The Ministry of Information and Communications on June 18 launched the Make in Vietnam digital products awards.

"Make in Vietnam digital technology products" is an award launched for the first time in 2020 to honor excellent digital technology products designed, created and manufactured in Vietnam that have great practical value recognized in the development of the digital economy, digital government and digital society in the country.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Phan Tam speaks at the launch ceremony

of the Make in Vietnam Digital Technology Product Award 2021.

This year, businesses will compete in five categories, including: Excellent digital platforms; Excellent digital products; Excellent digital solutions; Narrowing the digital gap; and Potential digital products.

There are some changes this year: specifically, there will be gold, silver and bronze awards for Excellent digital platforms; Excellent digital products; Excellent digital solutions; Narrowing the digital gap.

As for the potential digital products, this category is only applicable to non-business organizations, small and medium-sized enterprises or creative start-ups, and the Top 10 products will be named.

Products honored at the "Make in Vietnam Digital Technology Products" awards 2021 must satisfy two main groups of criteria: being designed, created in Vietnam, and having practical value.

The winning products will also be considered for inclusion on the list of IT products and services prioritized for investing, hiring and purchasing by state agencies and the list of potential projects calling for investment.

The Organizing Board will receive applications from June 20 to September 20, one month longer than last year. Applications can be submitted online at the portals: makeinvietnam.mic.gov.vn and makeinvietnam.vcci.com.vn.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Phan Tam affirmed that developing Make in Vietnam digital technology products is the way for Vietnamese digital enterprises to master technology and products and the "key" for Vietnam to rise to a high rank in the value chain, catching up with developed countries.

Vietnam has many problems in the development process, especially in the process of national digital transformation. According to Deputy Minister Phan Tam, Vietnamese digital technology businesses need to promote their advantages of understanding the domestic market, customer needs and local culture to take the initiative to innovate and create products, services and solutions that meet customer needs.

"Vietnamese digital technology enterprises must have confidence that they have the potential to optimally solve Vietnamese problems, thereby capturing the domestic digital transformation market," said Deputy Minister Phan Tam.

Vietnamese digital technology enterprises also need to apply new digital technologies to master key technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution to solve the problems of Vietnam, especially the application of newly emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT), starting from application to mastering of core technology to then contributing technology to the world.

To master technology, Vietnamese businesses need to focus on open technologies, including open source code and open architecture, and open data. With open technology, Vietnam will have many opportunities to become a country that masters technology, not only based on human intelligence but also contributing to world knowledge.

Tam said that to encourage Vietnamese digital technology enterprises to promote research and development of new digital technology products, the Ministry of Information and Communications coordinated with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) to organize the Make in Vietnam Digital Technology Product Award 2021.

Deputy Minister Phan Tam and VCCI Vice Chairman Hoang Quang Phong presses the button

to launch the Make in Vietnam Digital Technology Award 2021.

According to VCCI Vice Chairman Mr. Hoang Quang Phong, the Make in Vietnam Digital Technology Award has met the needs of the country's industrialization and modernization. This award will contribute to creating the foundation for digital technology and the digital economy.

This is the second year that the Make in Vietnam Digital Technology Product Award has been held to implement the Prime Minister's Directive No. 01/2020 on promoting the development of Vietnam's digital technology enterprises.

The award aims to honor outstanding Vietnamese digital technology enterprises that have implemented the Make in Vietnam strategy well, while supporting investment promotion, trade promotion, domestic consumption and export of products, services, solutions and business models of Vietnamese digital technology enterprises.

The results of the Make in Vietnam Digital Technology Award 2020 contribute to promoting the development of the digital industry of Vietnam.

Many award-winning products have directly helped government agencies, businesses and people carry out digital transformation. In particular, many digital technology enterprises have joined hands with the country in the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic.

Most of the products that won the Make in Vietnam Digital Technology Award 2020 have become popular and highly appreciated by many customers and have new investment cooperation opportunities.

For example, FPT's Akabot business process automation solution has had a growth rate of up to 300%/year. Revenue and customer base have doubled. The VNPT Edu smart education ecosystem has become the top keyword for online learning, and in the top 2 for trending, with more than 8.5 million app downloads.

VinBrain's DrAid assistant doctor has been applied in many hospitals in major cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. This product has also effectively supported Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces, the two hotspots in the ongoing Covid-19 wave in Vietnam.

Viettel Post’s voso e-commerce platform has helped more than 3,000 farmer households to sell their products. In June 2021 alone, more than 2,000 tons of lychee were sold on this platform.

Trong Dat

Reference: https://vietnamnet.vn/en/sci-tech-environment/make-in-vietnam-digital-product-award-2021-launched-747644.html