Illustrative image (Source: VNA)DaNang (VNA) - The central city of Da Nang has become an attractive destinationfor more and more domestic and foreign investors operating in informationtechnology (IT) and communications thanks to tireless efforts made by the localauthorities to improve the quality of human resources and infrastructure forthe sector.
Da Nang is one of the leading localities in the country in developing IT andsoftware industry.
Statisticsfrom the municipal Department of Information and Communications, about 20,000people are working in Da Nang’s IT sector, significantly contributing to promotingthe development of software technology in the city.
Many international training programmes with high quality have been implemented inDa Nang, meeting the demand of domestic and foreign software firms.
Notably, Da Nang University has cooperated with Washington and Portland Universitiesof the US, Grenoble and Marseille Universities of France in training DigitalSystem, Embedded System, automated production and automation, softwareengineering and industrial computing.
DuyTan University has set up training linkup with Carnegie Mellon University inthe US. Meanwhile, the Vietnam-Korea Friendship Information Technology College hasalso collaborated with IT partners from Japan and the Republic of Korea todevelop training courses in the field.
A number of cooperation agreements on ITtraining have been signed between the international programmer trainingcentres NIIT and Softech-Aptech and Indian companies.
DaNang is now home to nearly 700 IT enterprises, mainly specialising in software producingand outsourcing (43 percent); IT product distribution and sale (29 percent); electronicsand hardware assembly and manufacturing (7 percent); digital content productionand supply (5 percent) and other IT-related services (6 percent).
In2017, the city’s information and communications sector maintained stablegrowth, with total revenue hitting 21.75 trillionVND, 3.5 percent higher than the yearly target and increasing by 9 percent comparedto 2016.
Inparticular, the information technology sector (software technology and digitalcontent) earned 14.4 trillion VND. Its software export revenue reached 67 million USD, up 15 percent against 2016.
According to the municipal Department of Statistics, the IT sector contributedabout 5.4 percent of the local GDP in the year.
As of 2017, the Da Nang Software Park had been fully filled. It is now home to75 domestic and foreign IT businesses with a total investment capital of nearly1.8 trillion VND, creating jobs for 2,400 people. The revenue of businesses operatingin the park has grown through years.
Around 43 percent of nearly 700 IT businesses in the city specialise in softwareproducing and outsourcing. Many large domestic and foreign software businesseshave established their offices in Da Nang, including FPT Software, Axon Active,Gameloft, LogiGear, MagRabbit, Global Cybersoft, Enclave, Asnet, SDC (SoftwareDevelopment Centre of Da Nang University) and NAL Solutions. These companiesprovide software-outsourcing services for partners in Japan, North American,Australian and Europe.
Las year, Da Nang’s software park was recognised as acentralised information technology centre – the third of its kind inVietnam after two in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Thecity has called for investment in a software park in the Da Phuoc Internationalurban area and the 341-ha Da Nang IT Park.
In 2015, the city’s e-government system wastransferred to 16 cities and provinces towards building smart cities includingthe IT and communications infrastructure, IT applications, policy andmechanisms for IT and communications and IT manpower resources.
In April 2018, the local authority and FPT Group - a Vietnamese software giant, signed aMemorandum of Understanding (MoU) on building Da Nang as a ‘smart city’ for the2018-20 period.
As planned, FPT will invest 15 billion VND (664,000 USD) in building pilotprojects with smart applications in 2018-19.
According to Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Ho Ky Minh, thecity’s e-government system, which was launched in 2014, had been used by 225agencies and 4,000 users. About 50 percent of public procedures were alsoposted online.
Da Nang’s IT infrastructurewas now available for smart connections among air control, water, garbage,meteorology, and energy agencies. It could also provide earthquake and tsunamiwarnings, and data on flooding, erosion, sewage management, and bridges.
The city will be ready for4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) this year.
Free wireless internet(wifi) services, with a maximum of 20,000 connections, was also offered forlocal residents and tourists at major centres and streets in the city,including living quarters, tourist sites, schools, beaches, hospitals, and shopping malls, alongside bus and railway stations, airports andentertainment centres.
Da Nang plans to become a‘smart city’ by 2020 and a ‘green city’ by 2025. - VNA
VNA
