Community Digital Technology Governance and Participation: The Role of the Youth Union in Southeast Vietnam (Cases of Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, and Dong Nai)

Abstract

Vietnam officially launched the National Digital Transformation Program in 2020 under Decision No. 749/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister. Within this policy framework, Community Digital Technology Teams have emerged as an innovative grassroots model to support local residents in adopting digital technologies and participating in digital transformation processes at the local level. Since early 2022, these teams have been established nationwide, with the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union identified as a core and pioneering force. Drawing on survey data collected from 360 Youth Union members, together with relevant secondary sources, this paper examines the role and performance of the Youth Union in Community Digital Technology Teams in Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, and Dong Nai provinces. On this basis, several policy recommendations are proposed to strengthen the contribution of the Youth Union to the development of digital government, the digital economy, and digital society at the local level.