Ethnic minority communities use smartphones to livestream the sale of agricultural productsKeywords: Digital transformation in rural areas; Ethnic minorities; Ethnic minority and mountainous areas.
1. The current state of digital transformation in ethnic minority and mountainous areas
Digital transformation in rural areas inhabited by ethnic minorities and mountainous areas is facing more difficulties compared to urban areas and other regions across the country.
Firstly, telecommunications and internet infrastructure has made significant progress but still falls short of requirements
Along with the remarkable advancements in telecommunications infrastructure in Vietnam, over the past 10 years, telecommunications infrastructure in ethnic minority and mountainous areas has also seen significant improvements. Fiber optic cables have reached all villages and hamlets and mobile phone coverage extends nationwide… During the period of 2021-2025, implementing Sub-project 2: Application of information technology to support socio-economic development and ensure security and order in ethnic minority and mountainous areas within the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, localities implemented 60 information technology projects; built 933 support points for ethnic minorities to apply information technology to serve socio-economic development and ensure security and order…
However, information technology infrastructure has not been fully and evenly invested in across regions, especially in disadvantaged areas. In some villages, the signal is weak and intermittent; bandwidth is low, unable to support large-capacity digital services; Telecommunications and internet infrastructure is not yet sustainable in the face of natural disasters. These limitations make it difficult for ethnic minority communities to develop the habit of regularly using digital services, especially high-level online public services.
Secondly, accessing to digital devices is limited due to the impact of cost and usage conditions
According to the results of the 3rd Socio-economic survey on 53 ethnic minority groups in 2024, the percentage of ethnic minority households with internet access at home reached 85.6% as of July 1st, 2024; This rate reaches 84.2% in rural areas. The percentage of ethnic minority households in rural areas with mobile phones is quite high, over 78%... However, the percentage of ethnic minority households in rural areas that own desktop computers or laptops is very modest, just over 10%. Many households share a single device for the whole family. These devices are mostly in the low-cost, low-configuration segment, degrade quickly, and limit the ability to install and use applications that support digital transformation. This is a major barrier to popularizing and deploying complex digital platforms among the people.
Thirdly, the digital literacy and skills of the people and local officials are still limited
Digital skills are considered the biggest bottleneck in the digital transformation of ethnic minority communities. The majority of these communities use the internet for entertainment purposes. Elderly people are unfamiliar with technology due to fear of making mistakes and reluctance to operate it. Many still prefer submitting paper documents and there is a widespread fear of cashless payments.
At the commune level, the majority of officials have not yet kept pace with the new requirements for digital transformation, while the two-tiered local government model demands rapid adaptation from both the political system and officials at all levels. The lack of shared data and digital monitoring tools is also a major obstacle to the synchronized deployment of digital rural areas and digital government at the commune level - the level directly implementing national target programs in the two-tiered local government model.
Fourthly, there are few digital content guides in ethnic languages and the technology platforms are not yet user-friendly for ethnic minorities
Digital content is primarily in the common language, with few user guides in ethnic minority languages, making it difficult for digital messages to reach these communities. Currently, many localities have begun implementing bilingual solutions or organizing training classes in ethnic minority languages to help people better understand the benefits of digital transformation. However, the scale is still small and not synchronized. As a result, many platforms have been invested in but the actual usage rate is low, digital transformation in rural areas is slow and genuine, scalable digital rural models have not yet been formed.
2. Challenges facing digital transformation in rural areas inhabited by ethnic minorities and mountainous areas
Firstly, the digital divide is not just about infrastructure, but also about capabilities
This issue is the biggest “bottleneck” of digital transformation in ethnic minority and mountainous areas today. In reality, in many areas, 4G coverage has been achieved, fiber optic cables have been extended to commune centers and equipment has been provided, but people are still not proficient or frequent in using it. The digital divide has therefore shifted from “no network” to “network available but unable to utilize it”.
Digital competence is not just about manipulating information, but also about the ability to proactively access, select and use digital services in relation to livelihoods, education, healthcare and policy access. Until ethnic minority communities see how e-commerce helps them sell their agricultural products, how electronic medical records make hospital visits easier, and how online public services save them time and money, they will not fully understand the significance of digital transformation. Therefore, without systematic investment in human resources, the digital divide will be difficult to bridge between ethnic minority and mountainous areas and other areas.
