Popular education for the silver-haired - Part 1: The 'silver-haired' class and the teachers in their twenties

Amid the wave of digital transformation, Ho Chi Minh City has initiated the "Digital Education for the People" movement - a humane journey that continues the spirit of eliminating illiteracy in the past, helping "silver hair" confidently master technology, stay safe and integrate into modern digital life.

Lesson 1: The 'silver hair' class and the teachers in their twenties

In the small room, the silver-haired “students” stared intently at their phone screens, while the young “lecturers” patiently held their hands and guided them through each step. From their initial hesitation, they now know how to make video calls, use AI to look up information, and most importantly, they found new joy in the journey of learning, connecting, and living positively in the digital age.

From the concern "the elderly are ignored"

It was a lesson in the "Silver Digital Citizen" project, an initiative initiated by Ms. Phan Bao Thy, Director of the Silver Digital Citizen project, to help the elderly confidently master technology and integrate into digital life.

The "silver hair" class and the teachers in their twenties.

Established in April 2025, “Silver Citizen” has organized more than 30 classes, including both free and advanced classes, with more than 15 lecturers and 160 volunteers participating. Each class has only about 10-15 students, designed systematically, suitable for the psychology and learning speed of the elderly.

The birth of the “Silver Digital Citizen” project came from Ms. Bao Thy’s own concerns. She realized that, in the country’s digital transformation journey, attention is often focused on children and workers, while “a part of the elderly are ignored”.

The "Digital Citizen" class helps the elderly confidently approach and apply technology in daily life.

That concern became clearer when she directly supported her parents. "I also supported my parents a lot. When they registered for public service applications or temporary residence registration, I saw that this was a huge need."

Bao Thy understands that popularizing digital skills for the elderly cannot "only depend on the State. As a young person and a companion of the elderly, I created this project to be able to accompany grandparents more thoroughly, longer and further."

This need is also the concern of the people involved. Many elderly people feel hesitant to ask for help from their children and grandchildren. As Mrs. Quy (65 years old, living in Cho Lon ward) shared: "Although my children can guide me, they don't have free time because they have to go to work, so I have to go to school. Having these classes for the elderly is very good."

Classes are taught carefully and enthusiastically by young instructors and volunteers, helping older students easily absorb digital knowledge.

Faced with that "digital gap", caring and patient classes like "Silver Citizen" have been born and become an important bridge of knowledge. To attract "silver-haired" students who are inherently shy, Bao Thy and her colleagues have designed a special small-scale class model. "The lessons are designed so that the teachers can study them over and over again, review them many times to get used to them. In addition, we also have small classes, even 'one-on-one' to tutor each grandparent until they master the skills," Bao Thy shared.

In the class, the "silver-haired" students are guided meticulously and enthusiastically in each step of using technology by lecturers and volunteers in their twenties.

Mr. Le Hong Triet (60 years old, living in Cho Lon ward) is the youngest student in the class, expressing his gratitude: “The young people guide the teachers very enthusiastically and thoughtfully. I am 60 years old but in the class there are 85-year-old men who still go to school. Everyone is excited, I find the class really interesting and lively”.

That patience is shown through every small action. "They came to guide me in every detail, holding my hand and showing me where to press, how to open, how to do it, practicing from the first day until I was proficient and could do it myself," Mr. Triet added.

Mr. Le Hong Triet (60 years old, living in Cho Lon ward) attentively took notes of knowledge in the digital skills class, demonstrating the spirit of continuous learning of the elderly.

The "Silver Digital Citizen" curriculum does not only stop at basic skills but also updates advanced technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and practical skills such as taking beautiful photos, digital security, using VNeID or VSSID, cashless payment or safe online shopping...

"The elderly don't need anything profound. They just need to have beautiful photos, learn how to communicate with their children and grandchildren and apply technology that is close to their lives," Bao Thy shared.

The joy of learning is regardless of age in the class of the "Silver Digital Citizen" project, where the elderly are approached with technology in a close and patient manner.

Opening up new horizons, no longer afraid of "falling behind"

Access to technology has truly opened up a "new horizon" for "silver-haired" citizens, helping them connect, entertain and no longer feel lonely.

From being confused, students have now found joy in applying technology to life. Ms. Tran Thi Thuy (63 years old, Bay Hien ward) excitedly talked about learning to use Zalo to call, text, take pictures and send pictures to her children and grandchildren. In particular, she also knows how to use AI to look up information. “When I want to buy a bottle of medicine written in English, I just need to take a picture, AI will translate it into Vietnamese and tell me the uses and effects of the medicine. Very good and convenient. Or like ChatGPT, I want to ask something and ChatGPT will answer me. It's very easy, it helps me understand more and have more information.”

“Young people today are smart and fast, while our older generation is slower. So we have to study so as not to be left behind, so that our children and grandchildren can see that older people are still diligent and still learning. Knowledge is vast, if we do not study, we will fall behind,” Ms. Thuy shared. She also said that the greatest thing she has gained is confidence, no longer feeling “behind” the younger generation.

As for Mr. Tran Hung, who has a hobby of recording videos and making films, AI has become a tool to help him carry out a meaningful personal project. “I want to use AI to make videos, to restore my old memories from my youth. It is also a way for my children and grandchildren to better understand the lives and memories of the previous generation,” Mr. Hung shared.

For Mr. Triet, the classes opened up “a new horizon” that he had never known before. “After retiring, I had more free time, so learning technology became a daily joy. The knowledge is vast, I can learn forever, and thanks to that, I no longer have time to be sad,” he shared.

Ms. Phan Bao Thy hopes that this model will spread more and more strongly, continuing the mission of "helping the elderly confidently enter the digital world , live happily, live healthily and learn for life".

The “Silver Digital Citizen” project, with 160 volunteers actively participating, has become one of the typical teams, contributing to spreading digital knowledge to disadvantaged groups in society. From an initial volunteer model, Ms. Phan Bao Thy said the project has developed into a social enterprise: “We organize advanced classes with fees to create a source of funding to maintain free classes for the elderly.”

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/binh-dan-hoc-vu-so-cua-nhung-mai-dau-bac-bai-1-lop-hoc-toc-bac-va-nhung-nguoi-thay-tuoi-doi-muoi-20251019143944861.htm