Vietnam's cyberspace IT Park launched
Ha Noi, Dec. 12 (VNA) -- Viet Nam's first-ever online IT Park was launched Dec. 11 with the aim of creating a forum in cyberspace for Vietnamese to pool ideas on boosting participation in the global information economy.
The park is not designed as an entirely online service, as it offers a combination of real-world services with Internet technology. The USD 4 million park located at www.itpark.com.vn, is split into four major areas: Research and Development; Commerce and Services; Training; and Entertainment.
Its aim is to support Viet Nam's fledging IT and solf-ware industry, and provide a platform for discussing the country's integration into the international information economy.
"Our primary aim is to develop the local IT industry, especially software exports. We are not looking at making a profit from this site, at least for several years. But once the industry develops, certainly there will be huge business opportunities for all of us," director of the park's founder, Software Development Company (VASC), Nguyen Anh Tuan said.
He said it was still too early for Viet Nam to start a purely virtual high-tech park, which requires cutting-edge infrastructure and facilities, as well as a well developed legal framework, neither of which exist yet in Viet Nam
"Entering the new economy requires knowledge skills, investment, the correct policies and determination. Viet Nam has the knowledge, the policies and the determination, but lacks the investment and the skills," Tuan said.
VASC, which is an affiliate of the State-owned Corporation for Posts and Telecommunication (VNPT), has also gained support for the project from local and overseas experts and universities.
These include Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US-based Incubasia Company, the National University of Ha Noi, An Giang and Vinh universities.
The park will provide online training and video conferencing facilities, and a database library in English and Vietnamese. It will also ofter a cyberspace marketplace and dealing room for businesses to market their services and seek partners.
The last section of the park is reserved for computer games where net surfers can download or play games on-line.
The park is built on VNPT's high-speed network infrastructure, with intra-Viet Nam connections capable of accommodating 10Mbps, while Internet access to the park stand at 2Mbps.
