THE PRIME MINISTER

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To approve the program of action to implement the Political Bureau�s Directive No. 58-CT/TW of October 17, 2000 on stepping up the application and development of information technologies in the cause of industrialization and modernization, with the following principal contents:

I. OBJECTIVES OF THE APPLICATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES (ITs) IN OUR COUNTRY IN THE 2001- 2010 AND 2001-2005 PERIODS

1. The objective towards the year 2010: Vietnam�s information technologies shall reach the advanced level in the region, be extensively applied in all domains; the information technology industry shall become a spearhead economic branch having a high growth rate and ever-increasing contributions to the GDP growth.

The national information network shall cover the whole country with a large information volume, with high quality and speed at a cheap price. The percentage of Internet users shall reach the world�s average level.

2. The objective towards the year 2005: Vietnam�s information technologies shall reach the region�s average level with 1.5% of the population being subscribers using the Internet. The information technology industry shall achieve the average annual growth rate of 20-25%, the value of software output shall reach around USD 500 million/year.

To train over 50,000 IT specialists at different levels, of whom 25,000 are high-level ones and professional programmers, who are fluent in a foreign language(s) in service of ITs; to step by step universalize the use of computers and Internet at the general secondary education level.

II. A NUMBER OF MAJOR MEASURES AND KEY PROGRAMS

1. Major measures:

a/ To organize the dissemination of Directive No. 58-CT/TW for the thorough understanding of its contents and spirit, raise the awareness of leading officials at different levels and branches as well as the entire society of the position and role of ITs in the process of national industrialization and modernization.

b/ To formulate and deploy the IT application and development master plans and plans of the ministries, branches, localities and units.

c/ To mobilize all resources so as to increase investments in the IT application and development.

d/ To perfect the legal framework, mechanisms and policies with a view to creating favorable conditions and offering high preferences for the IT application and development. To formulate regulations to strictly and effectively manage IT projects.

e/ To set up a Steering Committee headed by the Minister of Science, Technology and Environment to assist the Prime Minister in directing the implementation of Directive No. 58-CT/TW; to enhance and renew the State management work, to consolidate soon the system of telecommunications and IT management bodies so as to unify the State management over this domain.

2. Implementation of key programs:

- The Program on "Building and upgrading the telecommunications and Internet infrastructures", under the prime responsibility of the General Department of Post and Telecommunications, aiming to build modern telecommunications and Internet infrastructures which meet the demands for bandwidth and transmission line speed in the IT application and development and reach the level of the regional countries in terms of quality, prices and use facilities.

- The Program on "Development of the IT manpower resource", under the prime responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Training, aiming to train high-quality specialists, experts and programmers at all levels, who are able to meet the requirements of IT application and development, and serve the domestic demand and the labor export demand.

- The Program on "Building and developing the software industry", under the prime responsibility of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, aiming to build the software industry into a spearhead economic branch.

- The Program on "Building and developing the hardware industry", under the prime responsibility of the Ministry of Industry, aiming to build and develop this industry to meet the increasing demands of the domestic and export markets, raise the quality of domestically-assembled or -manufactured IT machinery and equipment up to international standards.

III. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE MINISTRIES, BRANCHES AND LOCALITIES

1. The ministries, branches and localities shall have to elaborate and implement fruitfully and effectively the five-year and annual plans on the IT application and development as a prioritized component of their respective socio-economic development plans.

2. The Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment shall assume the prime responsibility for:

- Elaborating and synthesizing the five-year and annual plans on the IT application and development in Vietnam; guiding the ministries, branches and localities in organizing and supervising the implementation of the IT application and development plans in the 2001-2005 period;

- Elaborating and submitting for promulgation according to competence mechanisms, policies, processes and procedures pertaining to the IT application and development;

- Promulgating standards in the IT domain to serve as basis for the extensive IT application and development; organizing the evaluation of domestic IT products and services which satisfy the quality standards and domestic requirements.

- Joining the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs in seeking markets and developing measures to push up the labor export in the domain of information technologies.

3. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall assume the prime responsibility for:

- Balancing and synthesizing resources in the State�s five-year and annual plans on the IT application and development, and manpower training.

