Vietnam’s Internet development

According to the newspaper, Vietnam officially joined the global network of information by late 1997. To widely apply Internet services, the Vietnamese Party and State have issued many resolutions and documents to develop information technology and the Internet in particular.
Vietnam has made impressive strides in implementing the 2001-2005 Internet development strategy, which was approved by the Government. Under the strategy, by the end of 2005,
-The number of Internet subscribers would make up 4-5 percent of the total population.
-All institutes, universities, and vocational schools and half the number of upper secondary schools would be connected to the Internet.
-Half the number of central-run hospitals and provincial hospitals would have access to the Internet.
-All ministries, sectors, State administrative agencies, and provincial and district administrations would be hooked up to the Internet and the Government’s network, and
-All ranking officials and State workers would use the Internet in daily work.
To date, almost all these targets have been achieved or surpassed. The number of Internet users now amounts to more than eight million, accounting for one-tenth of the country’s population and matching the average rate in Asia.
According to the International Telecommunication Union, the data transmission rate for the Internet services in Vietnam reaches 600bps/user, which is equivalent to Thailand’s figure and higher than the average level in Southeast Asia. This rate grows between 200-250 percent annually, ranking it second in the world. Vietnam is also considered to have rapid telecommunication infrastructure growth.
In addition to Internet Service Providers (ISP) and approximately 4,500 webpages, the country has 73 online newspapers and electronic webpages licensed by the Ministry of Culture and Information. Online newspapers are a new means of media in Vietnam, which provides up-to-date information every minute and attracts millions of visitors every day.
In addition to its advantages, the Party and State are aware of the Internet’s disadvantages. Particularly, the global Internet network has no consistent management. Making use of this fact, some irresponsible persons and those who lack goodwill towards Vietnam from inside and outside the country post on the Internet biased and distorted information and information which runs counter to Vietnamese customs and practices. Therefore, there is no denying that countries, including Vietnam, have taken certain measures to limit such information, showing their responsibilities towards protecting their cultural values and traditions. That Reporters Without Borders considered the above-mentioned measures “suppressions of freedom of speech on the Internet” is unjust and groundless.