterprises should be given the highestpriority.
WhileVietnam enjoyed a relatively high broadband penetration rate compared againstother countries in the region, digitalised transactions still remained at justover 22 percent, lower than Indonesia (34 percent) and Thailand (62 percent).Online business transactions were also on the low side at just 10 percentagainst Indonesia (49 percent) and Malaysia (52 percent).
Themost common issues experienced by Vietnamese businesses with digitalisationinclude a lack of financial resources, poor IT infrastructure and cybersecurity and a shortage of skilled workers.
Thepandemic and a number of recently implemented policies by the government havegiven digitalisation a speed boost. Coupled with a change in consumer behaviourto contactless transactions the country's digital economy has reported a 10 percentgrowth rate since last year and 135 billion USD in sales volume.
Shesaid the ministry is willing to provide support to all businesses to make thetransition to digital. A number of tools have been made available at http://digital.business.gov.vn to helpbusinesses self-evaluate and build a digitalisation strategy.
Theministry has also been building a consultant network specialised in digitaltransformation. So far, the network has connected with over 100,000 clients andheld numerous training programmes for businesses.
GeneralDirector of V-startup, a support network for Vietnamese start-ups, Nguyen ThyNga said enterprises are at the core of the country's creativity and innovationpush.
Ngasaid creative and innovative solutions in organisation and management help businessescut down transactional and operational costs while improving productivity andefficiency. She said creativity and innovation must come from an emphasis onbusiness culture, one in which managers and workers must continue to adapt andchange.
NguyenTuan Luong from UNDP in Vietnam's department for creativity and innovation saidthe push for digitalisation offers the country an opportunity to move in thedirection of greener development and to build an economic ecosystem forsustainable development.
DrChu Duc Hoang from the National Technology Innovation Fund said Vietnameseenterprises, especially SMEs, were in dire need of financial resources forresearch and development activities as well as of comprehensive legal andpolicy frameworks to encourage the implementation of science and technology inthe business sector./.
VNA
