Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) to increase Viet Nam’s rankings in information and communication technology (ICT) as ICT is the foundation of all areas, including the digital economy.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc addressing the conference organised in Ha Noi on 15 January. (Photo: VNA)

The Government leader made the request while addressing a conference organised by the MIC in Ha Noi on 15 January to identify its tasks in 2019. 

The PM recognised the significant contributions of the ICT industry to the country’s development in recent times, but expressed his dissatisfaction with Viet Nam’s low rankings in the field.

He said ICT should be a leading sector of the nation, but it has slowed down in recent years.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has lowered Viet Nam’s rankings in the field due to the country’s poor preparations for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the PM said, adding that this is the ministry’s responsibility.

He said the Government agreed with the Ministry’s proposal of building draft revised laws on telecommunications, frequency, and press. The PM also suggested building institutions and training officials in the field, noting that this is an important task of the MIC.

PM Phuc asked the Ministry to prioritise supporting technological start-ups, and increase the press management to serve national reforms. The ministry should develop cyber security businesses to turn Vietnam into a power in this sphere, he said.

The PM requested that the production of telecommunication equipment must be boosted, stressing that “Vietnamese network operators must use Vietnamese equipment.”

He also ordered the MIC to work with foreign social network providers to ensure they abide by Viet Nam law, adding that the ministry must adopt legal and technical measures to handle legal violations.

He hailed Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung for turning a green light for the test of the fifth-generation (5G) mobile network in Viet Nam, firstly in Ho Chi Minh City.

While mentioning Zalo, a social network product developed by a Vietnamese IT firm with 45 million users, the PM asked the ministry to continue boosting the building of such social networks in Viet Nam so that the number of users is equal to those of foreign social networks, especially as Viet Nam has 60% of the population using the Internet.

In 2018, the MIC played the important role of facilitating and promoting the sustainable development of the telecommunication market. The Vietnamese domain “.vn” topped the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the number of registrations and among the top 10 of national domains with the highest number of users in the Asian-Pacific region.

The software industry continued to maintain a high growth of 13.8 percent with revenues estimated at 4.3 billion USD and exports of 3.5 billion USD. The number of software businesses stood at nearly 10,000, with 120,000 workers.

The MIC also stepped up inspections of press portals to prevent the spread of false information that causes negative impacts on society and affecting national interests.

(Source: VNA/ DA NANG Today)