INNOCOM contributes insights at the scientific seminar of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics
On February 27, 2026, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hiep - Executive Director of INNOCOM - was invited to deliver a presentation at a scientific seminar organized by the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, with the theme “Opportunities and Challenges for Technology Businesses in Developing the Digital Competency of Civil Servants.”
This marked the first time INNOCOM was invited to participate as a practitioner expert at a national-level academic forum, contributing perspectives from 15 years of practical experience implementing digital transformation for thousands of businesses and government agencies.
The practical picture seen by businesses implementing digital transformation
The presentation opened with a straightforward question:
“If a civil servant were asked today to prove their digital competency — what would they use as evidence? An IT certificate? The number of training hours? Or their actual digital behavior in their daily work?”
After years of accompanying businesses and organizations in implementing operational management systems, INNOCOM has identified a consistent reality: 60–70% of users only use 20–30% of system features after the first six months.
The primary cause is not technical errors, but the gap between training and actual digital competency. On average, there is a 3–6 month gap between the time users receive training and the time they become proficient in applying what they have learned to their work.
The presentation identified three blind spots in the current approach to digital competency:
Input ≠ Outcome: Providing devices, internet access, and system accounts does not mean that users have digital competency.
Training ≠ Competency: 40 hours of IT training does not guarantee that employees can apply what they have learned to their work. Competency is only developed through practice with feedback.
No Standard = No Scale: Without a common measurement standard, solutions cannot be compared or scaled.
Three major opportunities for Vietnamese technology businesses
Looking at the practical situation, Mr. Hiep identified that this is not only a challenge but also a clear market opportunity for domestic technology businesses:
Opportunity 1 — Digital competency assessment platforms: This market currently has very few Vietnamese providers with sufficient capabilities. Instead of static questionnaires and manual reports, the system should measure actual behavior, create personalized development pathways, and provide transparent dashboards.
Opportunity 2 — Digital behavioral data from public service processes: When processes are digitized, behavioral data naturally emerges: processing speed, error rates, and the level of advanced feature usage — all of which can become evidence of competency without requiring separate examinations.
Opportunity 3 — AI reduces the cost of personalized training: With Generative AI and Adaptive Learning, the cost of building personalized learning pathways for tens of thousands of civil servants is no longer a resource barrier.
INNOCOM contributes insights at the scientific seminar of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics
Immersive Learning — When training becomes a real experience
One of the points that received the most attention from the seminar panel was INNOCOM’s perspective on Immersive Learning as an approach to digital skills training.
Research from the National Training Laboratories indicates that the retention rate through immersive learning reaches 75%, compared with only 5% through passive lectures. This represents a significant gap that traditional training programs are currently overlooking.
INNOCOM proposed a learning model based on three types of immersive scenarios closely aligned with real public service situations:
One-Stop Service Officer: Processing backlogged applications and dealing with dissatisfied citizens — AI provides immediate feedback on each action taken.
Department Head making decisions: Reviewing conflicting data reports from multiple sources and making budget decisions within a limited timeframe.
Cross-departmental coordination: Simulating coordination processes on a digital platform with real-time chat.
The core difference is that learners are not asked, “What do you know?” Instead, they are placed in real situations and observed based on “What do you do?” — precisely what digital competency requires.
Policy recommendations
The presentation concluded with three specific proposals for policymakers:
Develop a National Digital Competency Framework — an open framework that is regularly updated and references EU DigComp 2.2 — giving businesses a foundation for developing products instead of having to determine independently what they should measure.
Establish a substantive PPP mechanism — allowing private businesses to participate from the program design stage through outcome measurement, with outcome-based payments rather than input-based payments.
Recognize actual digital behavioral assessments — alongside traditional certifications, creating a legal framework that allows businesses to use system behavioral data transparently and under appropriate controls.
INNOCOM’s perspective
Participating in the seminar was not about promoting products — it was about putting forward the practical questions we face every day when implementing digital transformation: Why does the adoption rate remain low after training? Why does no one know how extensively a civil servant is actually using the system? And who is responsible for measuring it?
INNOCOM believes that Vietnamese technology businesses do not lack the capabilities to solve this challenge. What we need is a common measurement framework, a clearly defined playing field, and a substantive cooperation mechanism between the public and private sectors.
These are the perspectives we brought to the seminar today — and the direction we will continue to pursue in the years ahead.
INNOCOM contributes insights at the scientific seminar of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics
To learn more about ABMS and INNOCOM’s business management solutions, contact: innocom.vn