Many border barriers
In mountainous and border communes of Quang Tri province, the implementation of digital transformation and the construction of e-government still has many barriers. Limited telecommunications infrastructure, uneven education and difficult economic life make this process face many obstacles.
Thuong Trach commune, where there are more than 3,600 people, 90% of whom are ethnic minorities, currently has 11 villages without grid electricity, many areas do not have phone signal. Meanwhile, level 2 electronic identification is a mandatory condition for performing online administrative procedures, but most people do not have smartphones or their own SIM cards.
In order to remove difficulties, the commune government has mobilized businesses, especially Viettel Group, to support phone SIM cards and instruct them on how to install electronic identification. Up to now, the commune has provided about 1,000 free SIM cards, and the staff have also lent smartphones to people to register.
Mr. Ho Ngoc Thanh - Chairman of the People's Committee of Thuong Trach commune said: "The commune has more than 1,600 people eligible for level 2 identification, but only about 250 people have their own phones and SIM cards. The government is continuing to mobilize and support to expand this number".
For people in remote areas like Ms. Y Nuong in Ca Roong 1 village, installing an electronic identification is a big change. Im very happy. Now, making paperwork does not require going far, it is much less difficult than before," she said.
Support at the village level
Not only the grassroots government, youth union members and mass organizations also actively contribute to bringing technology to people in border areas.
In Dan Hoa commune, where more than 60% of households do not have level 2 identification, the government has established 28 community digital technology groups including union members, police, border guards and commune officers. Every week, these teams travel through the forest to each remote village to support people to install VNeID, declare records, and update residential data.
Mr. Cao Xuan Thai - Deputy Director of the Dan Hoa Commune Public Administration Service Center said that each village has 20-30 people supported, helping them get used to the use of technology.
At the same time, the Quang Tri Provincial Youth Union deployed 79 youth volunteer teams with more than 1,500 members to communes and wards, supporting people to operate on the Public Service Portal, guiding declaration, reviewing documents, and updating ID information.
Models such as "Green shirt to welcome people - Near people, close to work" or "1 with 1" to help the elderly operate on their phones have created a positive effect. Mr. Tran Thanh Huy - Secretary of the Minh Hoa Commune Youth Union shared that to successfully transform digitally, the participation of the people must be there. We consider bringing technology to the village as a regular task.
Despite many difficulties, the mountainous localities of Quang Tri are making efforts every day to narrow the digital gap. The grassroots staff proactively learn information technology skills, share experiences, and apply them to daily work to serve people faster and more effectively.
The spirit of "digital education in the digital crop" is spreading strongly in Quang Tri. From each phone, each village, the digital transformation process is gradually taking root, helping people in mountainous areas to gradually immerse themselves in the flow of the digital age, where geographical distance is no longer a barrier to access public services and new knowledge.
