A secure electronic authentication mechanism is a must to popularise the use of e-signatures on mobile devices in Vietnam, said Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Nguyen Thanh Hung at a workshop held in Hanoi on April 12.

The Government was determined to accelerate the use of information technology in agencies, businesses and all of society, Hung said.

The process of verifying the authenticity of digital signatures has been branched out in Vietnam since 2009, he said, adding that nine providers of digital signature services have granted 800,000 authenticities of e-signatures for organisations to facilitate online tax, customs and insurance declarations.

However, only a small number of individuals use e-signatures, Hung stated, given that the authentication process is not available on mobile devices yet.

Meanwhile, Director of the National Electronic Authentication Centre La Hoang Trung said Vietnam is a country with a young population where more than 70 percent of people use mobile devices in big cities. With everything online now, the demand for digital signatures in the country is huge.

Trung stressed that vague regulations are hindering the use of personal digital signatures in Vietnam. “The demand is there, the technological solutions are also ready. What Vietnam lacks is detailed regulations,” he said.

Developing the authentication of digital signatures on mobile devices and experience in using digital signatures were discussed at the workshop. 
The Ministry of Information and Communications is drafting policies and regulations on the use of digital signatures on mobile devices. 

Digital signatures are created by subscribers using digital certificates issued by the Government Cipher Commission to handle online transactions and other deals that require heightened security.