The “Free digital signature booth” has been launched through a partnership between the Ministry of Information and Communications’ National Electronic Authentication Centre, technology and telecommunications companies, and the People’s Committee of Hoan Kiem District (Hanoi).
Citizens can be issued digital signatures for free, every weekend, from April to the end of 2023. The initiative is one of several aimed at promoting the use of remote digital signing services for electronic administrative procedures and supporting comprehensive digital transformation efforts. The goal of the project is to reach the goal of 10 million subscribers by 2023.
Nguyen Huy Dung, the Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, said that the increasing popularity of technology and the internet makes digital signatures an unavoidable trend. He noted that digital signatures enable fast and convenient transactions in the online environment while ensuring high security and authenticity.
A digital signature holds the same legal weight as an individual’s handwritten signature or an agency or enterprise seal, and therefore, will be legally recognised by law when conducting transactions in the electronic environment. During weekends from now until December 2023, people in the capital and visitors to the pedestrian street in Hoan Kiem district will be educated on the use of digital signatures and their role in participating in public services and electronic transactions.
Later this month, the Hanoi People’s Committee will implement a new public service system that will operate entirely electronically. Under this system, citizens will be able to digitally sign declarations at home or any location, rather than having to physically sign papers and submit documents as is currently the case. Furthermore, state agencies will process electronic results in parallel with paper results.
The Vietnamese government is undertaking efforts to modernise and simplify administrative processes, such as introducing electronic public services and transitioning to fully electronic public service systems, to make them more efficient and convenient for citizens. Moving national services online is beneficial for many reasons, and the national portal is the most effective channel to digitise administrative procedures. The website recorded over 644,000 payment transactions with a total value of more than VND 279 billion (over US$ 11.8 million) in January. In the same month, over 338,000 accounts were registered, and more than 7.2 million records were synchronised with the portal.
Meanwhile, in February, data from the Vietnam Social Security (VSS) agency showed that around 11.8 million people in Vietnam had used their chip-based ID cards to access healthcare services. As of the same month, around 12,270 medical units accepted chip-based ID cards, which have been integrated with health insurance cards for their services. This accounted for 96% of the total units across the country. The integration is part of VSS’ efforts to implement the Prime Minister’s Decision 06, which approved the use of population data and electronic identity and authentication for the national digital transformation. It aims to make it easier for people to get healthcare check-ups and treatment services.
These efforts are a part of the country’s National Digital Transformation Programme. Under the plan, Vietnam aims to be among the top 50 countries in terms of e-government and ensure that the digital economy contributes 30% to the country’s GDP by 2030.
