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DiGiTaL BiZ

number of applications invented by MoIC sent a request to the Provincial People’s
Vietnamese tech enterprises have The Bluezone app has Committee to coordinate and direct units to
a met needs and brought practical attracted major implement the installation and use of Bluezone.
value during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. attention from users, with a On February 20, the People’s Committee
Bluezone, Ncovi, and online conferencing substantial number of directed the installation and use of both Blue-
and learning platforms have all contributed downloads, especially zone and electronic medical declarations.
to actively curbing the spread of the disease Bluezone traced 735 Covid-19 cases and
and helped the population move towards during the peak months of discovered 4,625 cases of close contact, more
the “new normal”. the pandemic. During the than half of which were in Hai Duong. In the
recent third outbreak in second outbreak, it also proved efficient in
Modern solutions Vietnam, the app recorded tracing cases. According to figures for August
Bluezone was developed by the Bkav an even sharper increase in 12 to September 5, there were 72 cases of
Corporation and applies low-energy Blue- downloads, and it was the infection confirmed by the app out of a total
tooth technology. Smartphones installed top downloaded app on of 146 nationwide, with 1,920 cases of close
with the app connect with each other, record- contact being identified.
ing any cases of exposure and sending noti- both the App Store and CH Meanwhile, as of early February, the
fications. If all smartphones were to have Play in Vietnam. number of Ncovi app installations stood at
Bluezone installed, the tracing of new Covid- nearly 7 million, an increase of 117,000
19 cases and resulting isolation would be compared to January 28. Health declarations
faster and more accurate. The isolation totaled 18 million, updated health moni-
range would also be narrowed down without toring records 52.95 million, and QR code
any errors. It would also help health agencies scan records 7.25 million. With VHD and
accurately zone places with Covid-19 cases. the tokhaiyte.vn website, as of the beginning
During the third outbreak of Covid-19 in of February, the number of immigration
Vietnam, the Prime Minister issued Directive anywhere, especially when there is social declarations at border gates was 923,360
No. 05/ CT-TTg on January 28 and localities distancing and they are unable to go to school. and the number of domestic travel decla-
implemented preventive measures such as rations 5 million.
installing and using health declaration apps Significant effects Online learning platforms also saw sig-
as well as Bluezone. At a meeting of the gov- The Bluezone app has attracted major nificant results. ViettelStudy was the first
ernment on Covid-19 prevention and control attention from users, with a substantial num- online learning network in Southeast Asia.
on January 30, the Prime Minister encouraged ber of downloads, especially during the peak Authentic, high-quality, regularly-updated
people to submit voluntary medical reports months of the pandemic. During the recent materials on its system allow for teaching
and install Bluezone on their smartphone. third outbreak in Vietnam, the app recorded and learning at home. There are expected to
“It is necessary for people to install Bluezone an even sharper increase in downloads, and be millions of accounts from 40,000 schools
so they are warned of any risk of infection, it was the top downloaded app on both the in Vietnam in the future.
to protect themselves and their family,” Mr. App Store and CH Play in Vietnam. According In addition, VioEdu - an online learning
Tran Viet Hai, General Director of Bkav to Bluezone’s installation and usage figures, app using artificial intelligence (AI) and provided
Electronic, was quoted as saying. “The more there are 32-40,000 downloads every hour. by the FPT Corporation - has thousands of
people that use the app, the better its pro- Information from the Department of Infor- videos and practical exercises and tests that
tective effect. Bluezone can effectively protect matics for the week from January 28 to Feb- follow programs from the Ministry of Education
the community when user numbers reach ruary 4 show that Da Nang, Hanoi, Quang and Training. Thousands of schools used the
60 per cent of the population.” Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hai Duong platform to support online teaching and learning
In addition to Bluezone, the Ncovi and continually led in the number of Bluezone when students were house-bound.
VHD apps were also launched, allowing users. Other provinces have also posted rapid Some 40 countries and territories around
Vietnamese people and those entering Viet- growth in users, including Hoa Binh, Lao the world are also using tech solutions to
nam to conveniently make health declara- Cai, Binh Phuoc, Ha Nam, Gia Lai, Hung identify contacts and limit the spread of
tions. Developed by the Ministry of Infor- Yen, Phu Tho, Nam Dinh, and Dong Thap. the virus. %
mation and Communications (MoIC) and As of February 19,
the Ministry of Health (MoH), in cooperation there had been
with Vietnam Post and Telecommunications more than 29.3
(VNPT) and Vietnamese tech companies, million down-
Ncovi allows people to voluntarily send loads nationwide,
health reports and gain access to the latest an increase of
information on Covid-19. The VHD app, more than 3 mil-
meanwhile, and the tokhaiyte.vn website, lion compared to
help control pandemic information effec- January 28, with
tively at border gates and on domestic flights, an average of
trains, and other means of transport. 500,000 installa-
Along with warning and prevention apps, tions each day.
a variety of online learning platforms intro- Given the
duced by Vietnamese tech enterprises have notable presence
met teaching and study needs during the of Covid-19 in
pandemic, such as ViettelStudy and VNPT northern Hai
E-Learning. Students can study anytime, Duong province,

MARCH 2021 | VIETNAM ECONOMIC TIMES | 37