On the occasion of National Digital Citizen Day (October 15), a reporter from Nhan Dan Newspaper interviewed Major General Vu Van Tan, Head of the Police Department for Administrative Management of Social Order (C06) under the Ministry of Public Security, about the major achievements, difficulties, and challenges encountered during implementation; strategic direction for developing digital citizens and harnessing the value of population data and VNeID to deliver better services to the public.
Q: Could you outline the major achievements in building and developing digital citizens in recent years? What practical benefits are population data, electronic identification and authentication, and VNeID bringing to the public?
A: In recent years, the building and development of digital citizens has made clear progress, from establishing digital identities to providing practical services that enable people to participate actively in and benefit from digital transformation. The key achievements can be summarised as follows:
First, the necessary conditions have been established for people to participate in the digital environment. Personal identification numbers have been issued to 100% of citizens. A total of 86.4 million electronic identification accounts have been issued to Vietnamese citizens, 109,000 to foreign nationals, and 950,000 to organisations. The VNeID platform maintains approximately three to six million users per day. Around 19.1 million social welfare and payment account records have been integrated, while 87% of citizens have bank accounts.
Approximately 1.1 million digital certificate registrations have been recorded, alongside more than 128,000 document-signing transactions. Nearly 50% of citizens have been issued digital signatures, saving an estimated 41,000–170,000 VND per signed document and reducing processing times by 15–60 minutes.
Beyond providing digital tools, efforts have also been made to equip people with digital skills. The Digital Literacy for All platform has incorporated 170 courses and attracted more than 3.6 million participants. Approximately 93,500 community digital technology teams, together with grassroots personnel, are directly helping people use VNeID, access public services, make digital payments, and prevent fraud.
As a result, people are participating more actively in the digital environment, with approximately 49.7% of administrative procedure and public service applications being processed online, marking a near five-fold increase.
The E-government development index has risen by 15 places to 71st out of 193 countries compared with the period before the implementation of Project 06. The digital economy has accounted for approximately 14.5% of GDP over the years. E-commerce reached around 31 billion USD in 2025, up 25.5% compared to 2024. In the first three months of 2026, the number of cashless payment transactions increased by nearly 38%, while their value rose by more than 14% compared with the same period in 2025.
Second, mechanisms have been introduced to encourage people to participate in the digital environment.
Resolution No. 66.22/2026/NQ-CP and the policies introduced have linked digital citizen development to direct benefits for the public. As of September 30, 2026, approximately 768,000 population data lookups to determine eligibility for policy benefits have been conducted through VNeID.
More than 14,700 residence-related applications and certain passport applications were exempted from fees, saving the public approximately 232.6 million VND. A total of 25 localities have introduced zero fees for online public services, with the measure expected to save citizens and businesses around 37 billion VND each year.
These direct benefits have encouraged people to take a more proactive role in providing data and contributing their feedback to state agencies. VNeID has recorded 23.3 million instances of payment account information being provided, more than 334,000 instances involving driving licence information, over 103,000 birth certificates, and more than 70,000 records of land-use rights certificates.
More than 20.6 million citizen contributions were submitted on the draft amendments to the Constitution; nearly 3.3 million people commented on the draft documents for the 14th National Party Congress; and two million comments were submitted on the Penal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code, the Law on Real Estate Business, and the Land Law.
VNeID is expanding channels of interaction so that people do not merely use digital services but also participate directly in policymaking, contribute ideas, and help shape policies in the digital environment.
Third, VNeID is offering an increasingly diverse range of services to meet essential needs. The application now provides more than 77 features and services, has recorded over 500 million visits, and supports 19 groups of online public services, alongside utilities relating to healthcare, transport, and judicial affairs.
Q: Despite these achievements, what difficulties, obstacles, and challenges remain in implementing VNeID?
A: The implementation of VNeID application continues to face several difficulties and bottlenecks. The creation, standardisation and cleansing of data to ensure that it is “accurate, complete, clean, and live” remain slow in some ministries and sectors. As a result, the full range of documents needed for citizens to integrate into the application has not been established.
