In late September, 66-year-old Nguyen Nhu That, Party Cell Secretary and leader of Neighborhood 73 in Tan Hung Ward of HCMC, was bustling with activity. He was busy with a local land-planning survey, but also actively disseminating city policies to the neighborhood’s 550 households through their Zalo group, ensuring information spread quickly and accurately.
Despite a heavy workload, he has learned to leverage technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), to manage his tasks efficiently. He credits a “Journey to Digital Technology” class, part of a city-wide “Digital Literacy Campaign”, for giving him the foundational skills.
“Through the class, I was guided on how to use basic AI applications to quickly draft reports and public announcements,” he said. “It provides incredibly useful suggestions that are relevant to our local situation.” Thanks to this training, he has overcome the age barrier, using technology to master his daily duties.
Currently, most households in the neighborhood participate in the neighborhood’s Zalo group, so the officials of neighborhood 73 regularly interact with party members and residents on the Zalo group, receiving and implementing documents down to the neighborhood quickly and conveniently.
Similarly, Ho Thi Hoa, Party Cell Secretary of Neighborhood 12 in An Phu Dong Ward of HCMC is managing many Zalo groups for information and propaganda to the people and party members of the neighborhood’s party cell. In late August and early September, she continuously updated information about people who had not yet received the Government’s gift for the National Day holiday on Zalo groups and announced the specific time and place to receive the gift directly to the people.
Having taken computer classes, she is now proficient at using AI to research and synthesize information for her reports. “For topics I don’t fully grasp, I use AI to gather more details,” Hoa explained. “It helps me create more comprehensive reports.”
At the Public Administration Service Center in Hoa Hung Ward, 70-year-old Tran Thi Thanh taps on her phone. “At this step, I just press ‘submit’, and it’s done, right?” she asks a young volunteer. Upon receiving a success notification, her face lights up. After just a few guided sessions, she’s gotten the hang of using the online public service portal.
Her smartphone is now equipped with essential apps like VNeID, VssID, and HCMC Digital Citizen. Once “tech-averse”, Ms. Thanh now proactively checks information and tracks her applications on her phone. What she loves most is the fingerprint login feature. “Older people can be forgetful, so being able to log in with just a touch is wonderful,” she said.
This digital literacy has brought her a newfound independence. She’s learned to book ride-hailing services and even airline tickets. “I used to only make calls on my smartphone,” she shared. “Now I can book a ride to the market or to visit friends. I’m not so dependent on my children anymore.”
Local authorities across HCMC are actively driving this change for the senior in the city. According to Chairwoman Le thi Ngoc Hien of Hoa Hung Ward, where seniors make up 17.3 percent of the population, they have dedicated volunteers to assist the elderly with online procedures. The ward has also partnered with the HCMC Center for Digital Transformation to establish “community tech teams” that provide hands-on guidance.
In Ben Thanh Ward, senior community leaders are at the forefront of the digital push, actively implementing policies and helping others install and use online applications. They collaborate with the local Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union to promote the “Digital Literacy Campaign”, helping their peers gain the skills to be proactive in this new digital environment.
Participating in guiding implementation of administrative procedures
Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong of Tan An Hoi Commune People’s Committee in HCMC said that since the operation of the two-tier local government, elder community leaders working in the hamlets have actively supported and guided people in carrying out administrative procedures, registering for electronic identification, and using the city’s online applications.
In the coming time, the commune will implement digital skills training activities and propaganda work so that the force of Party Cell Secretaries, Hamlet Heads, and the Front Work Committee in the hamlets can operate better.
