On September 27, 2019, the Politburo issued Resolution No.52-NQ/TW on a number of guidelines and policies to actively participate in the fourth industrial revolution, on that basis, the Government also promulgated Resolution No.50/NQ-CP dated April 17, 2020 on requesting ministries, departments and localities to have specific action plans to implement Resolution No.52 of the Politburo. Immediately, the Ministry of Information and Communication developed a National Program on Digital Transformation for the period of 2021-2025, with a vision to 2030, setting up a framework program for digital solutions for the next 5 years. Key vision of the national program is to bring Vietnam into the digital era by promoting: (i) e-government activities (ii) digital economy and (iii) digital society for people.
For Hai Phong City, at the 3rd session of the 16th City People's Council, a resolution has just been approved to decide on the investment policy of the project on "implementing a number of contents to build Hai Phong digital government in the period of 2021-2025”. This represents changes in thinking, perception and vision to develop specific actions, catch up with inevitable development trends, and become a key solution to proactively adapt and integrate with the 4th industrial revolution. One of the goals set out in the Resolution is to build applications on many digital platforms for providing services to people and businesses after completion; 100% of eligible administrative procedures are provided in the form of level 4 online public services.
In the integration process, the explosion of international affiliate programs has made many new, diverse and complex types of activities. One of those types is the organization of international conferences; this activity contributes to promoting international cooperation relations, enhancing Vietnam’s image to other countries in the region and over the world, calling for investment, trade and tourism promotion. At this time, management activities require quick change, flexible adaptation and conformity with actual social situations.
In two years of 2020-2021, when Covid-19 pandemic occurred on a global scale, many activities were stagnated, direct connection was dealt with difficulties, and many link chains were broken, including: "international cooperation". A lot of cooperation programs and projects were interrupted; partners faced difficulties and confusion to find the most effective measures. Under this circumstance, the only way to continue implementing international cooperation activities is digital transformation, from face-to-face meeting to online meeting, from direct signing to online or digital signing. Personally, I am always nostalgic about the past, when I could meet anyone in anywhere over the world to talk face to face, participate in seminars, conferences, experience the value of different cultures; I as well as my colleagues in local and international organizations have no choice to familiarize themselves with online applications, otherwise all linkages will not be able to connect outside national border.
Obviously, COVID-19 pandemic has created new demands, starting to transform to online forms, and of course interacting with government agencies and organizations is also gradually transforming to online platforms. Therefore, how the licensing and organization of international conferences change to promptly meet given requirements
Organizing international conferences of agencies and units in the city area
In terms of the number of international conferences held in the city area, it decreased year by year; in the period of 2020-2021, it decreased by 60% compared to before Covid-19 epidemic occurred. A series of conferences on promotion of trade and tourism, connection of trade, technology, oversea study, and health care have all been suspended. Traditional connections between partners were suspended throughout 2020 to wait for better signals during pandemic time. However, when all efforts cannot be controlled, epidemic situation may persist for many years, forcing agencies and units to continuously maintain exchanges and connections to implement proposed plans and programs. At this time, based on technological advantages, people have met digital transformation roadmap, agencies and units have gradually approached the organization of online international conferences on platforms with available applications such as: Zoom, Teams or WebEx... For example, the Department of Science and Technology has organized 06 online conferences on connecting technology supply and demand, innovative startups with partners from the US, the Netherlands, Japan, Korea and China... Hai Phong University has also organized and coordinated to organize 04 online seminars on vocational education with Japanese and Chinese partners. In addition, participation in international conferences organized by local authorities and international partners has also been returned to normal situations from the end of 2020 with online forms. It can be initially assessed that these conferences and seminars have achieved the required purposes, ensuring that the content does not violate regulations on protection of state confidentiality, territorial sovereignty, religion, human rights and foreign security of the City.
Managing and licensing international conferences
Since the city's online public service portal and electronic one-stop portal for handling administrative procedures were implemented in the city area, the receiving of applications for organizing international conferences has fully been implemented on the City's Online Public Service Portal since 2019 and has recently been upgraded to level 4. Up to now, there have been nearly 200 dossiers of international conferences fully licensed or coordinated to license through the online public service portal system, creating favorable conditions for agencies and units for submission.
The readiness of the Department of Foreign Affairs to change into online receiving and processing license applications for international conferences is due to the careful preparation of necessary conditions such as technology, human resources, and the building of scientific and methodical models of management, administration and decentralization. Therefore, in spite of facing challenges of Covid-19 pandemic, the licensing for conferences does not face any difficulties or obstacles. This achievement confirmed the thinking, vision and political determination of leaders to transform working habits, gradually approach and master technology in solving administrative tasks; at the same time, strictly implement the city's guidelines and directions in administrative reform. Besides, in the coming time, the licensing agency can exploit national data on population during the appraisal process, which will also become one of important factors in evaluating the effective implementation of digital transformation.
From the above results, it can be said that digital transformation in the licensing and management of international conferences will support the management agency to operate more effectively, efficiently, and transparently, limit corruption, reduce costs for organizers. However, in order to be able to effectively deploy digital technology in the near future, it is necessary to create a favorable legal environment, which specifies relevant contents such as exchange of electronic documents, legal value of electronic documents, activities of sending, receiving, processing electronic documents, using digital signatures, storing electronic documents; simultaneously, synchronously interconnecting work processes between management agencies participating in the appraisal of administrative procedures. Agencies and units also need to prepare necessary factors (technology, human resources) to be able to organize online international conferences in the next period without having to take into account effects of disease or geographical distance.
Each agency or unit actively and effectively implements digital transformation will contribute to improving competitiveness index, provincial administrative reform index for the City, developing business investment environment, enhancing people's life quality, increasing benefits for businesses and promoting economic development./.