Some agencies, organisations, and officials handling applications have not fully adopted the use of information and documents already integrated into VNeID. People are still sometimes required to present original documents or traditional paper copies. Some citizens, particularly older people, disadvantaged groups, and those living in remote and isolated areas, also struggle to install, activate the application, and use its digital services.
Cybersecurity and personal data protection pose further challenges, requiring stringent technical standards and multi-layered security measures to prevent data leaks, impersonation, and cyberattacks involving electronic transactions and cross-border connectivity.
Q: What direction and solutions are the Ministry of Public Security pursuing to further improve VNeID, expand its services, and enhance its effectiveness in meeting the needs of citizens and businesses?
A: To address these bottlenecks and improve the effectiveness of VNeID in serving citizens and businesses, the Ministry of Public Security, together with the relevant ministries and sectors, is focusing on five key groups of tasks:
First, accelerating data creation, document integration, and reduction of administrative procedures
In line with Resolution No. 214/NQ-CP, ministries, sectors, and localities are urgently working to complete and standardise specialised datasets and improve their quality, ensuring seamless data connectivity and sharing with the National Data Centre.
Decree No. 320/2026/ND-CP, which amends Decree No. 69/2024/ND-CP, clearly stipulates that agencies and organisations handling administrative procedures and public services may not require individuals or organisations to submit or present original documents or copies of documents already integrated into VNeID. A list of documents issued to individuals and organisations that can be integrated into the application has also been promulgated alongside the decree.
In the spirit of Resolution No. 66.22/2026/NQ-CP on the development of digital citizens, ministries and sectors are to redesign online public service processes, integrate the use of public digital signatures via VNeID, and implement policies for the waiver or reduction of fees and charges for digital citizens, with the aim of minimising paperwork and administrative procedures.
Second, continuing public awareness campaigns to ensure people understand their rights and responsibilities when using VNeID
Citizens should proactively cooperate in providing, updating, and integrating personal documents — including driving licences, health insurance, social insurance, birth certificates, and criminal record certificates — into their level 2 VNeID accounts so that these can replace traditional documents.
VNeID provides an official channel through which people can submit feedback and petitions if state agencies fail or refuse to use information or documents already integrated into the application, or if they discover errors in their data.
People should also proactively improve their digital skills, protect their electronic identification accounts, and comply with legal requirements on personal data protection and cybersecurity.
Third, implementing the VNeID development project for 2026–2030 period, with a vision to 2045, under Decision No. 940/QD-TTg
The Ministry of Public Security is chairing the implementation of the project to develop VNeID into a national digital platform, with the following specific targets.
By 2028, VNeID will be upgraded into a super app, with its technical infrastructure completed and 50% of essential digital services expanded. Electronic identification accounts will be issued to 100% of eligible individuals and organisations, while payment accounts or e-wallets will be integrated into VNeID for 100% of social welfare beneficiaries.
All documents belonging to citizens and organisations will be integrated, 100% of mobile subscribers will be authenticated through VNeID, and 80% of eligible citizens will be issued public digital signature certificates integrated into the application. Artificial intelligence (AI) will also be introduced at an initial stage.
By 2030, the entire VNeID digital ecosystem will be completed. All citizens will have level 2 VNeID accounts integrated with payment accounts, 70% of integrated services will incorporate AI, and 70% of users will experience cashless payments.
The vision for 2045: Develop a comprehensive ecosystem of digital services, with AI integrated into 100% of services, 100% of payments made cashlessly, and 90% of users accessing the platform regularly.
Fourth, connecting with the ASEAN electronic identification system under Decision No. 1830/QD-TTg.
VNeID will be connected to the electronic identification systems of Singapore (Singpass) and Laos (LAeID), with connections gradually extended to other ASEAN member countries. Pilot projects will be conducted to link systems and authenticate electronic identities for immigration procedures at the Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat international airports. The aim is to simplify procedures, reduce duplicate declarations, shorten border inspection times, lower costs, and promote trade and tourism across the ASEAN region.
