HCM City Hi-tech Week: Developing Human Resources for the Future

Three years after it was established under the Decision N⁰ 145/2002/QD-TTg dated October 24, 2002, the Saigon hi-tech park needs an education and dissemination campaign to introduce its activities and strategies to local people, so they may join the park’s development. With this purpose in mind, Ho Chi Minh City Hi-tech Week was organised in October.

 

Nguyen Thi Thanh My, member of the Saigon hi-tech park management board and chief of the Ho Chi Minh City Hi-tech Week, said that the top aim of the event was to attract attention and participation of young people, who will act as important factor for the development of the park. The biggest worry of investors in the park is about whether human resources can meet the work requirements or not. Therefore, the event was an opportunity for young people to get knowledge about hi-tech fields, so as to orientate their future professions and studies. During the week, many activities were held for students, including the first ‘Ho Chi Minh City hi-tech park scientific creativity’ contest, which was organised by the park management board and the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union. Attending the contest were technical solutions, divided into four groups: solutions for designing ‘Vietnamese chips,’ solutions for application machine, equipment structure, and industrially-used robots, solutions for bio-tech and solutions for new materials and applications. Norms for evaluation include the advancement of solutions compared to the existing technical level in Vietnam, application capability in Vietnam, and socio-economic effectiveness. Twelve prizes, including first prizes, valued at VND 10 million, will be presented for the four groups of solutions. At the same time, a forum themed ‘Ho Chi Minh City young people with hi-tech’ was held with specific seminars to encourage local young people’s passion to science and technology and help them get access to development orientations of technologies, as well as understand the role of hi-tech during the industrialisation and modernisation process. The attraction centre of the forum was a contest of eloquence entitled ‘If I were director of the Saigon hi-tech park,’ which was held to help young people to speak out about their ambition and desires to build up the park.

 

The Saigon hi-tech park is one of the 12 major programmes in Ho Chi Minh City with an aim to form a developed technical and economic zone with modern production forces for a harmonious combination of business, research, transfer and development of technologies, and human resources. The park has an area of 913 hectares and a convenient location, around 17 kilometres away from the Saigon port and the Tan Son Nhat international airport. It is located on the trans-Asia highway and near the Ho Chi Minh City National University. Over the past three years, the park has accelerated its site clearance and boosted its investment promotion activities. Accordingly, the park management board has contacted and worked with over 100 Vietnamese and foreign investors operating in various fields, mainly in information technology, telecommunication, precise mechanics, automation, bio-tech, new materials, consultancy and training. So far, nine companies have been licensed and three factories have become operational and two other are under construction. This is a significant effort of the park management in the context of incomplete infrastructure facilities.

The Ho Chi Minh City Hi-tech Week’s investment forum introduced projects calling for investment, which have high feasibility and success possibility. These include an Internet city project, which is a smart building with modern equipment for telecommunication and Internet for investors in the park to connect to and provide services for enterprises and industrial parks in the city; projects on building standard workshops for rent; a project on building the training centre, phase 1; electric power plants; office buildings, bonded warehouses, trade and service centres, residential areas of experts and incubation areas. At the same time, the park focused on attracting famous hi-tech corporations in the world, and creating favourable conditions for individuals, organisations of various economic sectors in Vietnam to contribute to the park’s development. On this occasion, experts, researchers and enterprises discussed experiences on the building and management of park and support activities for hi-tech incubators.

 

To help enterprises to introduce and promote their products, the organisers provided 40 free pavilions for enterprises taking park in an exhibition of hi-tech and the Saigon hi-tech park. Via the event, the organisers wanted to bring hi-tech products to consumers, initially affirming the position of trademarked hi-tech products. Participating in the exhibition were Intel, TCL, IBM, Siemens, LG, HP, Samsung, Philips, Cisco, Synopsis, Nidec, Canon, Datacraft, JVC, Fasto AG, DGS, Nugen, Beenext, Thien Viet–Provina, Saigon Postel, and the Information Technology Institute, Ho Chi Minh City branch. The exhibition introduced famous hi-tech parks in the world, research works and technologies of those enterprises investing in the Saigon hi-tech park, technology solutions of some universities and colleges, institutes, students and researchers.

In particular, on this occasion, the exhibition introduce sample resettlement houses, as the project on building the Saigon hi-tech park not only serves for the city’s development requirements but also produces effects on the social aspects. Also, the park management board organised a sculpture creating camp. Sculpture products will help beautify the park, encouraging creativity of those who work in the park.

Cultural and art programme made the event more interesting. The organisers hoped that after the event, many people, in particular young people will have a comprehensive understanding about and join the development of the park.