Vietnam joins Asianux free software alliance

Vietnam has officially joined the Asianux free software alliance, marking a breakthrough in the integration process of the country’s information technology (IT) sector, said Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, Tran Quoc Thang.

Mr Thang made the statement at a national seminar held in Hanoi on Dec. 5 by the Ministry and Education and Training in coordination with the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The seminar, attended by more than 300 representatives from universities, research institutes and IT businesses across the country, focused on the application of free software in education activities and the community.

The development of Internet and free or open software has created a new revolution in the IT sector. The free software has been successfully applied in developing countries, aimed at increasing the effectiveness of investment and offering better services for the poor.

After four years of using the free software, the Vietnamese government implemented measures and policies to promote the application of this software. About 12,000 out of 20,000 computers in the information system at both central and local levels used Open Office, Web Firefox and Viet Unikey software. Nearly 100 percent of servers are running free Linux software. In addition, a pilot project on free software applications was also successfully implemented in the northern province of Bac Giang.

According to Quach Tuan Ngoc, head of the IT department under the Ministry and Education and Training, the ministry will use the free software in a teaching programme from 2008 to 2012. The software is considered an effective tool in improving teaching methods and management skills, as well as increasing the quality of education, he added.

Asianux free software alliance was founded in late 2004, with the aim of developing open-source software in Asia. Asianux was created by three big software companies: Redflag Software, China's largest open-source software business, Miracle Linux, an offspring of Oracle and NEC that creates open-source software in Japan, and Haansoft, the biggest open-source software business in the Republic of Korea.

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