Fifth, incorporating feedback into and finalising the draft Law on Electronic Identification and Authentication
The Ministry of Public Security is tasked with advising the government on finalising the draft Law on Electronic Identification and Authentication for submission to the National Assembly for consideration and approval during its November session. The enactment of this Law aims to establish a robust, comprehensive, and unified legal framework; it clearly defines the scope and legal validity of VNeID accounts, electronic identities, and electronic transactions, as well as the legal responsibilities of the entities operating in the digital environment.
Q: As more information and transactions move into the digital environment, what measures is the Ministry of Public Security taking to protect personal data, secure electronic identification accounts, and prevent fraud and impersonation?
A: Our viewpoint is that the development of digital utilities must go hand in hand with personal data protection and user safety. The key is to combine a robust legal framework, technology, inter-agency cooperation, and people's ability to protect themselves.
A digital citizen is not merely someone who knows how to use technology but someone who uses it safely, lawfully, and responsibly.
Major General Vu Van Tan
Head of the Police Department for Administrative Management of Social Order (C06), Ministry of Public Security
First, we must strictly enforce the Law on Personal Data Protection and existing regulations on electronic identification and authentication. Citizens' rights over their own data must be safeguarded, while acts of data theft, disclosure, illegal trading, or unlawful use must be dealt with strictly. Expanded connectivity and information sharing must be accompanied by clear data protection responsibilities for every agency and organisation.
In terms of protective measures, we will continue to strengthen system security, authenticate transaction accounts, issue early warnings about unusual transactions, and ensure transparency in data exploitation. The objective is to prevent risks from arising in the first place, rather than merely responding after damage has occurred.
In this regard, the Ministry of Public Security has proactively worked with the banking and telecommunications sectors. Biometric verification and data sharing have been carried out for approximately 268.7 million banking records, while nearly 149 million subscriber records have been transferred to the National Population Database for standardisation. These measures help curb identity fraud, the use of unregistered SIM cards, and the misuse of information associated with identities that cannot be properly verified.
The Ministry of Public Security also regularly warns the public about scams involving people impersonating officials and sending links or fake VNeID applications to take control of mobile phones. More than 32 public awareness articles have been published on VNeID to warn people about these methods and tactics. Citizens should use only the official application. If they suspect that their account has been compromised, they must promptly contact their bank and the police for assistance. Protective technology must go hand in hand with user vigilance.
Q: In your view, what skills and awareness do people need to use digital services proactively, protect their rights and interests, comply with the law, and act responsibly in the digital environment?
A: In my view, people need to meet three key requirements: knowing how to use digital services, knowing how to protect themselves, and understanding their rights and responsibilities.
First, they should proactively learn practical skills, such as using VNeID, submitting applications online, making digital payments, and looking up and checking personal information. The Digital Literacy for All platform has incorporated 170 courses and attracted more than 3.6 million participants. Approximately 93,500 community digital technology teams, together with grassroots personnel, are providing support to the public. These channels should be further developed, particularly to help older people and those who are not yet proficient in using technology.
Second, people should develop safe transaction habits: never disclose passwords or authentication codes to others, never install applications from unfamiliar links, and never transfer money in response to unverified requests. If someone claiming to be an official asks them to “update” or “verify” their account, they should remain calm and check the request through official channels. If they suspect fraud, they should stop the transaction and immediately contact their bank and the police.
Third, people need to understand their rights so that they can protect themselves and fulfil their responsibilities. They should know their rights to be informed about the processing of their data, request data corrections, lodge complaints, or seek protection when their rights and interests are infringed.
At the same time, they must respect other people's personal data and refrain from facilitating unlawful activities. Under Government Resolution No. 66.22/2026/NQ-CP dated September 7, 2026, everyone should also proactively cooperate in providing, updating, and integrating accurate personal information, helping to build reliable data that serves both themselves and the wider community.
A digital citizen is not merely someone who knows how to use technology but someone who uses it safely, lawfully, and responsibly.
Thank you very much!
