Vietnam set to issue digital IDs for service access, plans to include foreigners

Vietnam is set to issue digital ID cards for people to use in interactions with public agencies, complementing the VNeID mobile app.

The country’s Ministry of Public Security says the digital ID will be supported for public sector services starting in early July, but to use it Vietnamese citizens will have to have the mobile app installed and set to level 2, state-run outlet VietNamNet reports. Both level 1 and Level 2 “e-ID” accounts include facial photos, but level 2 also includes fingerprint biometrics.

Accounts can be opened at level 1 through the app, but level 2 applications must be completed in-person at an MPS or provincial police office.

The digital ID can be integrated with health insurance and social insurance cards, driver’s licenses, marriage and birth certificates.

Users can lock their e-ID, and the government can lock it if a user violates the app’s terms of service.

The country has also issued draft rules for digital identity registration by foreigners and foreign-owned businesses, according to Vietnam Briefing.

Organizations’ e-ID accounts must meet level 2 criteria, which makes them legally equivalent to passports and other international travel documents for domestic transactions.

The draft decree takes effect on July 1.

Vietnam began issuing chip-based physical ID cards in 2021 to improve access to public services, and moved last year to integrate more data into the National Database on Population to open up access to both public and private sector services using ID cards and the VNeID app. The country also plans to incorporate DNA records into its digital ID system.

Vietnamese financial data service provider FiinGroup predicts that by the end of this year, there will be 50 million digital wallets actively used by Vietnamese people. That represents a year-over-year increase near 40 percent. Transactions carried out with digital wallets are also increasing at a rapid rate, reports the Hanoi Times.

The government’s biometric platform, VNPT, is now handling 600,000 KYC checks per day.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  government services  |  identity management  |  Vietnam  |  VNeID