Vu Thi Thanh Huong Ministry of Science and Technology, Vietnam Vtthuong@most.gov.vn

The project ‘Policy and Measures to Promote ICT Application and Deployment for Business Development in Rural Areas in Vietnam’ aims at investigating policy environment, major measures and their influences on the acceptance and application of ICT in business in rural areas.

In Vietnam, nearly 75 % of the people live in rural areas. Developing agriculture and rural economy are the most important orientations of the Government of Vietnam. ICT has been creating not only opportunities but challenges to business in rural areas to narrow the gap between different regions, realise gender equality and the advancement of women to promote sustainable growth and poverty reduction. To promote step by step development of the rural areas, the Vietnamese Government has improved the legal framework, mechanisms and policies with a view to create favourable conditions and offering high preferences for ICT application and development in rural areas.

The project ‘Policy and Measures to Promote ICT Application and Deployment for Business Development in Rural Areas in Vietnam’ aims at investigating factors of mechanisms, policy environment and major measures and their influences on the acceptance and application of ICT in business in rural areas.

To a certain degree, the project will investigate problems and difficulties faced by grassroot business, small organisations, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and households in rural or backward areas in dealing with the shift to new mode of economic activity and life. The duration of the project is 20 months (from July 2004 to December 2005). The main responsible institution for the project implementation is the Ministry of Science and Technology of Government of Vietnam. The project team so far consists of the persons from departments of Ministry of Science and Technology, some government organisations, non-government organisations, Department for Science and Technology of some provinces, ICT training centres, universities and enterprises.

As outcomes, a number of conclusions and recommendations for policy-making process will be drawn for governments, authorities and business managers to promote ICT application and development in business in rural areas. As such, the project will have a bottom-up approach in trying to send a signal from below to the policymakers and get the response from the government to the need of the people and business communities.

Objectives of the project

General objective
The general objective of the project is to contribute to the process of creating the conducive policy environment for acceptance, development and application of ICT in rural areas of Vietnam, especially for business development.

Specific objectives

• To conduct a general assessment of policy environment, including gaps between existing policy environment and the required need in ICT application and development in business in rural areas;
• To assess the readiness of the business and point out the real problems and difficulties faced by grassroot business organisations in ICT application and development for business development in rural areas;
• To suggest recommendations to the central government, ministries, local authorities and also to the business managers on policies and measures to promote ICT application and development in business in rural areas.

Research issues
The project has the following elements as research issues:

• The role of IT in business activities in rural areas;
• Existing status of legal infrastructure related to ICT application and development in rural areas;
• The role and relationship of various government departments with regard to ICT application and development in rural areas;
• Readiness of business in rural areas for IT application and deployment - willingness, capacity, problems and difficulties;
• Required policy environment and measures for ICT application and development in rural areas;
• Gaps between the current policy and the required one;
• Lessons and recommendations to policy makers in central and local governmental organisations, authorities, and also to the business managers on policy and measures to promote ICT application and development in business in rural areas.