Directive 58/CT/TU dated October 17, 2000 of
the Politburo of Vietnam on the strengthening
of the application and development of information technology (IT) in Vietnam
for the national process of industrialization and modernization
Information technology (IT) is one of the most important
driving forces for development, and is joining forces with some other hi-tech
industries in radically changing the economic, cultural and social lives of the
modern world.
Application and development of IT in our country aims at helping
put into full play the material, intellectual and spiritual strengths of the
entire nation, accelerating the renovation process, rapidly developing and
modernizing all sectors in the economy, enhancing the competitive edge of
domestic enterprises, giving a big hand to the process of active integration
into the global economy, improving the daily life quality of people, ensuring
national security and defense, and creating a premise for leapfrogs necessary
to succeed in the path of industrialization and modernization.
During the American war, the Party and State of Vietnam also instructed IT application in a number of activities. This direction has been confirmed and realized in various Party and Government resolutions in the new process of renovation.
Directive 26/NQ-TW dated March 30, 1991 of the Politburo governing
science and technology in the renovation process stated: “Forces are concentrated
on the development of some key scientific and technological branches such as
electronics and informatics…” The resolution of the 7th Central
Party Committee Congress issued on July 30, 1994 defined: “Priority will be
given to the application and development of advanced technologies such as IT to
serve the demand of electronization and computerization of the national
economy.” The Resolution of the 8th Party Congress emphasized: “IT
should be applied in all fields of the national economy in order to create a
fundamental change in productivity, quality and efficiency of the economy… A
national information network will be established and connected to some
international information networks.” In order to institutionalize at the State
level, the Government on August 4, 1993 promulgated Resolution 49/CP on the
development of IT in Vietnam in the 1990s.
In implementing Party and State directions, since the 1970s, IT had
been applied and developed, contributing significantly to the spur of the
national socio-economic development.
The general awareness of the society of IT’s role and significance
has improved greatly ever since. The human resources engaged in the IT sector
have also grown rapidly. The telecommunications sector is developing quickly
towards modernization. The Government’s Resolution 07/2000/NQ-CP dated June 5,
2000 concerning the establishment and development of the software industry
between 2000-2005 has been creating a favorable environment for domestic and
foreign organizations and individuals to invest in, do business, produce and
supply software services.
However, Vietnam’s IT at present remains backward and less
developed and as such is at risk of falling far behind many other countries in
the region and the world. The application so far of IT has not yet met the
requirements of the process of industrialization and modernization, or
requirements of regional and international integration. The role, motivÐ and
great potentials have not yet been made the most of, while the development of the
IT human resources is inadequate and late in terms of both quality and quantity
and both foreign language and professional skills. Meanwhile,
telecommunications and Internet activities do not have a quite favorable
environment, failing to match with demands related to speed, quality and tariff
for the application and development of IT. What’s more, investments in IT are
less than required, the State management in this field remains scattered and
inefficient, and the application of IT here and there is only for form’s sake,
impractical and wasteful.
The major reasons are inadequate awareness of the importance of IT
of all levels, branches and the entire society as a whole; irresolute
implementation of Party and State directions and policies; a lax combination
between IT application and the process of production and business restructuring
as well as administrative reforms and renovation of the leadership method of
the Party and State and State management; late issuance of policies meeting the
demand of IT application and development; inconsistent and incomprehensive
State management in the fields of computers, telecommunications and electronic
information, resulting in the absence of a healthy competitive environment for
the provision of telecommunications and Internet services; and investing in the
construction of the information infrastructure not being considered an
investment in the socio-economic infrastructure of the country.
By the year 2010, Vietnam’s IT industry must reach an advanced
level in the region, meeting the following objectives:
-
IT being
widely applied in all fields, becoming one of the most important elements in
the process of socio-economic development and security and national defense
assurance.
-
A national
information network being developed across the country with a high capacity,
high speed and high quality at low prices; the ratio of Internet users equal
the average level in the world.
-
IT
industry becoming a key economic sector having the highest speed and quality
compared to other sectors; increasingly contributing to the growth rate of the
nation’s GDP.
In an effort to
realize such objectives, the Politburo instructs that:
1. IT application and development is one of the
prioritized duties in the nation’s socio-economic development strategy, and is
the major tool for the country to make leapfrogs, shortening the existing gap
between Vietnam and other more developed countries.
2.
All
economic, cultural, social, security and national defense activities must apply
IT for further development.
3.
The
national information network is an important part of the national
socio-economic infrastructure, and thus favorable conditions should be created for
the application and development of IT, ensuring high speed, high quality and
low tariff.
4.
Developing
the IT human resources is the key to the boosted application and development of
IT.
5.
