Net closes in on Vietnam
The authorities in Vietnam have granted licences to four companies to
provide computer users with access to the Internet.
The decision means that individuals and businesses will for the first time
be able to send and receive electronic mail as well as visiting
international web sites.
At present Vietnam has an internal 'Intranet' system, which operates through
the national telephone network but is not connected to the outside world.
And despite the granting of licences, an Internet service will not be widely
available until the telephone lines linking Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with
Hong Kong have been upgraded.
Even then, access will be restricted; individuals will not be allowed to
take part in on-line discussions about economic, political, cultural and
social issues in Vietnam.
Until now, Vietnam has repeatedly postponed access to the Internet because
of fears about the huge flow of unrestricted information from the outside
world and the effect it could have on a society where the local media are
still strictly controlled.
The move towards Internet access comes as a report issued by the World Bank
urges Vietnam to create an economy which uses the country's resources more
efficiently and generates more highly skilled jobs for its workers.
BBC 19 Nov 1997
|