Feb. 17 – The Vietnamese government plans to develop a strong telecommunication industry, hoping to boost the use of information technology in government agencies, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said Friday.
Addressing a conference in Hanoi, he said an efficient e-government in Vietnam would facilitate the administrative reform process and increase transparency within government agencies. Continue reading
Feb. 9 – According to the Authority for Hanoi Industrial and Export Processing Zones, the city has so far attracted US$4.14 billion worth of projects in its industrial parks.
Of the total 508 licensed projects, 240 are domestic projects worth US$3.533 billion while the rest is composed of 268 foreign-invested projects. In 2009, the IPs were able to sign in US$130.79 million of projects, including US$91.4 million of foreign direct investment. Continue reading
Jan. 12 – The Foreign Investment Agency forecasts that local businesses will make more investments overseas following last year’s 457 projects worth US$7.2 billion in more than 50 countries and territories.
Last year surpassed average overseas investments by a huge margin with agriculture projects accounting for 40 percent of projects or a majority 68 percent of all total investment. This was followed by the service industry with 19 percent of the projects releasing more than US$2 billion in funds. Continue reading
Dec. 11 – IBM will develop an e-government cloud for Ho Chi Minh City to enable a one-stop solution for government services and allow better access to government information.
According to technology news site, Sys-Con Media, the company will first consolidate all of the city government’s e-mail systems and web sites. IBM will also be working with the Ministry of Science and Technology for a Vietnam Information for Science and Technology Advance Innovation Portal that will be managed via cloud infrastructure. Continue reading
Nov. 24 – The Vietnam Bank for Industry and Trade (Vietinbank) will begin offering online remittance transfer service to make it easier for Vietnamese overseas to transfer money home.
The service allows a maximum one time transfer amount of US$3,000 or 10 transactions totaling US$15,000 monthly according to VOV News. One can immediately register for the service through the bank’s website and recipients will be able to pick up the money at the bank. Continue reading
Nov. 20 – Strategic advisory firm, Tholons has included Ho Chi Minh City in its annual report of Top 6 Established Global Outsourcing Cities for Software Testing for the second year in a row.
The city located in South Vietnam was also named in Tholon’s list of Top 10 Offshore Nations, Top 50 Emerging Global Outsourcing Cities, and Top Emerging Global Outsourcing Cities for Application Development & Management (ADM) and Animation/Game Development. Continue reading
Oct. 27 – The Vietnam-UK Business Forum 2009 held in London last week has led to the signing of a number of contracts including a US$1.5 billion project to build a thermo-electricity center and US$1.5 billion project to build a seaport warehouse.
During the forum, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said that Vietnam always attached importance to friendship and multi-faceted cooperation with the United Kingdom more so in fields of economics, trade, investment, education and training. Continue reading
Oct. 22 – Vietnam’s Military Telecom Corporation (Viettel) has launched a mobile phone network in cooperation with its Laotian partner Lao-Asia Telecom.
The network is called Unitel and will be managed by Star Telecom Company, with Viettel holding a 49 percent stake in the joint venture. Unitel aims to capture 25 percent market share in Laos by 2010 or about 1.5 million subscribers of Laos’ population of 6.2 million says VN Business News. Continue reading
Sept. 24 – Software piracy in Vietnam is costing the country losses of US$275 million in jobs and tax revenues yearly, said The Business Software Alliance in a report.
The report cautioned local businesses from supporting software copyright infringement saying that the 7 percent decrease in piracy rate has raised job creation by 11 percent, increased sales for the local IT industry by 6 percent and even increased tax revenues by 9 percent.
According to Thanh Nien News, the report was written in coordination by the Vietnam Software Association, the Copyright Office of Vietnam and the Ministry Inspectorate of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
By Fan Feng
Jul. 9 – The country’s largest software park and high-tech industrial area, Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Industrial Zone, has approved the investment licenses of four projects worth a total of US$316.45 million.
Shipbuilder Vietnam Shipping Industrial Group invested US$85.6 million for the Vietnam Ship Research Institute to house its national research and design lab within the complex. The Vietnam Internet Center is funding a US$16.29 million internet center. The Financing and Promoting Technology Group is using US$154.1 million to build a software facility and information technology university – FPT University – within the compound. And a US$105.46 million post and telecom center is being built by the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group.
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