Digital Competence Formation in Teacher Education Programs: A Study from Northern Mountainous Vietnam

In the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and digital transformation in education, developing digital competence among pre-service teachers has become essential to meet the requirements of modern teaching and the labor market. This study aims to assess the current status, identify influencing factors, and propose solutions for developing digital competence among students in teacher education institutions in the northern mountainous region of Vietnam. Using a mixed-methods approach that combined surveys and semi-structured interviews, data were collected from 600 students and 300 lecturers across four universities. The study assessed six key digital competence domains—information literacy, critical thinking and problem-solving with technology, digital communication and collaboration, digital content creation, digital ethics and safety, and the use of artificial intelligence. The findings show that students’ digital competence levels are moderate, with mean scores ranging from 2.71 to 3.17. While students are proficient in basic technology use, their creative and pedagogical digital skills remain limited. Factors influencing digital competence development include institutional policies, lecturer competence, technological infrastructure, and the national digital transformation context. Survey results indicate that activities integrating digital competence into teaching, extracurricular programs, and Youth Union initiatives are being implemented but vary in effectiveness. The study recommends systematically embedding digital competence into teacher education curricula, enhancing lecturers’ digital capacity, and improving digital infrastructure to foster a comprehensive digital learning ecosystem. These findings provide empirical evidence to support universities in developing strategies for strengthening digital competence among future teachers in the digital era.