Vietnam is ready to host the world’s largest information technology (IT) event, organised biennially by the International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP), the World IT Forum (WITFOR) 2009.

At the third meeting of the National Organising Committee (NOC) for WITFOR in Hanoi on Aug. 14, Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Nguyen Minh Hong, who is also Head of the NOC, expressed his pleasure at the efforts made by relevant ministries and agencies in preparation for the forum.

Themed “ICT for Sustainable Development”, the fourth WITFOR will be held in Hanoi from Aug. 26-28.

According to the organising board, more than 1,000 delegates from 70 countries and international organisations, including experts, managers, policy makers and IT business administrators, are expected to take part in the forum.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, WITFOR 2009 Honorary President, will attend the opening ceremony.

On the sidelines of the forum, there will be many activities, including the “Computer for Life” programme which will present 307 computers to those for whom IT is difficult to access in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh cities and in Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Cao Bang, Son La, Gia Lai and Kon Tum provinces.

Vietnam is the first Asian country to host such event. The country is expected to boost its profile in the world ITC sector./.