Hanoi Times – The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) selected ten outstanding events of and five issues faced by the communications and technology sectors this year.

The ten outstanding events

The Ministry of Information and Communications established

On August 2, 2007, the National Assembly ratified the establishment of the MIC by merging the Ministry of Post and Telematics and the Ministry of Culture and Information’s press management agency. Le Doan Hop was appointed the Minister.

The new office is not just a name change and a synthesis of operations. It reflects a fresh way of thinking and new goals.

Phone subscriber goal hit early

Vietnam’s tele-density reached 35 phones per 100 residents by February 17, 2007. This achieved the tele-density target set by the 10th National Party Congress three years in advance.

At present, Vietnam has 46 million phone subscribers, 75% of which are mobile phone subscribers, and has now reached tele-density of 54 phones per 100 residents. Vietnam has o­ne of the highest growth rates of telephone subscribers in the world.

Vietnam Post Trade Union awarded Ho Chi Minh Medal

Established o­n August 30, 2007, the Vietnam Post Trade Union is managing 1,300 cells with over 80,000 members. Recognizing 60 years of development, Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan presented the Ho Chi Minh Medal to the union o­n August 30, 2007.

10th anniversary of Internet connectivity

Vietnam was officially connected to the Internet o­n November 19, 1997. Five years later, Vietnam has over 5 million Internet subscribers and over 18 million Internet users, accounting for 21.6% of the population, exceeding the global and Asian averages.

Vietnam implemented early modern Internet services like Internet telephone, wireless Internet, etc. Internet has deeply penetrated the country’s economic and social activities as well as daily life.

State develops IT network

After the Prime Minister decided to stop Project 112, IT application activities in State agencies will be carried out under Decree 64.

Based o­n the decree, the Ministry of Information and Communications drafted and submitted to the Government for approval a new program o­n IT application at State agencies and some related regulations.

IT industry grows by leaps and bounds

Leading global IT, electronics and telecom groups invested billions of USD into Vietnam in 2007, for example Intel, Foxconn, Nidec, Compal, Panasonic, Renesas, etc. The country not o­nly attracted hardware producers, but also top software and IT service providers like Yahoo, Microsoft, IBM, Vodafone and eBay.

Electronic products, computers and computer components were the top export items of Vietnam last year, with total export revenue of US$2.18 billion. The digital content and o­nline service industries developed robustly. Many o­nline portals, search engines and social networks were opened, luring many participants.

Vietnam Postal Corporation established

The Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) split into posts and telecommunication divisions. This is a historical event of the postal sector’s development. After 62 years attached to the telecom sector, postal activities took o­n their own entity. The split is aimed at enabling better management of postal and telecommunications services and facilitating the development of both.

55th anniversary of publishing industry

On October 10, 1952, President Ho Chi Minh signed a decree o­n the establishment of the National Printing House and is now celebrated as the birthday of Vietnam’s printing, publishing and book distribution industry.

Press law helps but needs contemporary vision

In the past eight years, the amended Press Law has facilitated the improvement and development of the Vietnamese media in quantity and quality. Freedom of press and speech is ensured under the Constitution and the Law. However, the law isn’t commensurate with the progression of the media and needs further amendments to meet the media’s current and rapidly increasing needs.

Telecom charges cut, telecom service quality results made public

Under the guidance of the Prime Minister, all telecom service providers slashed charges between 15-50%.

2007 was the first year the Post, Telecom and IT Quality Management Agency made public expert’s opinions of the quality of telecom and Internet services offered by providers. This motivated providers to improve service quality.

Five Concerns

Undersea optical cable cut

Many fishermen cut undersea optical cables to sell, threatening international telecom security. o­n December 13, 2007, the Prime Minister issued an Instruction o­n strengthening the protection of undersea optical cables and international telecom security. The instruction will be implemented in 2008.

Piracy run rampant

Though the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Information and Communications officials coordinated closely with relevant agencies to control piracy, illegal products are still uncontrolled o­n the local market.

Online crime o­n the rise

Several cases of o­nline fraud were discovered in 2007, i.e. the theft and fraudulent activities of Colony Invest. In addition, distasteful movies and clips contrary to Vietnam’s customs and traditions were spread o­n the Internet, revealing the dark side of the Internet.

Phantom phone numbers

To build up numbers, some mobile networks offered overly generous promotional programs, for example doubling or tripling the money for new accounts which encouraged users to buy new SIM cards rather than charging their old accounts. Consequently, the number of subscribers soared but many old numbers were unused. In response, the Government is requiring pre-paid subscribers to register personal information as of January 1, 2008.

IT workforce shortage

The IT industry’s human resource shortage was an urgent matter, which affected the development of this industry. The Minister of Information and Communications, o­n October 26 approved the IT human resource development plan through 2020.

The Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Education and Training are cooperating to develop specific mechanisms and policies governing and supporting IT staff training to submit to the government for approval in 2008. However, the two ministries are moving too slow while the shortage intensifies and the industry continues to suffer.