Putting public services online
Internet speeds typically have a direct correlation with economic development. Vietnam’s internet services currently contributes approximately 0.9% of its GDP.
“The recent signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2016 is significant for Vietnam, resulting in a stronger flow of foreign direct investment into the country. Large hi-tech manufacturers such as Samsung, Microsoft, LG and Xerox have network infrastructure needs that Vietnam’s telecommunication backbone/infrastructure must be able to accommodate,” said Nguyen.
The development of e-government services in the areas of tax and smart city initiatives, for example, require faster internet connections. The government aims to make 100% of public services available online, allowing users to send documents online.
Vietnam had 7.6 million fixed broadband internet subscribers at the end of 2015, according to Vietnam’s Ministry of Information & Communications. The programme’s goal is to boost this figure to 40% (about 9.6 million) of the country's households connected to the internet by 2020.