Malaysia Supports Vietnam to Become ICT Power

In recent years, Vietnam’s ICT growth has been very rapid. The country has created a healthy environment for foreign-invested businesses. Many multinational ICT corporations like Intel, Samsung and IBM have invested in Vietnam. With its outstanding ICT achievements in recent years, Vietnam has been steadily on the path of integrating into the global ICT world. The Government of Vietnam has endeavoured to build a legal framework for ICT to create conditions conducive for domestic and international enterprises to cooperate in investment.

 

According to the “Quickly making Vietnam a powerful nation in ICT” project adopted by the Prime Minister on September 22, 2010, by 2020, ICT growth will double or treble GDP growth; ICT revenues will account for 20 - 23 percent of GDP; basic public services will be provided online for citizens and businesses at the highest degree possible; and key industries, enterprises and social organisations will apply information technology to management. In particular, Vietnam’s e-government will be ranked high in the world, bringing Vietnam to the top group of the United Nations E-government Readiness Index. The project highlights five primary tasks: Developing ICT human resources to international standard, exporting high-quality human resources; developing ICT industry; developing broadband; boosting IT application in State agencies, building e-government; and building powerful ICT businesses to dominate the domestic market and reach out the world.

Speaking at the “Vietnam - Malaysia ICT Business Forum” held in July 2011 in Hanoi, Information and Communications Minister Le Doan Hop said Vietnam needed the cooperation and investment of Malaysian ICT companies to realise its goals. The Vietnamese Government encouraged ICT businesses of the two nations to boost business cooperation, technological sharing and transfer. He hoped the Malaysian Government would also create conditions for Vietnam's telecommunications companies to invest in its market.

 

Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkilil, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, spoke very highly of Vietnamese ambitious ICT project. He said Malaysia always supported Vietnam in building a powerful ICT industry. Malaysia is also striving to become a digitalised economy and an ICT-based society of science and technology by 2020, ranking among the top Asian countries in these aspects. With this orientation, in 2011, Malaysia had a lot of activities in support of the ICT industry, particularly accelerating the construction of green, environment-friendly technologies. In the coming time, the Malaysia National Advisory Council for ICT will put forth more development strategies to realise its vision for 2020.

 

On its development path, Malaysia will always closely link with other countries in the region, particularly those with high ICT growth like Vietnam. While appreciating Vietnam’s encouraging ICT achievements, Minister Datuk asserted that with a large population of almost 90 million people, about three times more than Malaysia (27 million people), and the number of consumers, Vietnam has sufficient advantages and conditions to develop its ICT to a higher level. And, the two-way ICT cooperation will benefit both sides.