THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM
Government News
BMF sponsors VN’s public telecommunications
VGP – The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMF) lately financed over US $2.1 million to help Việt Nam’s Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) improve computer skills and public access to the Internet in rural areas.
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Rural and remote residents will be able to access public Internet - Illustration photo |
The project, totally worth over US $2.6 million, will be under implementation in three provinces, Nghệ An, Trà Vinh and Thái Nguyên, for 18 months from February 2009 to July 2010.
It helps to bring rural and remote residents to ICT benefits, so as to reduce poverty, and narrow the gaps of digital technology and information quality among different regions.
According to an initial estimation of the MIC, around 10,000 rural and remote people will be direct beneficiaries of the project.
During the pilot period, over 700 computers will be installed in 99 public Internet access points located at post offices, communal culture houses, libraries, schools, and hospitals.
According to a BMF representative, Việt Nam is the first recipient country of the aid because it has the highest rate of Internet users in Asia and the Government has made strong commitment to improving public telecom services for the sake of people.
By Khánh Phương