Secondly, digital transformation has not been closely linked to the livelihoods of ethnic minority communities
In reality, many places still focus on training skills like installing applications, opening accounts, and creating online stores, but lack a complete support chain covering production, standardization, packaging, logistics, payment and customer service. Ethnic minority communities are guided to use e-commerce platforms but lack the support to sell their goods; they are encouraged to livestream but lack a stable supply of products; they are provided with e-wallets but their income remains precarious. In ethnic minority and mountainous areas, digital transformation is only truly sustainable when it becomes an integral part of their livelihoods.
Thirdly, there is a lack of organizational models for implementation at the grassroots level
Villages and hamlets - the closest places to the people are still limited in terms of digital transformation. Many villages and hamlets lack dedicated technology officers; the core workforce mainly consists of village heads, Party branch secretaries, elders, influential individuals or community digital technology teams that operate on a part-time basis, relying heavily on a sense of responsibility. Funding is almost non-existent; Equipment is scarce and outdated; Instructional materials are not suitable for the local language and culture. In this context, the task of bringing people to the digital environment becomes overwhelming for villages and hamlets. When villages and hamlets lack digital skills, digital transformation will be stalled at the final stage. Without solving the challenges faced by villages and hamlets, digital transformation in ethnic minority and mountainous areas will struggle to become a sustainable driving force for development.
Fourthly, there is a lack of a mechanism for genuinely evaluating effectiveness
Many current evaluation indicators still lean towards input-based criteria such as the number of communes covered, the number of applications installed and the number of community digital technology groups established… Meanwhile, output indicators such as the percentage of ethnic minority people using online public services, increased income from e-commerce, reduced travel costs for telemedicine or the amount of time taken to process administrative procedures are rarely systematically monitored. In order to achieve truly meaningful digital transformation, we need a system of evaluation criteria based on social impact, livelihoods, and the inherent capabilities of the people that is, a more substantive measurement.
3. Some solutions to promote digital transformation in rural areas inhabited by ethnic minorities
Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22nd, 2024, of the Politburo on breakthroughs in the development of science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation of the nation, has identified science, technology and digital transformation as new growth drivers for Vietnam to become a high-income developed country by 2045. Therefore, promoting digital transformation in rural areas inhabited by ethnic minorities and mountainous regions in the coming years will contribute to putting Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW of the Politburo into practice.
Based on an analysis of the current situation and bottlenecks in implementation over the past period, the author proposes several recommendations to promote digital transformation in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.
Firstly, shift the policy approach from “technology popularization” to “solving development problems”
This solution is a necessary, even decisive, adjustment for digital transformation in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.
The “problem-solving for development” approach forces policy to go against familiar trends, no longer emphasizing “everyone having an app, everyone having an account”, but redefining the central role of the people, thereby selecting appropriate, sufficient, easy-to-use, low-cost digital solutions that closely align with their livelihoods, helping them solve specific problems such as: agricultural product outlets, access to healthcare, education, production management,… in order to create real value for the community.
Secondly, closely link digital transformation with the National Target Program on New Rural Development, sustainable poverty reduction and socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas
The National Target Program on New Rural Development, Sustainable Poverty Reduction and Socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous regions for the period of 2026-2035 is the most important policy space for systematically organizing and implementing digital transformation. Currently, in the first component: Building new rural areas and sustainable poverty reduction, content 06: Developing science, technology and digital transformation in rural areas has been specifically designed to implement criterion group 07 on science, technology and digital transformation under the National Criteria Set for New rural communes at all levels for the period of 2026-2030.
The project's implementation content includes: (1): Implementing a number of scientific and technological tasks, innovation serving the construction of new rural areas and sustainable poverty reduction towards “ecological agriculture”, “modern rural areas”, “civilized farmers”, “multidimensional poverty reduction, sustainable development”. Promoting the transfer of scientific and technological advancements to serve rural life and economic development. (2) Effectively implement the “Digital literacy” movement in building new rural areas and sustainable poverty reduction; Piloting the construction of “digital market - digital rural area” models; Developing and replicating “smart new rural village” models. Incorporate digital transformation components into sub-projects related to livelihoods, education, health and information and communication, instead of treating them as supplementary content. Support ethnic minority communities in accessing information on science and technology and promoting local products to domestic and international audiences. Enhancing the application and use of information technology to support socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, especially the application of information technology and digital transformation in the implementation of the Program.
