On December 15, 2020, the third-term general meeting of Vietnam Internet Association (VIA) 2020-2025 took place at Sheraton Hotel (Hanoi). The slogan of the new term is “Innovate and create, develop Internet ecosystem, promote National Digital Transformation”. This General Meeting elected the Executive Board second termI, Chairman, Vice Chairmen and Inspection Committee. Mr. Phan Quang Minh – Chief Communications Officer of Tinhvan Group continues to be elected to the Board of Directors for the third term, cum Head of the Inspection Committee of Vietnam Internet Association.

Vietnam Internet has made a great progress

Speaking at the General Meeting, Mr. Hoang Minh Cuong, Director of Telecommunications Department – Ministry of Information and Communications emphasized that since the Internet entered Vietnam in 1997, the Internet in Vietnam had developed dramatically. Evidencing for this, Director Hoang Minh Cuong informed that Vietnam was one of the top 20 countries with the highest number of Internet users in the world, the rate of Internet users according to the General Statistics Office in 2019 was 68.7%, while the world average was 51.4%. Currently, this rate is only lower than developed countries (86.7%), developing countries (44.4%) and Asia-Pacific countries (44.5%). “It can be said that the rate of Internet users in Vietnam is much higher than the regional average and we have reached 80% compared to developed countries”.

Meanwhile, the figure about current rate of households with Internet access in Vietnam is 71.3%, while the world average is only 57.4%. This figure is 85% in developed countries, 53% in Asia – Pacific. Thus, the rate of Vietnam is higher than the regional average, reaching 83.7% compared to developed countries, nearly equal to the developed countries. According to We are Social, each Vietnamese person spends about 6 hours 42 minutes per day on average to access the Internet, of which 2 hours and 33 minutes for social networks. 94% of Vietnamese Internet users access internet every day. This index, according to Mr. Cuong, is much higher than the world average, showing that Vietnamese people are interested in information and the Internet.

Also according to the figure of Department of Telecommunications, at the time of Covid-19 epidemic, the growth rate of Vietnam’s mobile broadband in 2020 increased to 22.45%, fixed broadband increased by 13.33% compared with the same period. At present, fixed-line household broadband now reaches VND 15.68 million, accounting for 58.34% of the number of households, which means very strong growth in 2020 during the period of social distance and remote work.

“These are positive figures, especially when the whole world has been affected by Covid-19 epidemic in 2020 and the social distance is applied. Accordingly, the whole world has turned to a new normal state, distance work, distance education, distance health, e-commerce have become the main means of maintaining social life. The role of telecommunications – Internet has been shown more strongly”, affirmed by Director Hoang Minh Cuong.

VIA Executive Board Second termI came into sight

Opportunities for Vietnamese Internet enterprises to participate strongly in national development

The Prime Minister has approved the national digital transformation program with an orientation to 2025 and a vision to 2030, thereby orientating and promoting digital infrastructure, digital services, and serving national digital transformation. Accordingly, Director Hoang Minh Cuong said: “This is also an opportunity of the Internet, VIA, Internet enterprises to take advantage to be able to make a breakthrough, participate more strongly in the national development. The role of VIA and members of VIA should be expressed more clearly than ever in this period as well as in the coming time when Vietnam has been implementing the national digital transformation”. Former Deputy Minister Mai Liem Truc also expected VIA to grow and become more vibrant because the Internet brings a new environment and living space that is online, the greatest work of humanity, connecting 7 billion people 24/24 anywhere. Not only that, in the age of Internet of Things (IoT), not only 7 billion people are connected but the world has hundreds of billions of connections. The Association’s mission is to contribute to the development of the national Internet.

According to VIA, in 5-year second term, VIA’s activities have been organized more methodically, with the participation of more domestic and international enterprises and communities, all members actively participate in activities regularly, effectively and practically organized by the Association. With the advantage of member enterprises from many business fields and a low proportion of members competing directly with each other, the Association develops specific action programs for each stage. At the same time, the Association also focuses on developing membership exchange activities, both meeting and creating opportunities to exchange on specific topics, contributing to opening up many business opportunities between members and enterprises. VIA has prosperous activities, positively and markedly contributing to the development and cohesion of telecommunications, Internet, digital content business community, units and individuals operating in the field.

Performing the role of policy consultancy and opponency through activities to connect, collect, synthesize and transfer comments, suggestions and proposals from members as well as affiliated units to the relevant state management agencies, VIA has made efforts to positively impact the Internet – telecommunications policy environment in Vietnam for the past years. VIA has organized many working sessions between members in the same business lines; participated in many seminars on policy environment as well as sent many documents to comment on relevant draft laws.

During the second term, VIA focuses on promoting cooperative relationships with international units and organizations, thereby bringing opportunities, benefits, up-to-date and useful information to members and the Vietnam Internet community.

VIA has created and maintained relationships with international and regional Internet development organizations such as ISOC (Internet Society), ICANN (Internet Resource Organization), APNIC, APIA (Asian Internet Association – Pacific), ACCA (Asia Cloud Computing Association), … to jointly organize international events in Vietnam, bring opportunities together for international expansion to VIA members, …

VIA also actively approaches and searches for membership incentives and benefits from regional trade promotion and connection events, such as FTTH Council; Capacity Asia, Telecoms World, CommunicAsia…

Regarding bilateral business connection promotion, in addition to traditional Korean partners, VIA also strives to expand support channels to implement trade promotion with other countries such as Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Singapore, and India…

Regarding cooperation with domestic unions and associations, VIA also always has awareness and makes efforts to contribute to common activities. Some coordination activities and events are coordinated by VIA with unions, associations such as Vietnam Information Technology Association, Digital Media Association, Information Security Association, E-commerce Association, Radio Association, CIO – CEO Club.

During the second term, a number of events have been maintained and improved, becoming “trademark” of VIA, such as Internet Day, OpenInfra Days, Security BootCamp. VIA also organized a training course “Information management on the Internet”, a training project of the Ministry of Planning and Investment…

Assessing the activities of the 5-year second term, Director of Telecommunications Department Hoang Minh Cuong said: VIA has made efforts to enhance and improve the apparatus and create prosperity for the Internet community of Vietnam. VIA has carried out many meaningful activities such as organizing training activities, orienting and protecting the interests of consumers, enterprises, trade promotion activities, Vietnam Internet socialization strategy, help members improve their professional skills by opening training courses, fostering technological techniques, Internet thematic services, facilitating Internet research, application and development.

The Association has also contributed to the country’s international economic integration by boosting and attracting investment and technology, promoting Vietnam’s Internet potential, supporting and recommending functional agencies to build and perfect legal frameworks to regulate Internet activities in Vietnam in particular, telecommunications – IT in general. The Association’s events, seminars and promotion activities in general have a strong attraction, create an influence and are interested and highly appreciated by enterprises, people and society…

(Source: ICT Vietnam)