Students attend the 18th Competition of Innovative Software event in HCM City. Viet Nam has been urged to establish vocational institutions for training students with special academic knowledge and tech skills. — VNA/VNS Photo Phuong Vy HA NOI (VNS)— The third Viet Nam Information, Communications and Technology ICT Summit opened yesterday in the capital city. Participants at the event discussed issues and solutions for improving national information infrastructure. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who is also president of the East Asian Institute, are among more than 500 participants at the two-day summit held by the Viet Nam Software and IT Service Association, Dung said information and technology were one of the key development factors in Viet Nam. "IT has directly made up 7 per cent of the national GDP in the last 10 years," he said. Dung said Viet Nam ranked fourth in IT in the region after Singapore, Malaysia and … [Read more...] about IT infrastructure on summit’s agenda
Infrastructure
Party sets goals for infrastructure development
The fourth meeting of the 11th Party Central Committee has issued a resolution on infrastructure construction in an attempt to advance Viet Nam's goal of becoming an industrialised and modernised country by 2020. Though the Party and Government have paid great attention to infrastructure development in recent years, systems remains poor, unco-ordinated, and with low connectivity, e.g., transportation between ports and industrial zones. Urban infrastructure is of low quality and overloaded, while social infrastructure is short in quantity and low in quality, inefficient, and fails to meet basic demand for social services like health and education. The resolution identifies both objective and subjective causes for these shortcomings, including slow changes in thinking about infrastructure development, over reliance on State budget resources, and incomplete legal system, ineffective supervision and management, and poor quality planning. The resolution stresses the need to … [Read more...] about Party sets goals for infrastructure development
Infrastructure projects approved
HA NOI — The State Bank of Viet Nam and the World Bank yesterday signed agreements on three projects totalling US$973.5 million to support the development of modern infrastructure. Given in recognition of recent reforms in Viet Nam, the money will be used to finance the Da Nang-Quang Ngai Expressway Project ($613.5 million), the Medium Cities Development Project ($210 million) and the 10th Poverty Reduction Support Credit ($150 million). The Da Nang-Quang Ngai Expressway Project will enhance efficiency and safety for drivers travelling between Da Nang City and Quang Ngai Province, and build institutional capacity for further expressway development in Viet Nam's Ministry of Transport. The Medium Cities Development Project is expected to provide better urban infrastructure for up to 520,000 people in the cities of Lao Cai, Phu Ly and Vinh. After its completion, people in the three cities are expected to benefit from access to improved water sources, sanitation, transport system, … [Read more...] about Infrastructure projects approved
Government targets institutions, infrastructure, training
A corner of Dong Tay Boulevard. Covering over 21 kilometres, it connects eight districts in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo HA NOI — One of the key goals of the Government this year is to create more favourable conditions for economic development by focusing on the three problem areas of infrastructure, institutions and human resources, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung told a meeting of his cabinet on Wednesday. Ministries, branches and localities should make their best efforts to removing State administrative barriers to attracting financial resources for development and to build strategies for such sectors such as steelmaking and cement and automobile production, Dung said. The Government would also continue to address the pressing issues of food hygiene and safety, crime and environmental pollution, he added. The Ministry of Health was requested to review planning for the hospital system, formulate standards for regional hospitals, and to draw up plans to address overload at … [Read more...] about Government targets institutions, infrastructure, training
Committee resolves to boost infrastructure and strengthen Party
HA NOI — The fourth meeting of the 11th Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee closed in Ha Noi on Saturday, stressing mobilisation of all sources for infrastructure construction and an all-out effort to strengthen the Party. Addressing the closing session, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed building the infrastructure to serve national industrialisation and modernisation for 2011-20 was crucial to rapid and sustainable development and improving efficiency and competitiveness. The meeting issued a resolution on this task, emphasising the need to define stages of investment and the order of priority. Important projects would be selected for implementation, while creative mechanisms and policies were needed to mobilise all social resources, including foreign sources, for socio-economic infrastructure development. State budget funds would be reserved for essential and important projects. By 2020, the country should fundamentally solve the current obstacles and … [Read more...] about Committee resolves to boost infrastructure and strengthen Party