Component 2: Socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas has designed Activity No. 02: Application of information technology to support socio-economic development and ensure security and order in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, including the following contents: (1) Digital transformation in the organization implementing the Program. (2) Digital transformation, application of Internet of Things technology in promoting smart production, digital transformation in contents such as agricultural development, industry, trade, finance, education, health, transportation, construction, logistics, tourism... in the ethnic minority and mountainous areas. (3) Organizing conferences, seminars and online working sessions of the Central Steering Committee and its supporting agencies related to directing, guiding and organizing the implementation of the Program. (4) Supporting the establishment and maintenance of information technology application support points for ethnic minorities in communes and villages to serve socio-economic development and ensure security and order. (5) Supporting the construction and maintenance of online product markets in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. (6) Developing a separate monitoring indicator set for digital transformation in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, focusing on performance indicators such as the level of use of online public services, the effectiveness of digital application in agricultural production and consumption and the ability to access policy information. (7) Allowing flexible use of Program funds to maintain support models at the grassroots level, especially community digital technology groups, considering this as a long-term community development institution.
Thirdly, innovate the organizational implementation at the grassroots level, focusing on the community
Currently, digital transformation is still primarily implemented through a top-down, administrative model, while the capacity of ethnic minority communities remains limited. Therefore, it is necessary to innovate the organizational implementation towards a community-based approach and empower local stakeholders. The focus should be on strengthening and improving the quality of operation of community digital technology groups in villages and hamlets. These groups should not only provide technical guidance but also be assigned the role of intermediaries connecting people with digital government, public services and digital economic platforms. There should be a mechanism for regular training and development of digital skills for commune, village and hamlet officials. Digital skills training programs should be designed based on the principle of learning for immediate use, focusing on essential skills such as: using online public services, cashless payments, product traceability, selling on digital platforms and accessing policy information. Priority should be given to training core personnel in each village and hamlet, including those who understand the local culture, language, and customs, in oreder to ensure the sustainability and widespread impact of the digital transformation process.
Fourthly, developing accessible digital content and platforms
Priority should be given to developing multilingual digital content, initially focusing on ethnic groups with large populations; integrating local cultural elements into content design and communication. The user interface should be simplified, minimizing technical operations to suit users with limited digital skills and low-configuration devices. Localities, cooperatives, and communities should be encouraged to build digital content repositories about distinctive products, local knowledge and community tourism to both serve economic development and contribute to cultural preservation.
Fifthly, improving the mechanisms for coordinating, monitoring, and evaluating the effectiveness of digital transformation
Digital transformation in ethnic minority and mountainous regions is an interdisciplinary and multi-level challenge, requiring a sufficiently strong coordination mechanism and an evaluation system based on actual impact. Current evaluations still tend to focus on the number of platforms, accounts and models while lacking indicators reflecting changes in people’s lives. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a separate set of evaluation criteria for digital transformation in ethnic minority and mountainous regions, emphasizing outcome indicators such as: the percentage of people using online public services, the increase in income from digital economic models, and the level of access to policy information. Strengthening the supervisory role of the community, social organizations and research institutions is crucial, considering feedback from the people as an important evaluation channel for timely policy adjustments.
4. Conclusion
Rural areas inhabited by ethnic minorities and mountainous regions are not only production areas but also living spaces, playing a strategic role in culture, society, national defense and security. Promoting digital transformation in these areas is not just a technical component of the National Digital Transformation Strategy, but a structural development challenge directly linked to social equity, narrowing the development gap and ensuring that no one is left behind. Experience shows that if digital transformation is approached with a purely administrative-technological mindset, lacking connection to livelihoods, culture, and community capacity, the risk of a widening “digital divide” will increase. Conversely, if people are placed at the center, communities are the main actors, and digital transformation is viewed as a tool to solve specific development problems, it can become a crucial lever to help ethnic minority and mountainous areas shorten their development process.
References
1. Communist Party of Vietnam (2024). Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22nd, 2024 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in the development of science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation.
2. National Assembly (2025). Resolution No. 257/QH15 dated December 11th, 2025, approving the investment policy for the National Target Program on building new rural areas, sustainable poverty reduction and socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period of 2026-2035.
3. Steering Committee for National Target Programs (2025). Summary report on the implementation of the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, the period of 2021-2030, Phase I: 2021-2025.
4. Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs (2025). Results of the third survey to collect information on 53 ethnic minorities in 2024, http://cema.gov.vn/thong-bao/thong-bao-cap-nhat-ra-soat-ket-qua-dieu-tra-thu-thap-thong-tin-ve-thuc-trang-kinh-te-xa-hoi-cua-53-dan-toc-thieu-so-nam-2024.htm
