Microsoft sparks IT revolution

Vu Minh Tri shows US Secretary of State John Kerry Microsoft Vietnam’s latest development plan

Setting foot in Vietnam in 1996 immediately after Vietnam and the US normalised relations, Microsoft has not only affirmed its position as one of the leading technology companies in the world, it has also made valuable contributions to Vietnam’s progress as an emerging nation.

Over the last three years, under the leadership of general director Vu Minh Tri, Microsoft Vietnam has signed memoranda of understanding on co-operation with the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Finance, EVN Southern Power Corporation, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, and Bac Ninh province to increase internet security, build e-government, apply cloud technology and improve the quality of Vietnam’s IT human resources.

Most importantly, as the local leader in the “Mobile First, Cloud First” trend, Microsoft has actively supported the Vietnamese government, the local authorities, and local enterprises in building up the country’s IT infrastructure.

“Microsoft Vietnam management board’s prior strategy is to bring new products and solutions to the Vietnamese market. With cloud technology, the most important thing is to have IT infrastructure ready, and so Microsoft Vietnam has always supported its partners in developing a solid IT infrastructure and in assuring security, so that businesses can enable their staff, customers, and users to deploy and optimise utility and application on a cloud platform,” said Tri.

To increase the competitiveness of Vietnamese companies, Microsoft has helped Vietnamese firms access free programming tools, and has helped outstanding tech startups access foreign markets through BizSpark packages, allowing them to use Microsoft’s cloud tools for free. In addition, Microsoft also supports the country’s economic development through education projects to promote innovation and improve the quality of IT human resources.

Two months ago, Microsoft announced a $3 million investment in Vietnam as part of its global YouthSpark initiative. The initiative aims to empower under-served young people across Vietnam with opportunities in education, employment, and entrepreneurship through technology skills training, along with connections to employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. Over the next three years, YouthSpark will help millions of Vietnamese youths access a wide range of digital resources. The YouthSpark programme is one of the many programmes Microsoft has been rolling out to develop the country’s human capital, and in so doing raise its regional and global competitiveness. For school pupils, Microsoft’s Partners in Learning (PiL) programme, which ran between 2005 and 2013, gave pupils and teachers access to the latest IT knowledge and applications in education and teaching. To date, more than 60,000 teachers have participated in Vietnam’s PiL programme.