Currently, the whole province has more than 1 million citizens using chip-based ID cards, and more than 500,000 activated VNeID accounts. Telecommunications infrastructure has been also invested, creating an environment to develop digital citizenship.

All communes and 98.5% of hamlets have fiber optic broadband infrastructure, with 4G mobile network universalized. The proportion of mobile subscribers with smartphones reaches nearly 60%. The rate of Internet users in the province is 46.34%.

Now, with just a smartphone and staying at home, people can handle some administrative procedures, register land use rights, pay hospital fees and tuitions, and contact with each other via the Internet.

The digital environment is also being developed in many fields, from public services to all aspects of social life, which changes the habits and behaviour of each citizen in accessing digital platforms. According to statistics, to date, over 80% of administrative procedure documents in Son La are processed in cyberspace through online public service portals at the provincial, district and commune levels, thus contributing to reducing travel time and costs for people and businesses.

In addition, technology helps form digital citizens who know how to utilize the advantages of technology for connection, trade exchange, and business development. Currently, there are more than 116,000 accounts with 2,447 commodities and agricultural products of Son La on e-commerce platforms.

Pham Quoc Chinh, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Information and Communications, said that the sector continues to orient telecom businesses to carry out public telecom programmes to speed up the progress of expanding fiber optic broadband and mobile networks, support postpaid terrestrial mobile telecommunications services, and provide smartphones for poor and near-poor households. It also focuses on encouraging medical facilities, schools and people in urban areas to apply non-cash payments and use digital social platforms, and essential digital services in daily life.With the existing digital environment conditions, the development of digital citizenship in Son La is also taking shape. People are gradually approaching and turning technology into an essential foundation to support and develop digital life, thus creating motivation for socio-economic development.