Handbook on digital transformation for SMEs introduced

The event was jointly held by the Department of Business Development under the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), the Centre for Digital Transformation and Agricultural Statistics under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Vietnam as part of a programme to support enterprises in digital transformation for the period of 2021-2025.

Speaking at the event, Nguyen Duc Trung, Deputy Director of the Department of Business Development, said that in the context of digital era, the digital economy and the fourth Industrial Revolution are taking place strongly. Innovation and digital transformation is considered as an effective way to create new impulses and values for the country’s economic development, as well as improving the competitiveness of enterprises.

Trung emphasised that digital transformation has become a pressing issue, particularly in the post COVID-19 period as the pandemic's impacts have drastically changed people's habits as well as the whole society, requiring organisations, individuals and businesses to adapt to.

The programme to support businesses in digital transformation in the 2021-2025 period strives to enhance awareness of digital transformation among all businesses; at least 100,000 enterprises receive technical support on digital transformation; at least 100 supported businesses are typical successful digital transformation models; establish a network of experts including at least 100 organisations and individuals to consult, provide solutions to promote digital transformation for businesses, and support digital platform development.

According to the 2022 Enterprise Digital Transformation Annual Report of the Department of Business Development, digital transformation has shown signs of increasing and many businesses have set aside specific budgets for digital transformation.