~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

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[Year 2001]

Vietnamese companies develop TV-based net service

HANOI - Vietnamese software development company VASC (Value Added Service Center) has announced a partnership for the development of Web television services in Vietnam. VASC is the IT services subsidiary of state-run Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (VNPT).

Last week it announced a tie-up with the Posts and Telecommunications Equipment Factory (POSTEF) to develop and start producing a Web TV gateway system. POSTEF is providing My Web branded hardware for the system, and VASC will localize the software and provide supporting development services. Currently under trial in a Vietnam village in Bac Giang Province, the system will allow users to access the Internet via a TV set and standard telephone line.

By Adam Creed - Newsbytes - March 21, 2001.


Vietnam to cut phone charges july 1 in bid to match region

HANOI - Vietnam, with some of the world's highest telecommunications charges, plans to cut telephone costs in an effort to bring them more in line with the rest of the region, an official said Tuesday. Beginning July 1, the cost of international telephone calls will be lowered by 15%, while charges for international leased lines will be reduced by 25%-30%, said the official in the Directorate General of Post and Telecommunications. Two state-owned mobile phone companies will also reduce their connection fees and subscription fees by 20%-25%, while mobile phone call charges will be cut by 10%, he said.

This is the eighth time in the past eight years that Vietnam has reduced its telecommunication charges. All telecommunications companies are state-controlled. Currently, international calls from Vietnam are about two times more expensive than those from Southeast Asian nations such as Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, and three times more than the cost of international calls from the U.S.

The Associated Press - March 20, 2001.