The national identity card will be used nationwide in 2021.

On September 9th, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Public Security held an online conference with the police departments of 63 provinces and cities to discuss the implementation of the project on the production, distribution, and management of...citizen identity cardand a review of the first six months of implementing the National Population Database Project.

The national identity card will be issued nationwide starting in 2021. (Illustrative image)

Bring both projects into operation in 2021.

The Ministry of Public Security has been tasked with developing the National Population Database Project and the Citizen Identity Card Database Project to ensure the unified issuance of citizen identity cards nationwide. These two projects are of significant importance in the process of building an e-government, contributing to administrative reform, improving the quality of state management in security and order, and serving crime prevention and control.

In accordance with Decision No. 446 dated May 11, 2004, of the Prime Minister approving the Project on the production, issuance, and management of identity cards, the Ministry of Public Security, in coordination with relevant ministries and agencies, issued legal documents to create a legal framework for the project's implementation. The Ministry of Public Security conducted pilot issuance in 16 provinces and cities. After the Law on Citizen Identification was passed, the Ministry of Public Security organized the adjustment, conversion, and updating of the system for producing, issuing, and managing identity cards to citizen identification cards in these 16 localities. To date, nearly 17 million identity cards/citizen identification cards have been issued. The citizen identification card system is connected, shared, and effectively utilized to serve state management and the operational requirements of the police force.

Regarding the National Population Database Project, the police forces of various units and localities have organized implementation and training on the process of collecting and updating citizen information in the population database. As of August 20, 2020, 59 out of 63 localities had collected data as planned. To date, 14 ministries and ministerial-level agencies and 45 provinces and cities have submitted results to the Department of Administrative Management of Public Order and Security for connection and sharing.

On September 3, 2020, the Prime Minister signed a Decision approving the investment plan for the project to produce, issue, and manage citizen identification cards. This is a fundamental advantage for the police force to promptly implement the project in parallel with the National Population Database Project.

The project for producing, issuing, and managing Citizen Identity Cards will use rolled fingerprints instead of flat fingerprints; utilize electronic chip cards due to their high security and faster processing speed compared to other types, and integrate many conveniences during use; and invest in fingerprint and facial recognition applications to serve crime prevention and control efforts and build a crime prevention database. For iris, DNA, and voice recognition applications, the design will be open so that investment can be made when conditions are suitable.

The establishment of a unified national Citizen Identity Card database, implementing automated collection and management of citizen identity card registration data on information technology infrastructure, will help store, retrieve, share, and search information quickly and conveniently; improve the efficiency of state management of citizen identity cards, create favorable conditions for citizens when carrying out administrative procedures and civil transactions; aim towards building an e-government, creating a breakthrough in the socio-economic development of the whole country; and contribute to effectively serving the fight against crime.

The overall goal is to launch both projects by February 26, 2021, and for the entire system to be operational by July 1, 2021.

Implement measures in a coordinated and economical manner, avoiding waste of state budget funds.

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Minister of Public Security Nguyen Duy Ngoc emphasized that the parallel implementation of the two projects aims to ensure synchronization, maximize the use of human resources, infrastructure, and digital transmission lines, contributing to saving and avoiding waste of state budget.

The delegates attending the conference.

Regarding key tasks in the coming period, Deputy Minister Nguyen Duy Ngoc requested that the police forces at all levels and localities continue to thoroughly understand the Government's directives and the Ministry of Public Security's plan from the central to the grassroots level to ensure a unified and full understanding of the importance of building the national database on citizens and the project for producing, issuing, and managing citizen identification cards.

The Deputy Minister requested that the Directors of Public Security in localities focus on directing and strengthening propaganda work, concentrating on allocating human resources; coordinating in the deployment and implementation of equipment installation, transmission lines, training; and implementing the plan to organize the issuance of citizen identification cards to 100% of eligible citizens nationwide before July 1, 2021.

At the conference, representatives from local police forces and units of the Ministry of Public Security discussed solutions for combining the implementation of the two projects; mobilizing forces to organize the issuance of citizen identification cards in areas with large religious populations, ethnic minority areas, and remote areas; and disseminating information to support the implementation of the two projects.