- Working out solutions to deploy policies on mobilizing domestic and foreign capital sources for the IT application and development, manpower training; formulating measures to encourage foreign investment in the IT development, promoting and encouraging the use (first of all by State budget-funded units) of domestic information technology products and services which have been recognized as meeting the quality standards and being suited to Vietnam�s conditions; supporting domestic organizations and individuals to participate in IT projects; ensuring sufficient and timely investments for the already-approved IT application and development projects. Concentrating investment on the IT development in high-tech parks, for the immediate future, in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh city and other large cities when conditions permit.

4. The Ministry of Finance: Formulating mechanisms and policies along the direction of creating favorable conditions and prioritizing the allocation of fundings for the IT application and development by the ministries, branches and localities.

5. The Ministry of Education and Training: Elaborating and supervising the implementation of manpower training plans, including plans on sending employees, specialists and students for IT training courses in advanced countries; strongly deploying the informatics teaching and application program in education and training at different levels.

- Developing concrete measures to encourage organizations and individuals of all economic sectors, and foreign IT specialists to take part in training information technology manpower.

- Formulating and implementing projects to develop computer networks in service of education and training, expanding the Internet connection to training establishments.

6. The Ministry of Culture and Information: Revising current legal documents related to the copyright protection with respect to software products; promulgating according to its competence or submitting to competent bodies for promulgation documents on amendments and supplements thereto with a view to contributing to creating a healthy, reliable legal environment for the IT application and development; reorganizing and raising the operational capacity and efficacy of the managing bodies, and enforcing the software copyright; conducting the propagation, dissemination and education to raise the people�s knowledge about, and their sense of observance of, the software copyright legislation. Guiding and bettering regulations related to software publishing, export and import.

7. The Ministry of Trade: Organizing the implementation of trade promotion measures in order to assist enterprises in seeking domestic and export markets for IT products; encouraging foreign organizations and enterprises to cooperate, do business with, and support Vietnamese enterprises in the IT development; deploying Vietnam�s electronic commerce development plan and making active preparations for participating in the electronic commerce projects of ASEAN, regional and international economic organizations.

8. The Ministry of Public Security: Promulgating regulations and measures to ensure security and safety for national information and data; coordinating with the Ministry of Justice in drafting and proposing additional provisions on "computer-related crimes" in the Penal Code; making plans on ensuring information security and safety for Internet portals so as to ensure enough Internet services for IT development.

9. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs: Developing measures to expand relations in external activities with a view to contributing to stepping up the IT development in our country; creating favorable conditions for the implementation of policies to encourage overseas Vietnamese to invest, do business, and participate in IT application and development projects at home.

10. The Government Commission for Organization and Personnel: Elaborating plans to strengthen the network of bodies in charge of telecommunications and IT so as to ensure uniform State management over this domain; formulating branch standards, titles and regimes for the contingent of IT professionals; organizing the implementation of IT fostering programs for officials and employees in the Party�s and the State�s systems at all levels.

11. The General Department of Post and Telecommunications: Elaborating mechanisms and policies to push up the development of the national information infrastructure, quickly develop Vietnam�s Internet, particularly forming soon domestic information highways to be connected to those in the countries in the region and the world; elaborating and submitting to the Government the price subsidy mechanisms for the use of Internet services in the Party�s and State�s agencies, in the national education system and research institutes. Perfecting concrete policies and measures in order to promote a healthy competitive environment in the provision of telecommunications and Internet services.

Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Corporation: Ensuring the sufficient and favorable provision of high-quality telecommunications and Internet services for users, from the year 2001 at prices lower than or equal to those applied in the regional countries; ensuring the direct connection with the international Internet from software industrial parks.

12. The General Department of Statistics: Formulating IT- and IT industry-related statistical lists. Setting up an IT- and IT industry-related statistical information system. Ensuring the regime of regular reporting on ITs and IT industry.

Article 2.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its signing.

Article 3.- The Chairman of the Steering Committee, the ministers, the heads of the ministerial-level agencies, the heads of the agencies attached to the Government and the presidents of the People�s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities shall have to implement this Decision.

For the Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
PHAM GIA KHIEM