Young people in Quảng Trị Province explore technology at the 'Digital Literacy for All' Festival. VNA/VNS Photo Võ Dung

In Quảng Trị Province's remote border communes, the digital divide is narrowing one household at a time, as young volunteers go from door to door, patiently guiding residents through each step on their own devices.

Here, digital transformation is taking root not through grand concepts, but through simple, practical changes in daily life: learning to use a smartphone, accessing official information, completing public services online and making cashless payments.

Young people in the border region are directly helping households overcome digital skills barriers, bringing technology closer to everyday life.

Tuyên Lâm is a mountainous border commune in the northwest of the province. The commune is home to nearly 9,000 residents across eight villages and hamlets, three of which are predominantly inhabited by the Chứt ethnic minority. Living conditions for some residents remain difficult, with significant disparities in economic conditions, education and access to modern services.

Alongside the development of telecommunications infrastructure, smartphones and the Internet are becoming increasingly common, opening up opportunities for border-area residents to access official information, use online public services, make digital payments and benefit from other digital services.

However, gaps in infrastructure, equipment and digital skills remain significant barriers, particularly for older people, those living in disadvantaged areas and members of ethnic minority communities.

Hands-on guidance

Nguyễn Chí Thanh, deputy secretary of the Tuyên Lâm Commune Youth Union, said equipping people with skills and building the habit of using technology was pivotal if digital transformation was to genuinely take hold in everyday life.

From the first days of the two-tier local government model, the commune's Youth Union organised volunteer teams to help residents access online public services at the commune's Public Administrative Service Centre.

Youth Union members coordinated with local authorities and mass organisations to provide digital skills training and help residents install and use platforms and applications suited to their everyday needs. The core objective was to ensure that, after each guidance session, residents are able to understand, remember and independently carry out basic tasks the next time they need to.

Working directly within local communities, Tuyên Lâm's young volunteers have tailored their approach to different groups and specific needs. For older residents, Youth Union members focus on practical skills such as using smartphones, making calls, accessing the Internet, searching for information and completing online public services.

Those unfamiliar with digital applications are guided step by step and allowed to practise directly on their own devices. The motto of "visit every lane, knock on every door, know every person" has become a guiding principle, helping young people identify the difficulties faced by residents so they can adjust what they teach and how they teach it accordingly.

Large numbers of Youth Union members have volunteered to help residents access and use digital services.

Phạm Văn Ngà, a member of the Bắc Sơn Village Youth Union Chapter in Tuyên Lâm Commune, said directly supporting residents had made him acutely aware of the practical difficulties they faced. Some older residents could not recall their full personal details, which caused delays when completing procedures online.

For the Chứt ethnic community, access was even more challenging, as some residents were illiterate, had limited proficiency in Vietnamese, or did not own smartphones.

Youth Union members in Tuyên Lâm Commune help local residents use smartphones, access online public services and other digital services. — VNA/VNS Photo Võ Dung

Given these challenges, a hands-on approach had become the most suitable model. Youth Union members demonstrated each step, residents repeated the actions and those who need additional help were patiently guided through each stage at their own pace.

For those who cannot read or have limited proficiency in Vietnamese, support teams reduced reliance on written content, instead making greater use of images, videos, direct demonstrations and repeated practice.

Ngà stressed that patience was essential, as it helped create a relaxed atmosphere so that residents would not be intimidated by technology. The aim was to enable each person to independently use digital services in daily life, rather than having things done on their behalf.

Having received direct support in developing digital skills, Nguyễn Thị Phương of Thanh Lạng Village in Tuyên Lâm Commune said the enthusiasm and approachability of Youth Union members had helped her overcome her difficulties with technology. All guidance was linked to practical needs and any steps she got wrong were explained patiently. As a result, she said she felt more confident using her smartphone and digital applications in daily life.

Alongside supporting residents, attention has also been given to creating opportunities for young people in the border region to engage with science and technology.

In August, the Quảng Trị Provincial Youth Union coordinated with the Centre for the Development of Science, Technology and Young Talent and other units to organise the "Digital Literacy for All" Festival, featuring a range of practical activities in the commune.

"The festival offered many engaging, hands-on experiences through an AI coding competition, a quiz programme and interactive spaces for robotics, virtual reality headsets and more," Nguyễn Bảo Ngọc, an 11th grader at Bắc Sơn Secondary and Upper Secondary School, said.

"For me personally, technology is gradually becoming a powerful tool for learning and creativity, helping to ignite a passion for science and technology."

School students operate robots. Technology is gradually becoming a powerful tool for learning and creativity. VNA/VNS Photo Võ Dung

Self-reliant community

For a mountainous border commune with a large area and a dispersed population such as Tuyên Lâm, bringing digital knowledge and skills closer to residents requires well-structured, flexible solutions implemented consistently over the long term.

To ensure that digital skills are embedded in community life, Deputy Secretary Thanh said the commune's Youth Union would continue to expand its efforts across the commune. The focus would be on establishing youth digital education teams in each village and hamlet to support residents in ways closely aligned with their actual needs.

As a core force, local young people would continue to coordinate with grassroots organisations to select practical, easy-to-understand and easy-to-practise skills and direct activities towards disadvantaged areas and groups with limited access to technology. The aim is to build the habit of using technology within the community, so that digital transformation genuinely becomes part of daily life.

Trương Tư Thoan, deputy secretary of the Communist Party Committee and chairman of the People's Council of Tuyên Lâm Commune, said science, technology, innovation and digital transformation were becoming important drivers of overall development.

He noted that the country had clearly identified the need to accelerate the development of science, technology, innovation and digital transformation, creating new momentum for rapid and sustainable development.

According to Thoan, the spirit of the popular education movement of years past is being carried forward through the task of expanding access to digital skills, helping people gradually access, use and master technology for learning, work and daily life.

For young people and students, digital transformation also means being guided to use technology responsibly, learning how to protect themselves in cyberspace and applying technology to support learning and creativity. The locality has also determined that digital transformation must respond to practical needs, avoiding a purely formalistic approach.

Going forward, the Commune Communist Party Committee has called on the Youth Union, the Việt Nam Motherland Front, social and political organisations and the political system in each village and hamlet to continue intensifying outreach and guidance for residents – particularly those with limited access to technology – on the use of digital services and online public services.

Throughout this process, the pioneering and proactive role of Youth Union members and young people must be strengthened. Each Youth Union member must not only take the initiative in improving their own skills, but also become an effective digital advocate and guide within their family and community.

Young people and students must be given guidance on using technology safely, while also being encouraged to develop creative thinking and improve their capacity to explore and apply science and technology.

At the nation's frontier, every digital skill acquired represents another step towards helping residents adapt to a new way of life. A Youth Union member patiently guides one more resident; a resident masters one more digital skill independently; a student discovers a passion for science.

These small changes, sustained through the perseverance, responsibility and support of young people, will help build a border community that is more self-reliant and confident as it moves into the digital age. — VNS