Focusing on innovation, safety and digital literacy, smart cities, the digital economy and the community, the “Facebook for Vietnam” programme is being deployed from May to December this year by the company, in collaboration with the US delegation in Vietnam and other partners.
As the first comprehensive programme designed specifically for Vietnam by the social platform under the hashtag #fb4vn, the campaign aims to boost the nation’s socio-economic development and join hands to assist its in the path to becoming a digital nation.
It includes startup support initiatives, developer support and innovation promotional campaigns. In addition, it also focuses on promoting safety on social networks, including the safety of women and children and the prevention of child abuse, as well as equipping young people with digital skills.
The campaign will also implement initiatives to help connect the community at large and leverage technologies to support and promote social activities. Under its programme, Facebook will also support provinces and cities to build both e-government and smart cities through coordinated programmes across various fields. The platform will also host a series of donation programmes for businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the tourism and education sectors in the post-COVID-19 environment.
General Secretary of the Vietnam Internet Association, Vu The Binh, said that with the rapid development of technological innovation and digital transformation in Vietnam, businesses and individuals need to take advantage of the Internet and social media in order to meet the needs of sustainable growth. The “Facebook for Vietnam” campaign should contribute to accelerate initiatives that have helped open the door of equality for communities to continue developing a more civilised society, he affirmed.
Nguyen Anh Nguyet, Facebook's Vietnam Public Policy Director, said that with a digital economy growing at an impressive pace, Vietnam is an important market for Facebook. Amid the COVDI-19 pandemic which has caused great damage to the global economy as well as Vietnam, this campaign should boost close cooperation between Facebook with the Vietnamese Government, partners and non-profit organisations and help Vietnam recover quickly after the crisis, as well as creating opportunities for people to gain digital skills and helping businesses develop and create jobs in the digital economy, Nguyet said.
In recent years, Facebook has collaborated with relevant partners in Vietnam to implement projects that help promote the nation’s socio-economic growth. Such projects include #SheMeansBusiness and “Facebook Community Boost” that provided training and consultation for more than 10,000 small and medium-sized businesses, including 6,500 businesswomen. In 2019, the “We Think Digital” programme offered digital skills training for 244,813 junior high school students and 1,277 teachers in 13 provinces and cities across Vietnam.
