Recognising inpediments and challenges
Technology applications furnish older people with a broad spectrum of benefits, such as managing digital health records, accessing remote medical consultations, booking appointments with doctors, looking up social insurance information, and keeping abreast of new policies. The digital environment equips older people strengthen social connections, maintain contact with their relatives, reduce feelings of loneliness, and improve their mental well-being. It also empowers them to participate in community activities, conduct business online, promote products, share professional experience, and lead fulfilling and meaningful lives.
As Viet Nam enters a period of population ageing, with the proportion of older people continuing to rise, elevating their digital competence has become an pressing imperative.
Dr To Van Truong, former Director of the Southern Institute of Water Resources Planning, asserted an ageing population was not only a challenge but also a test of society’s capacity to become more inclusive. As services ranging from healthcare and banking to public administration move online, older people who lack digital skills are at risk of being left behind, confronting difficulties in accessing information and greater exposure to risks such as online fraud. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has advised that assisting older people adapt to a digital society is a crucial intervention for promoting “active ageing”, improving their quality of life and enhancing their role within families and communities.
In recent years, the proportion of older people acquiring access to digital devices has risen markedly. However, their level of technological proficiency still remains considerably lower than that of younger age groups. In reality, many older people primarily utilise smartphones only for calls and text messages, and have yet to master more complex tasks such as installing applications, using digital banking, making cashless payments, accessing online public services, or completing electronic identification procedures. As a result, they often rely upon their children and grandchildren when executing administrative procedures or conducting online transactions.
Dr Ro Dam Thi Bich Ngoc of the Institute of Sociology and Psychology under the Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences said the situation originated from psychological and physical barriers faced by older people. Ageing can lead to declining eyesight and memory, slower information processing, and greater difficulty in operating touchscreens.
Differences in economic conditions and digital infrastructure also engender significant disparities in digital competence between regions. Older people in rural and mountainous areas or those facing economic hardship often have fewer opportunities to access smartphones, computers, and high-speed internet than those living in urban areas.
A further impediment is that most digital skills training activities currently focus on workers or young people, while programmes specifically designed for older people remain limited in both scale and content. Teaching methods are sometimes unsuited to their psychological and physical characteristics, with insufficient time for practice and post-course support.
Imperative solutions
The Government promulgated Decision No. 379/QD-TTg dated February 20, 2025, ratifying the project entitled “Older People Participating in Promoting Digital Transformation, Green Transformation, Entrepreneurship, and Job Creation”. The project stipulates that approximately 50% of older people to master basic digital skills by 2030, including the use of online public services, online shopping, electronic payments, and self-protection in cyberspace. The figure is expected to reach around 70% by 2035.
Accordingly, 100% of officials of associations of the elderly at all levels will undergo communication and awareness training on digital transformation so that they can assist members. This is recognised as a crucial stride towards building an inclusive digital society in which every citizen has the opportunity to benefit from digital transformation.
To realise these objectives, mechanisms and policies must first be refined, while national programmes to enhance digital competence among older people should be expedited. Ministries, sectors, and localities need to formulate simple and accessible guidance materials suited to their learning capacity.
The role of associations of the elderly should be fortified in coordinating with youth unions, schools, telecommunications enterprises, and local authorities to convene practical, step-by-step training classes. Experience shows that older people learn most effectively when they are instructed directly through each task on the devices they use every day, rather than through courses heavily focused on theory.
Technology companies, for their part, should prioritise the development of products that are accessible to older users and recognise them as an crucial user group. Applications should incorporate simple interfaces, large text, clear icons, voice-control support, step-by-step instructions, and warning mechanisms when unusual signs are detected.
Digital banking, electronic payment, and public service applications should make information easier to verify, minimise complicated procedures, and strengthen warnings against potential fraud. Improving older people’s skills in preventing scams is also imperative, especially as high-tech crime becomes increasingly sophisticated.
According to Dr To Van Truong, assisting older people master basic smartphone skills can alleviate social burdens, enable them to adapt to modern life, strengthen their independence and connections with their families and communities, and bridge the digital divide between generations. Digital transformation can only be considered genuinely successful when no one is left behind, especially older people.
