The Hanoitimes - Domestic companies have failed to meet the demand for support components that the hi-tech industry needs, experts said at a conference yesterday.

The conference was titled "Investment Promotion for Hi-Tech Support Industries."

The hi-tech support industry presents great potential for Vietnamese firms, but it is currently dominated by foreign companies, said Le Duong Quang, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade.

Quang said domestic firms making products to serve the hi-tech industry were few and operating with a limited range.

Furthermore, they were still to achieve quality standards needed to become more competitive, he said.

Hi-tech support industries in Viet Nam have not developed because the domestic hi-tech industry itself is not well developed, Quang said.

Domestic firms faced many difficulties including research, design and capital limitations, he added.

An Intel Viet Nam representative said Vietnamese companies did not have a system to manage the quality of their products, which has caused problems for hi-tech companies.

Another factor preventing foreign hi-tech companies from buying supporting components made by local firms was poor communication, which is caused in part by language barriers, she said.