Vietnam begins to relax control over Internet access
HANOI - The Vietnamese government has granted a license to a state-owned company for a direct Internet connection,
in what is seen as the first step of a relaxation of control over Internet access, an official said Monday.
The permission was given to Saigon Software Park, an affiliate of state-owned Saigon Electronics Corp., by the Directorate
General of Post and Telecoms, making it the first Vietnamese company to have direct access to the Internet, company manager
Nguyen Huu Hien said.
Currently all Internet service providers, software companies and Internet users must go through the gateways of Vietnam Data
Co., an affiliate of state monopoly Vietnam Post and Telecoms Corp.
The government installs "firewalls" that prevent Internet users from accessing sites it considers bad for the country. These
include pornography and sites where Vietnamese dissidents criticize the government.
"This is only the beginning of a process in which the general public will be able to have direct access to the Internet. It's good
for the country's development," Hien said.
The country's leadership has stressed the importance of a knowledge-based economy and the Internet is an important tool for
realizing that goal, he said.
Hien said he believes some 30 software companies and five Internet service providers will be granted direct access to the
Internet.
The Vietnam News Agency reported Monday that the number of Internet users in Vietnam has risen to 121,000 since the
service was first launched in 1997.
Associated Press - January 29, 2001.
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