Vietnamese firms should make greater use of information technology to become more efficient and competitive in the context of the country’s global integration, an industry official told a conference on e-payment held in HCM City on Jan. 20.
E-commerce and e-payment services were becoming an increasingly important part of IT use and also an indispensable business tool, said Tran Vinh Nhung, deputy director of the city’s Department of Industry and Trade.
“More and more Vietnamese companies are becoming aware of the importance of e-commerce but have not exploited the advantages it brings about to maximise their business efficiency,” he said.
A survey of 8,754 firms conducted in HCM City by the city’s Department of Statistics found that while 31.7 percent had their own websites, less than half updated them regularly, and many faced a severe shortage of qualified IT technicians.
Firms blamed the low use of e-commerce and e-payment systems on the inadequate legal framework, poor infrastructure, the entrenched cash habit among people, and low awareness of e-commerce, said Ha Ngoc Son of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade.
A similar survey of households found that 91.6 percent were connected to the internet but only 11 percent buy goods and services online. Son said it was because of distrust in the quality of goods and services offered online and making payments online.
Nhung said though the Law on Electronic Payments had been passed confirming the legal validity of electronic documents, its provisions remained vague and inadequate, adding the Government needed to amend them to give e-payments a boost and ensure healthy competition among enterprises.
Nguyen Hoa Binh, director of Peacesoft Solutions Corporation, said e-payment service providers must ensure complete security, protect users, and create user-friendly systems to promote the use of e-commerce and e-payment.
E-commerce had developed quickly in Vietnam, said Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong of Dong A Commercial Bank, pointing out that the value of transactions done through her bank’s website increased from 15 billion VND (812,171 USD) in 2008 to 140 billion VND (7.58 million USD) last year. The number of transactions had risen from 14,100 to 190,000 in that period. This year the bank targeted 350 billion VND (18.9 million USD) and 800,000 transactions, she added./.
E-commerce and e-payment services were becoming an increasingly important part of IT use and also an indispensable business tool, said Tran Vinh Nhung, deputy director of the city’s Department of Industry and Trade.
“More and more Vietnamese companies are becoming aware of the importance of e-commerce but have not exploited the advantages it brings about to maximise their business efficiency,” he said.
A survey of 8,754 firms conducted in HCM City by the city’s Department of Statistics found that while 31.7 percent had their own websites, less than half updated them regularly, and many faced a severe shortage of qualified IT technicians.
Firms blamed the low use of e-commerce and e-payment systems on the inadequate legal framework, poor infrastructure, the entrenched cash habit among people, and low awareness of e-commerce, said Ha Ngoc Son of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade.
A similar survey of households found that 91.6 percent were connected to the internet but only 11 percent buy goods and services online. Son said it was because of distrust in the quality of goods and services offered online and making payments online.
Nhung said though the Law on Electronic Payments had been passed confirming the legal validity of electronic documents, its provisions remained vague and inadequate, adding the Government needed to amend them to give e-payments a boost and ensure healthy competition among enterprises.
Nguyen Hoa Binh, director of Peacesoft Solutions Corporation, said e-payment service providers must ensure complete security, protect users, and create user-friendly systems to promote the use of e-commerce and e-payment.
E-commerce had developed quickly in Vietnam, said Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong of Dong A Commercial Bank, pointing out that the value of transactions done through her bank’s website increased from 15 billion VND (812,171 USD) in 2008 to 140 billion VND (7.58 million USD) last year. The number of transactions had risen from 14,100 to 190,000 in that period. This year the bank targeted 350 billion VND (18.9 million USD) and 800,000 transactions, she added./.
