The Ministry of Information and Communications on April 20 launched a 2.2 million USD pilot project, funded by the US Bill & Melinda Gates (BMG) Foundation, on popularising the use of computer and the internet in Vietnam.

In the first phase, the project will establish 99 public internet access points at communal post offices, public libraries, school libraries and hospitals in northern Thai Nguyen, central Nghe An and southern Tra Vinh provinces.

In the long term, it will contribute to the national information and communication development programmes in rural areas and the public telecom service supply proramme by 2010 towards the ultimate goal of making telecoms and internet service available to everyone.

Addressing the launching ceremony, Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Tran Duc Lai spoke highly of the help by international and non-governmental organisations in popularising the internet in Vietnam.

The non-profitable project, which aims to help people in disadvantaged areas is in compliance with Vietnam’s policy, he said.

Deborah Jacobs, Director of BMG Foundation’s Global Libraries Initiative said this is the first time her foundation has supported a project in Asia and also the first time assisted a Vietnamese governmental agency.

According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, Vietnam has some 6.7 million internet subscribers and nearly 21 million users,  accounting for 24.5 percent of the population./.