Vietnam Internet Day 2020 (Photo: Minh Quyet / VNA)

VIA chairman, Vu Hoang Lien, said that the internet had become an essential service for everyone, citing Vietnam’s vision by 2030 to promote digital transformation in the government, the economy and the society to raise national rankings.

He said, “Viet Nam is considered one of the 20 countries with the highest internet penetration rate in the world. The internet has been an ecosystem for digital transformation in the world and it’s a government’s priority. The event today is an effort to realize Vietnam’s aspiration in digital transformation.”

The internet had made positive contributions to the overall socio-economic development of the country since Viet Nam connected to the Internet for the first time in 1997, as Nguyen Huy Dung, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications explained.

“This year was the starting year for the national digital transformation. Instead of simply digitising documents and processes, the development of digital technology allowed us to bring all of our operations into cyberspace. This movement would take place at a rapid rate, creating a great impact on all three pillars, which are digital government, digital economy and digital society. In order to realise the aspirations for national development, Viet Nam must quickly seize the opportunity and implement digital transformation faster, stronger and more broadly,” Dung said.

Vietnam's internet economy will reach more than 14 billion USD this year with almost the highest growth rate of 16% in South East Asia. The UN has ranked Vietnam 86 in terms of e-government last year.