Building a Smart Society: Exploring Opportunities and Obstacles

DNHN - Developing a “smart society,” a concept attracting widespread interest, has become a global objective for many nations. Vietnam are favourable to advance digital transformation and establish a smart society.

With more than 100 million people and during the golden age of population structure, approximately 70% of the population is of working age, the number of internet and smartphone users continues to grow rapidly, and the population adapts quickly. These conditions are favourable for Vietnam to advance digital transformation and establish a smart society.

However, the concept of a "smart society" for humans remains extremely general and vague. The majority of people do not fully comprehend this concept. They are frequently approached with terms such as digital transformation and digital economy, even though this is only a small part of the "smart society" overall.

In a broad sense, an intelligent society encompasses all human activities. The primary driving force of a smart society is digital technology, which is based on the rapid growth of information and data and alters every aspect of social organisation, from government to the economy to the lives of individuals. To reach a smart society, digital transformation is an inevitable prerequisite.

Mr Nguyen Manh Tung, Chairman of Song Nam Group and founder of IMAX IoT Platform, who has more than 15 years of experience in the field of automation and IoT, believes that the definition of a smart society must start at the root of the problem and encompass every aspect of social life.

According to Mr Tung, a smart society is more than just the application of technology to all aspects of life; it must also encompass all social aspects. He defines a smart society as the sum of five key factors: digital government, digital citizenship, digital life, and digital economy. However, he emphasised that connectivity is the most important aspect of a smart society, referring to the connection between individuals, between individuals and devices, and between individuals and society.

Mr Tung is aware that constructing a smart society is an extremely difficult task that requires a substantial investment of time, money, and resources. This objective's implementation in Vietnam is still in its infancy; there is still a great deal of work and obstacles to overcome.

Mr Tung concluded that, of the five components of a smart society, the government has only prioritised the development of a digital government. The government is creating favourable conditions for the public through the digitization of documents, administrative procedures, and processes. Nonetheless, he emphasised that the process of constructing a digital government is limited in scope. The government prioritises the development of digital government from the perspective of state management agencies, ignoring the opinions of the people. Vietnam has not yet implemented the digitization and management of citizens' personal information, including identity, background, and biographies, which is a crucial aspect of digital citizenship.

Mr. Tung suggested, to effectively implement digital citizenship, that citizenship management and evaluation be based on behaviour, similar to how China successfully implements it. Behaviour-based assessment and management facilitate the categorization and management of citizens. In addition, citizens' needs, preferences, and habits can be used to provide them with better services. Nonetheless, this requires privacy protections and the careful and secure collection and use of citizens' personal information.

Mr Tung identifies digital life as the third aspect of a smart society. Digital life consists of services such as connecting residents with communities and urban areas, paying bills, connecting residents with utilities, and providing parking services. There are currently numerous applications and technology platforms for digital life; however, ensuring the safety and security of these services remains a formidable obstacle.

The digital economy constitutes the fourth component of a smart society. The digital economy facilitates rapid access to entire markets and services via digital platforms. There are currently numerous e-commerce platforms for online shopping, such as Shopee and Lazada, and Vietnamese people are heavily engaged in the digital economy through online shopping and website-based business. The social networks Zalo and Facebook.

According to the Vietnam E-Commerce White Paper 2021, the number of online shoppers has increased from 32.7 million in 2016 to 49.3 million in 2020. Online shopping is increasing in popularity. become a popular shopping practice among Vietnamese individuals. To develop the digital economy, it is necessary to ensure the technological infrastructure, the security of transactions, and the protection of consumer interests.

Lastly, the digital society is the most essential component of a smart society. Digital transformation will help eliminate geographical distance and provide equal access to health services, education, sports, and entertainment, thereby enhancing life quality. To accomplish this, however, substantial investments in technical infrastructure, training, and digital technology adoption motivation are required.

Building a smart society is a complex process that requires multidimensional investments from the government, businesses, and individuals due to the aforementioned factors. The application of technology and exploitation of the potential of a smart society can have numerous positive effects on the living environment, economy, and quality of life of individuals. Achieving this objective, however, requires the collaboration and consensus of all stakeholders and the surmounting of existing obstacles.

Mr Tung stated, "The components of a smart society have appeared in life but are still fragmented; there is no strong connection between these elements to create overall strength; the role of the people and the responsibility to serve the people must be at the centre."

Lam Nghi