Gov't chief's viewpoint on Internet

The Internet is a great invention of mankind. Thanks to its inception, the world has mad a gigantic stride, gaining exceptional achievements in almost all fields, sailing the world through agriculture civilization to a new era of globalization and knowledge economy development.

It was November 19, 1997 when Viet Nam officially accessed the global Internet.

Over the past nearly two decades, Viet Nam has consistently pursued the policy of creating all favorable conditions for the development of the Internet. By the end of 2014, Viet Nam had nearly 45 million Internet users, accounting for over 49% of the population, which was higher than the average global usage rate (40,4%) and the Pacific-Asia region (32.4%)

Our future goal is to raise the Internet usage rate to over 80-90% of the population, equal to the current rate of developed countries. The Internet will be expanded to all citizens. All organizations and individuals have the right to Internet usage. The Government will provide special support for pupils, students, and dwellers in rural, mountainous, border and island areas to access to the Internet through deployment of a series of programs and projects. Viet Nam opens its door and creates favorable conditions for both domestic and foreign information technology and Internet companies to do business in the country. Such brand names like Vietnamnet, Vnexpress, Dantri, Zingme, Google, Youtube, Facebook, Tweeter, Viber, etc have become popular among Internet users in Viet Nam.

As a huge knowledge treasure and globally connected environment, the Internet has increased opportunities for all citizens to education, business operation and people-to-people exchanges across the globe. However, Internet-related risks and adverse impacts remain visible and diverse.

The violations of intellectual property rights as well as the stealing of technologies, intellectual assets, and copyrights on the Internet keep on rising. The risk of cyberespionage has become complicated and dangerous. Attacks aimed at seizing website administration are excessively serious. We are also aware of risks of using the Internet environment to disseminate fabricated, unverified, unreliable, malicious and tactless information in order to slander and smear individuals, organizations, trade names; to sow ideologies and organize terrorist and sabotage activities. It is regretful that the information is sometimes read, shared and dispersed, causing negative social effects and consequences.

I believe that the Internet is not only a technological environment, a business environment or a connectivity environment but also an important environment for culture and education, which affects personality development and contributes to shaping the future culture of humankind. This is also an important condition to enhance openness and transparency, contribute to ensuring the rights to democracy-freedom, human rights, and civil rights in a progressive, law-governed State in which all power belongs to people. Thus, building a cultural and humane Internet environment is what we are working on together.

I called on all people to act as the citizens with high sense of responsibility when using social network in particular and the Internet in general. Information, images and data should be uploaded responsibly and shared with high sense of responsibility. “Internet citizens” should join hands in fighting for the reason, fairness and elevated values so as to establish, maintain and develop a civilized Internet environment in Viet Nam.

The Government of Viet Nam welcomes the Global Cybersecurity Day themed For A Clean and Pure Internet and highly appreciates the building of the Ethics Code of Conduct for Cyber Peace and Security initiated by professors of the Boston Global Forum.

Pending the global-level technical solutions and law on Internet security, the aforesaid Ethics Code of Conduct for Cyber Peace and Security is necessary. Every Vietnamese citizen should work together with people around the world to build a Clean and Pure Internet environment. Harmful, unverified and unreliable information should not be uploaded and dispersed; vulgar words should not be used in articles, pictures, comments or conversations on the Internet to dehumanize people. Information technology experts need to uphold their responsibility, not to lend a hand to technology crime, not to disperse virus, not to take part in cyber-attacks and cyber-terrorism, etc. We should not only uphold our responsibility to perform well domestically but also mobilize foreign friends through Internet connections to join this event.

The Government of Viet Nam affirms that it protects citizens, organizations, businesses, trade names of Viet Nam and other countries that conduct investment activities on the Internet in Viet Nam. We will continue building and improving the legal system and rules for activities on the Internet; while standing ready to participate in shaping the international law system on Internet security, to use resources to join the international efforts in computer emergency response if necessary. Based on its experience, Viet Nam will make active contributions to the improvement and enforcement of the Ethics Code of Conduct for Cyber Peace and Security.

The Internet is growing as a driving force for development but it still needs and must be a Clean and Pure environment./.