Golden opportunity for Northwest development

At the conference on trade promotion, investment and promotion of digital technology products “Make in Viet Nam” on the morning of February 3, held in Dien Bien, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui Hoang Phuong acknowledged many challenges that the Northwest region is facing. Among them, small and medium-sized enterprises still account for the vast majority in the region. Attracting high-quality human resources, especially digital technology human resources, in the Northwestern provinces still faces many difficulties. However, according to him, this is also a land rich in potential in agriculture, forestry, renewable energy, eco-tourism, cultural tourism, border gate economy and border trade.

Emphasizing that science, technology, innovation and digital technology are not “a distant story of the laboratory”, but a direct driving force for socio-economic development and improving people’s lives, Deputy Minister Bui Hoang Phuong said that “The more difficult the Northwest is, the more it needs to seize the opportunity of the digital era to break through”.

He gave examples of some technology solutions that can be applied here, such as traceability platforms; Digital certification for agricultural products, medicinal materials, and smart agricultural solutions; manage raw material areas using data and sensors; Smart tourism system, digital promotion, digital maps of cultural, historical, and scenic relics. According to him, making good use of digital transformation, promoting digital economic development, and strongly applying science, technology, and innovation is a “golden opportunity” for the Northwest to make a breakthrough and shorten the development gap.

The Deputy Minister affirmed that the Ministry of Science and Technology is committed to accompanying and supporting the Northwest in promoting socio-economic development. He also called on ministries, branches, localities, business communities, institutes, schools, experts and Make in Vietnam digital technology businesses to join hands and accompany, turning commitments and orientations into specific, effective and sustainable programs and projects.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Phu, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Dien Bien province, said that the Northwest provinces in general and Dien Bien province in particular have identified the application of science and technology, innovation and digital transformation as important solutions to help overcome difficult natural conditions, narrow geographical gaps, improve competitiveness and create new development motivation. As for Dien Bien, he believes that the need for digital transformation in the province is emerging more clearly, especially in some key areas such as agriculture and tourism.

For example, in agriculture, he said the province urgently needs Make in Vietnam technology solutions to serve traceability, supply chain management, and quality forecasting. “Especially tools for measuring and appraising carbon credits. This is a new direction, consistent with the trend of green and sustainable agricultural development,” he said.

Or in tourism, leaders of Dien Bien province hope that solutions such as virtual reality can serve to recreate the historical value of Dien Bien Phu Battlefield; or smart tourism platforms, centralized data systems help people, businesses and tourists access information conveniently, improving service quality and experience.

Mr. Phu acknowledged: “Only when digital technology is incorporated into social life, becoming an effective support tool for people and businesses, will digital transformation truly promote value and create strong, sustainable change.”

The conference to promote trade, investment, and promote Make in Vietnam digital technology products to promote digital economic development and digital transformation for businesses in the Northwest region attracted more than 300 delegates. This is considered one of the large-scale activities and has a direct impact on the digital transformation process of the Northern mountainous provinces in 2025.

In the morning thematic session, delegates from many domestic digital technology agencies and enterprises shared practical models, digital platforms and solutions suitable for Northwest conditions, such as traceability platforms, AI application solutions in rice farming, and smart tourism management systems.

The Department of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Science and Technology also awarded the Certificate of Geographical Indication to three specialty products: Shan Tuyet Tea, Shan Tuyet Pu-erh Tea and Dien Bien Coffee. These are products with high economic value and are considered to be fully capable of becoming national regional agricultural product brands if digital technology is applied to manage quality and expand the market.

In addition, many important cooperation agreements have been signed, including: cooperation in digital capacity training for small and medium-sized enterprises; coordinate communication to promote science – technology, innovation and digital transformation; Cooperate to support digital technology businesses to develop “Make in Viet Nam” products to serve localities; Cooperation between the Department of IT Industry and Northern provinces to promote the development of digital technology industry in the period up to 2030.