Vietnam reaches 70M enrolled in biometric national ID database

Vietnam has successfully enrolled 70 million citizens into its national ID database over the last two years thanks to a combination of adaptable software and portable devices, fingerprint sensor maker Integrated Biometrics says in a newly published case study.

The South Asian country’s Digital Transformation Plan laid out a scheme to create a digitally centralized national biometric identity system and enroll over 16 million people. The issuing of chip-based physical ID cards began in 2021. The government also launched digital IDs complemented with the VNeID mobile app.

Since July, Vietnam citizens have to submit fingerprints, iris and facial biometrics to apply for an ID card.

The biggest challenge for the Vietnamese government was the country’s geography. Nearly two-thirds of the population lives in rural areas, many of them in the hilly and mountainous forest regions. To create an AFIS (automated fingerprint identification system), the country worked with a spinoff of the Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) and Integrated Biometrics.

The U.S. company, which designs and manufactures FBI-certified fingerprint sensors for government and commercial use, provided its 10-print (FAP 60) Kojak fingerprint scanner while the HUST spinoff Bach Khoa created an embedded portable device (BKCA) to reach citizens in far-flung areas. Today, Vietnam uses Integrated Biometrics’ Sherlock scanner to identify citizens in the field, the company says in the case study.

Vietnam is also exporting its model for national ID enrollment abroad – more specifically, in neighboring Laos where it is collaborating with the government on creating a resident and citizen identity management system. Earlier this month, a Vietnamese delegation visited the country to discuss the project’s progress, according to the Vietnamese News Agency (VNA).

Article Topics

AFIS  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  fingerprint scanners  |  Integrated Biometrics  |  national ID  |  Vietnam  |  VNeID