Socialist Republic of Vietnam

The northern Bac Ninh province has become Vietnam's first e-governed province with the introduction of electronic monitoring systems at its offices, local authorities said.

Bill Gates in Bac Ninh province

A massive information technology application program, started three years ago, has so far installed 21 local area networks (LAN) at government departments and seven at districts and towns, and completed a network using fiber-optic cable among departments and the province's Data Integration Center.

Through LANs, cable and wireless transmission lines, local administrative agencies could directly connect with the center for free, Nguyen Huu Mao, vice head of the Bac Ninh IT Steering Committee, said.

Bac Ninh, which Microsoft chairman Bill Gates visited during his brief trip to Vietnam in April, is also the first locality in the country to release a public database on its website, including land maps of 125 communes and towns, providing clear information on the province's land situation.

It has effectively implemented an Internet programme at schools and provided Internet connections for public use at 148 post offices.

Intel Vietnam has set up an office in the province to help people, 70% of them farmers, improve their IT awareness and skills.

Than Trong Phuc, Intel Vietnam’s general director, said that his company would work with the provincial authorities to complete the e-government work.

It is part of the company's "Digital Southeast Asia Vision" program in the region.

Bac Ninh is preparing to set up necessary institutions needed to implement the public administration computerization program and administrative reform.

Source: Vietnam News Agency, Thanh Nien News