Companies still slow to implement IT

HCM City (VNA) - Businesses in Vietnam are adopting information technologies at a rate slower than other countries in the region, according to a survey conducted by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Only 30 percent of Vietnamese-owned companies have a website and only 27
percent of businesses use e-commerce, said Dao Ngoc Dung, director of
Economic Information Centre under VCCI.

Only two-thirds of companies keep the information on websites up to date.

Nguyen Thanh Hung, head of Department of E-commerce under the Ministry of
Trade and Industry, said several businesses still neglect e-customs
procedures and e-certification of origin.

Many companies say they haven't applied IT because of the start-up
investment, security issues and administrative problems as well as a lack of
qualified IT staff.

According to Nguyen Chien Thang, executive director of Paynet payment
network, the increasing number of internet subscribers will make e-commerce
more essential.

By the end of 2007, the number of registered Vietnamese domain names were
four time higher than the figure at the end of 2005.

In recent years, the country's IT has seen an annual growth rate of 30
percent. Many companies in the garment and textile, banking and
construction as well as shipping and customs industries have successfully
used IT.