Local businesses still meet difficulties in applying information technology (IT) to advance its business value due to lack of manpower and outdated computers, said delegates at a recent conference in Da Nang.

The Application of Information Technology in Business conference was held by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications on August 13 and 14.

Participants at the conference complained about the countrys short supply of experts in IT research and application. In Vietnam, 15 universities have opened training courses for basic computer skills, while only seven major universities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have actual IT faculties. Every year, about 3,500 people complete training courses for basic computer skills, which is not enough compared to the countrys growing economy, said businesses.

Another obstacle in business IT application is the growing number of outdated computers in the country.HCMC Customs statistics showed that up to 70 containers of second-hand computers were imported in 2002 with some 4,000-5,000 imported second-hand computers put on sale a month on average. This has turned Vietnam into a technology dumping site, said IT experts.

High telecommunication charges and the undeveloped legal framework for e-commerce has also discouraged some companies from e-commerce activities as well, others said.

Besides, IT application in key industrial fields is random since the number of research projects on IT application is still small, said experts.

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem emphasized the need to adopt more policies and issue regulations to facilitate businesses IT application.

Although the country has 132,000 companies and two million business households, only 10 per cent of these companies have launched Web sites. Also, only seven to eight per cent of companies have carried out e-commerce activities. Companies posting ads on the Internet are also only in the thousands and companies have not taken full advantage of software application.

But in recent years, the countrys IT industry has made progress with an annual growth of 28.8 per cent and annual market value of 2 billion USD.

Many companies in the garment and textile, banking, construction, shipping and customs sectors have also been successful in IT application. In fact, HCMC-based International Shipping Co. has been included in the top 100 Asian companies, chosen by CIO Asia magazine in 2004, for using information technology to derive the highest strategic value and yield the greatest return for its business.

Reported by Dieu Hien – Translated by T.H.