HCMC turns cafés into hubs for digital services and community dialogue

Cafés across Ho Chi Minh City are being transformed into spaces where residents can access digital public services, learn technology skills, and engage directly with local authorities through community-focused initiatives.

Cafés become community service hubs

On a recent weekend morning, Coffee Pier on Truong Van Bang Street in Tam Thang Ward was busier than usual. Inside, youth union members and staff from the Tam Thang Ward Public Administrative Service Center patiently guided residents in scanning QR codes to access administrative procedures, using the VNeID digital identity application, and navigating the Ho Chi Minh City Digital Citizen app on their smartphones. The neighborhood café had become a "Digital Coffee Station," bringing technology closer to the community.

Elderly woman Vo Thi Yen, 72, who lives on Hoang Van Thu Street, carefully followed the volunteers' instructions. Although she had previously installed the VNeID application, she had not used it for a long time, forgotten her password, and no longer knew how to log in. After just a few minutes of one-on-one assistance, she regained access to her account, learned how to use the application, search for administrative procedures, and take advantage of digital services on her phone.

"Thanks to the volunteers' clear and dedicated guidance, I now know how to log into VNeID and use public services on my phone," Yen said. "From now on, I can submit applications online myself instead of asking my children for help or making repeated trips to government offices."

On July 18, the Tam Thang Ward Public Administrative Service Center officially launched the "Digital Coffee Station – Digital Literacy 4.0" model at Coffee Pier and Coffee Xua on 3/2 Street. Every Saturday and Sunday morning, public servants, youth union members, and community digital technology teams provide residents with hands-on assistance in accessing and completing administrative procedures online.

Since April, Hung Long Commune has established 45 community digital technology teams and opened a digital transformation support center at Cafe 18:18 in Hamlet 22. In May, Kim Long Commune also converted Cacao Café in Hamlet Tam Long into a digital support center open every day of the week, allowing residents to receive assistance without purchasing drinks.

Meanwhile, in Con Dao Special Zone, another café-based initiative is helping narrow the gap between local authorities and residents. The "Morning Unity Coffee – Close to the People, Close to the Community" program, organized by the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Con Dao Special Zone, takes place in the courtyard of the Community Cultural House in Residential Area No. 5. Over cups of coffee and plates of steamed cassava, local leaders and Fatherland Front officials sit with residents to discuss everyday issues ranging from environmental sanitation and public security to urban management and beautification.

Coffee-based models bridge government-citizen gap

According to Nguyen Van Dung, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Con Dao Special Zone, the "Morning Unity Coffee" model is based on the principle of placing residents at the center of governance.

He said many people are reluctant to speak at large public meetings, so creating an open and informal setting makes dialogue more approachable and equal.

The model does not replace legally required voter meetings or citizen reception sessions but instead complements them by providing a more flexible and accessible way for authorities to engage with residents.

"It is not only an opportunity to receive public feedback but also a chance for local leaders to provide information on issues of public concern, answer questions, and build social consensus," Dung said. "Most importantly, it helps create an image of the Fatherland Front as being closer to the people, listening more closely, and working alongside residents to address local issues."

Director Tran Phuong Minh of the Tam Thang Ward Public Administrative Service Center said digital literacy should extend beyond formal training sessions and conferences.

The center wants digital skills to reach every resident through approaches that are people-centered, easy to understand, accessible, and practical, Director Tran Phuong Minh said, adding that is why local authority created the 'Digital Coffee Station – Digital Literacy 4.0' model to bring digital services, online public services, and digital transformation knowledge directly into familiar neighborhood gathering places.

Through the initiative, residents especially older adults, vulnerable groups, and those with limited digital skills receive direct guidance, helping ensure that no one is left behind in the city's digital transformation.