Digital Business Development Programme for Ho Chi Minh City launches

The programme is in response to the prime minister’s call to develop support programmes for industrial production enterprises to research and apply digital technologies and help select priority industries to develop new technologies to improve operational efficiency and competitiveness.

It is also to comprehensively support more than 1,600 enterprises in export processing zones (EPZ), industrial zones (IZ) and high-tech zones in Ho Chi Minh City with digital transformation solutions and applications suitable for each type and size of business.

Dao Xuan Duc, permanent vice chairman of the HBA said, “Manufacturing enterprises are operating in 18 EPZs, IZs, and high-tech zones of Ho Chi Minh City and are playing a very important role in the economic development of the city and the nation as a whole. By implementing the Digital Business Development Programme - Go Digital, HBA wishes to accompany businesses and connect resources to support their digital transformation activities effectively.”

Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, COO of the DTS Alliance and deputy of the Digital Transformation Department said, “The Digital Business Development Programme - Go Digital has been developed for three years. The main highlights this year include the Digital Transformation and Innovation Index Report for EPZ and IZ enterprises and the Chain of Activities Evaluation application that measures efficiency with more than 30 digital transformation workshops and seminars in 18 EPZs, IZs, and high-tech zones in Ho Chi Minh City.”

According to Pham Thi Thu Hang, chairman of BambuUP Innovation Connection Platform, businesses are more aware than ever of the necessity for digital transformation as a result of the pandemic. However, according to the Vietnam Open Innovation Landscape 2021 report – initiated by the BambuUP Innovation platform, under the auspices of the National Centre for Innovative Startup Support – resources for digital transformation are decreasing and companies will turn to resources from tech startups.

“This is an inevitable innovation trend and starts the discovery step of this journey. Businesses need to define their problems and share their challenges through innovation connection platforms to create solid foundations for their next deployment steps,” she added.

At the launching ceremony, the HBA signed a cooperation agreement with strategic partners including DTS, BambuUP Innovation Platform, and accompanying partners including the Institute of Management Training and Research, Cloudify Vietnam Technology JSC, and Smartpro Consulting & Training JSC to coordinate training activities, consult, and provide digital transformation solutions for businesses.

At the ceremony, the programme to survey and report on the index of digital transformation and innovation of enterprises in EPZs and IZs in Ho Chi Minh City was implemented. This is the first activity within the framework of the Go Digital Programme carried out in collaboration with the National Innovation Centre and the Innovation Platform BambuUP.

The survey and consulting activities will help the HBA to understand the current situation and needs of businesses for digital transformation and innovation, thereby allowing the provision of appropriate support activities.