The IT
industry will be developed into an important economic sector, particularly the
software industry.
The Politburo requires all
levels and branches properly and efficiently perform the following duties and
solutions:
1.
Widespread and efficient application of IT in the
entire society.
Party and State bodies and socio-political organizations must be
the first to implement IT application in all of their activities in the
principle of economy, practicality and long-term efficiency.
Computerization of the activities of Party and State bodies is a
vital element in the process of reforming the nation’s administrative
mechanism, and is a regular of these bodies in a bid to enhance their
management capacity, productivity, quality and efficiency.
Party committees and organizations must make swift directions
governing the establishment of necessary information systems to serve the
common interest of people as well as the direction of the Party and the
management of the State. The information wide area network of the Party and
Government must be set up shortly, regularly upgraded and used efficiently so
that by the year 2005, the electronic information system of the Party and
Government will have been basically outlined and put into operation.
Priority will be given to the development of electronic services in
the fields of finance (taxation, treasury and audit…), banking, customs,
aviation, trade, e-commerce and other social welfare services (education,
distant learning, distant healthcare, e-library…), ensuring the most
fundamental and suitable conditions for the pace of international and regional
economic integration.
Enterprises, primarily corporations set up in accordance with
Decisions 90 and 91 (corporations 90 and 91), must invest in IT application and
development and use of e-commerce, considering them the basic measures to reform
management, renovate technology, restructure production, expand market and
enhance competitiveness.
IT application and development programs must be mapped out quickly,
while a combination between IT and biology is set up for the path of
industrializing and modernizing agriculture and rural areas, contributing
greatly to the process of hunger eradication and poverty elimination and
boosting development in isolated and remote areas.
Favorable conditions should be created for all social classes
across the country to know how to use and make the most of electronic
information and IT applications, and special attention will be given to the
most needy and handicapped people.
The security and national defense forces must make quick steps in
IT popularization, application and development, creating an important premise
to contribute to their self-building into official, seasoned and modern forces.
An automation system will gradually be built for commanding, supervision,
mastering and improving weapons, ammunition and other fighting equipment to
ensure national security and are ready to deal with modern information wars.
Mass media agencies, newspapers, publishing organizations and
public electronic service providers must also rapidly develop forms of
electronic information and carry out regular propaganda campaigns to spread and
improve the general awareness and knowledge of IT for the entire society.
2.
A favorable environment should be created for the
application and development of IT.
Investments in the IT industry are especially encouraged.
Perceptions and regulations unsuitable for the IT industry will be checked and
eliminated to create the most auspicious conditions for the industry. The
highest current level of priority will be applied to IT application and development,
and step by step, this level will be made equal and even higher than that in
regional countries, while management will be made close and use made
efficiently.
Information and information systems in each and every field will
also be standardized. The most fundamental conditions will be ensured
facilitating the exchange and use of databases, domestic and international
information systems.
Active measures and concrete regulations related to information
security and safety must be outlined, primarily in the fields of State
management, security and national defense.
Encouragement and support will be given to foreign languages
popularization and improvement in some groups of people, especially young
people. Aid measures and tools must be deployed so that more Vietnamese people
can use and apply IT in Vietnamese more easily.
Sector and occupation standards should be mapped out with
attractive salary and allowance incentives to be applied to IT staff.
Investments in IT application and development within socio-economic
development programs and plans will be prioritized. The information
infrastructure is considered an important socio-economic infrastructure, and
ODA investment capital will be prioritized for IT application and development.
Necessary conditions should be met to ensure proper and timely implementation
of approved IT application and development projects.
The IT spending will be made a separate item in the list of the
State Budget spending. Support and risk funds will be set up in favor of IT
application and development.
Enterprises that apply IT to reform management and improve
production capacity and competitiveness are entitled to policies governing
technology renovation investment.
Uses of domestic IT products and services are encouraged.
Beneficiaries of the State Budget must use domestic IT products and services
certified as meeting quality standards suitable to Vietnam’s conditions. IT
investment projects should be first made open to domestic organization or
individual bidders, and only if these bidders are not in a position to handle
the projects should they be assigned to foreign organizations and individuals.
Intentional violations of or obstructions to the application of domestic IT products
and services will be strictly punished.
Domestic IT products and services are exempted from value added
tax. Enterprises specializing in IT are entitled to the highest priority in
terms of corporate income tax, credit and land use in accordance with the law.
An export enhancement program in the field of IT will be devised,
with the near terms target being software processing and workforce export.
Favorable conditions will be created for Vietnamese IT staff to go
abroad to work and then come back home.
