Each small-scale firm will be provided with 20 million-50 million VND (870-2,180 USD) funded by the State budget per year.

The new year will be one of promoting digital transformation across all industries on a national scale. It will be the first year of implementing new strategies on digital infrastructure, data, technology industry and technology enterprise.

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung made the prediction at a conference held on December 22.

A report from the ministry showed that the ranking indicators in many fields of the information and communication industry are highly regarded by international organisations. In 2021, the revenue of the information and communication industry reached 3.4 quadrillion VND, hitting all set targets and representing a nine percent year-on-year increase.

The largest contribution to the industry's revenue came from the ICT industry, with this year's revenue estimated at more than 136 billion USD, an increase of more than 11.4 billion USD compared to 2020. The main contributor was FDI enterprises with more than 117 billion USD.

This year also marked a strong growth in the number of ICT businesses. Vietnam currently has 64,000 digital technology enterprises, adding 5,600 enterprises since 2020.

The challenges of the pandemic have promoted the digital transformation process. In just a short time, the national digital transformation has spread widely at a rapid pace, creating a wave of digital transformation across ministries, branches, localities, agencies, and businesses across the country.

In this digital transformation process, Vietnamese digital technology enterprises have demonstrated their pioneering role in research, development and innovation, mastering technology and making important contributions to the development process of the digital economy.

Hung said that COVID-19 is a hundred-year push for digital transformation. The year 2021 has pushed the whole country into digital transformation.

To promote digital transformation, it is necessary to synchronise digital institutions, digital infrastructure, digital production tools, digital management tools, digital human resources, digital markets, and digital law management to create a healthy digital environment, managing risks in cyberspace.

The ministry set the target of an information technology, electronics and telecommunications industry with the new mission of shifting from outsourcing and assembly to "Make in Vietnam", which means making products in Vietnam, mastering and creating technology. In which, the proportion of "Make in Vietnam" by 2025 would reach over 45 percent.

The country will have 100,000 digital technology enterprises by 2025, forming at least 10 digital technology enterprises that play a leading role. The firms would have international competitiveness, with a turnover of over 1 billion USD each. The whole country has at least 10 localities with revenue of the information technology industry over 1 billion USD.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said the ministry had developed strategies and projects for digital transformation. They needed to promote digital transformation and application of information technology in localities by modelling, leading and supporting.

From experience in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Information and Communications needed to continue to set up many working groups with the participation of businesses and experts to solve the specific digital transformation problem for each commune, district and province.

He said that in 2022, there should be stronger changes in database building. Three large databases on population, business, and land, along with e-payments, digital transformation, digital economy, digital society and the digital government would make substantial progress.

In the face of unpredictable developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, the information and communication industry needed to continue to improve technological solutions to help control the pandemic, in the spirit of proactively taking the initiative and changing platforms in response to the situation. In addition, the ICT industry and IT enterprises needed to continue to develop platforms that promote digital transformation such as e-commerce, e-learning with the support of sectors, localities and people./.