Vietnam IT Forum to be hosted in Silicon Valley
Vietnam IT Forum 2001 will be held on May 17 this year at Stanford University, Silicon Valley in the US. The forum will showcase Vietnam's potential for IT development and Vietnam-US co-operation in the industry.
The forum, co-hosted by Connect Vietnam Network, Stanford University and Sun Microsystems, will showcase Vietnam as an emerging market for IT and present an overview of its IT industry and the potential in many areas including software development, outsourcing, telecommunications, foreign direct investment and financing.
The conference will attract the participation of Vietnamese officials from the ministries of Science, Technology and Environment and Planning and Investment, and the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Corporation, as well as American officials and representatives of leading IT companies in Silicon Valley.
"The forum will be a chance for American and Vietnamese enterprises to exchange experience and seek co-operation," said Michael Shapiro, president and CEO of Pacifica Solutions LLC, and American enterprise investing Vietnam's software industry.
Pacifica Solutions is one of the companies undertaking the feasibility study for Quang Trung Software City. It is responsible for evaluating co-operation opportunities between Vietnam and the US, the American market's requirements, the capability of Vietnamese software producers and ways to make supply meeting demand.
The IT market in Vietnam is growing rapidly. It was valued at US $191 million in 1998 and US $287 million in 2000, and 45.2% increase in two years. It is projected to grow to US $699 million in 2003. The bilateral trade agreement signed with the US last year is considered likely to boost American investment in Vietnam. Although the IT industry in Vietnam is in its infancy, Vietnam has been dubbed "the second India." (SGT)
