New Playground for Enterprises in HCM City

3:26:37 PM | 7/8/2005

In late April and early May, Ho Chi Minh City’s enterprises’ portal will be officially launched onto the Internet. This is the result of the co-operation among VCCI, the Ho Chi Minh City Post and Telecommunication Department, the Saigon Postel Corporation and the AZ Company, creating a new playground for enterprises to share their information and use e-commerce tool in the most effective manner.

Nguyen Tuan Hoa, information technology expert at the Vietnam Science and Technology Institute, said that with its convenient location and the development of major communications routes, Ho Chi Minh City is an important centre of goods exchange in Vietnam and the region. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the Internet-based connection with customers in the region in the context of increased international integration and fiercer competition. By establishing an online portal for local enterprises, Ho Chi Minh City’s leaders wish to create a more favourable conditions for them to introduce their products and images online, and carry out Internet-based business-to-business (B2B) transactions, organising online conferences and seminars.

Trinh Dinh Khuong, general director of the Saigon Postel Corporation, said that the corporation would provide a 10 Mbps line, which would be upgraded on demand. Phi Anh Tuan, deputy director of the AZ Company, which provides technology solution for the project, said that the development of the portal had been completed. With the AWD (accelerated web development) technology, the portal will update latest information provided by enterprises from their servers. The portal’s interface was designed to be friendly and easy to use, so that enterprises can easily access without opening any other window. Names of newly registered enterprises will be updated regularly. Enterprises’ logos and products will be added to the homepage for a certain period of time. Those products which are most searched for will appear as the ‘hottest’ products. Those enterprises which are most searched for will appear as the hottest event of the day. Information about enterprises will be archived and updated regularly. The registration will be implemented in an easy manner. Information about enterprises and their products will be uploaded directly on the Internet. To attract enterprises to join the establishment of an information pool, enterprises will be exempted from any fee. Also, via the portal, enterprises can access to websites of agencies, business associations, and partners in Vietnam and foreign countries to seek information from other online business forums and learn about the legal environment. On enterprises’ forum, there will be more answers to questions from enterprises. Enterprises can also make transactions with enterprises, partners and consumers to establish economic relations.

Le Manh Ha, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Post and Telecommunication Department, said that, in the past, many Vietnam’s portals had succeeded but their scale was mostly small. Ha said that the new site was expected to attract many enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City. He went on to say that in the coming time, the portal would attract foreign enterprises. To that end, Vietnamese and English versions have been developed.

Apart from Ho Chi Minh City’s website at hochiminhcityweb.gov.vn, the city’s business portal will serve as a playground for enterprises to boost their business co-operation, so that their activities would become more effective. The portal, which offers an opportunity for enterprises to promote their images, is expected to attract between 500 and 1,000 enterprises.