IT businesses need more Gov’t support

The Government should invest in information technology, which will benefit groups in the State-owned and private sectors, said Ha The Minh, Chairman of CMC joint stock company.

For his company, Minh said he wanted to boost the production of low-cost devices, but if there is no market the products will not perform well.

According to Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Tran Duc Lai, to make Viet Nam a strong IT nation, the country should utilise its strengths and businesses should create goals and work with the ministry to achieve them.

Most IT enterprises are not afraid of helping out with the Government’s plans. However, companies need to know specific support policies from the Government and relevant authorities before registering voluntarily.

Nguyen Minh Dan of the Viet Nam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) said the target to up broad band mobile coverage so that 85 per cent of the population has wireless access by 2015 was feasible and his company was ready to take part in the project.

Dan said authorised agencies also needed to draw up timely management policies because the current business environment surrounding the telecommunications services has become fierce.

Nguyen Thanh Nam, CEO of FPT Corporation, said his company would undertake 20 per cent of the education training programmes so that 80 per cent of ICT students that graduated from these universities would be qualified to participate in international labour markets.

Nguyen Phuoc Hai, General Secretary of the Viet Nam Electronics Industries Association, said computer manufactures were unable to compete with imported completed built units (CBU). Most electronic components imported into Viet Nam are subject to an import tax from 2 to 5 per cent, while imported CBUs are not taxed.

He said without empowering the domestic hardware business, the country’s PC sector could fall into a similar situation to the pharmaceutical, automobile or dairy sectors, where consumers would be forced to buy costly products. He added that the Government should partly subsidise production costs for businesses that aim to promote the development of the country’s hardware sector. — VNS

Tags: Vietnam IT industry, Vietnam IT sector