Investments will be focused on while special policies and solutions
worked out and applied to ensure the right implementation pace and early
operation of the Hoa Lac and HCM City hi-tech park projects, where priority
will be given to software industrial zones; ODA investment capital will be
prioritized for hi-tech parks, while suitable policies deployed to call for
foreign investment capital in hi-tech parks that enjoy a bigger preferential
capital than in regional countries. Hi-tech parks will also be actively
developed in other localities if conditions allow.
The system of legal documents will be perfected to help protect
intellectual property rights, covering the protection of copyright of software
and other IT products.
3.
The training and utilization of the workforce for
IT application and development will be boosted.
The training of the IT workforce will be further developed in terms
of both scale and quality, with the focus on rapidly developing specialized
technical staff, especially software experts to timely and regularly meet
domestic demands and to export to foreign markets as well. By the year 2005, at
least an additional 50,000 IT experts of all levels must have been trained,
meeting the set rate per 10,000 people, while the qualifications of the IT
experts must be on par with the average level of those in regional countries.
In the immediate term, by using suitable forms, university, college
and vocational school graduates specializing in fields other than IT will be
trained and refreshed in terms of IT skills and knowledge.
The application of IT will be strengthened in education and
training activities of all educational levels and fields. Socialized training
forms will also be developed to serve the learning demand of the entire
society. Computer networks will be a vital work in developing the education and
training sector, with all education and training establishments being connected
to the Internet.
Satisfactory investments will be made in IT training and research,
while training, research, production and business will be closely combined.
Socialization of IT training is strongly encouraged. Domestic and foreign
organizations and individuals are encouraged and given incentive to take part
in the training and utilization of Vietnam’s IT human resources.
Programs of sending teachers to take part in training and
refreshing courses at home and abroad should be mapped out and implemented to
help improve their qualifications and teaching skills. Favorable conditions
should be created for pupils, students and postgraduates to go abroad to study,
practice and do research in the field of IT. Special policies will be applied
to the training and refreshing of skilled experts and talented people in the
field of IT. The tuition fee will be advanced for poor or needy people who wish
to take part in occupational training programs in the field of IT to help them
start their career.
4.
The establishment of the national information
network, including the telecommunications network and the Internet in Vietnam
will be sped up.
Investment in
the establishment of the national information network including the
telecommunications network and the Internet in Vietnam will be increased so
that the national information network will be rapidly developed to meet both
short and long term demands of the society. Specially, the national information
superhighway needs to be set up shortly to connect to countries in the region
and the world.
The development and management of telecommunications and the
Internet must be serving the acceleration of IT application and development in
all fields in the entire society, and at the same time, comprehensive and
consistent measures should be used to prevent deeds taking advantage of the
facilities to cause bad effect to the national security and the preservation of
the national cultural identity.
Proper policies will be applied to help spur the development of a
competitive environment, enabling all economic sectors to take part in
telecommunications and Internet service activities. As of 2001, telecommunications
and Internet services will be provided adequately and conveniently to users at
high speed and high quality, and at charges lower than or equal to those
applied in regional countries. Special incentive charges will be applied to
Party and State bodies, as well as the fields of education and training, and
scientific training and research.
5.
The State management in the field of IT will be
further enhanced and renovated.
The Government will soon strengthen the system of
telecommunications and IT management agencies to perform uniform State
management in this field.
In the short term, each and every Party and State agency at the
Central Government and at provincial and municipal level under the Central
Government is required to appoint a leader to be directly in charge of IT.
The system of legal documents and regulations governing IT
management, application and development will be drafted and issued in the
principle of management capacity falling in tune with the pace of development, investments
being practical, economical and effective as well as public, clear and
transparent.
The Party Secretariat of the Government will: make instructions
guiding the institutionalization at State level of the policies and solutions provided
in this directive; work out a plan for IT application and development to the
year 2005 and 2010 in order to meet set objectives; instruct and closely
supervise the reporting process and the periodical report itself on the
situation of IT application and development; and shortly outline a strategy to
perfect the State IT management mechanism.
The Party Committee of the National Assembly makes instructions
related to the reconsideration of and supplements to legal documents and
regulations, creating favorable conditions for the acceleration of IT
application and development.
Party committees at all levels must: consider directing and
instructing IT application and development an important and regular task;
thoroughly grasp the role and importance of IT in the national process of
industrialization and modernization; and make implementation plans of their own
and report regularly to the higher Party committee on the implementation of
this directive.
All mass organizations, and political and social organizations
should encourage people to try to learn and improve their IT knowledge so that
to take an active and effective part in IT application and development
activities.
The Central Party Committee’s Science and Education Board, Economic
Board, Central Party Committee Office, the Steering Committee for IT
Application, and all Party organizations are to aid the Politburo in the
guidance to and supervision of the implementation of this directive.
pp Politburo
(Signed)