Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made the statement while receiving Vice President of the IBM group, Nick Donofrio in Hanoi on February 5.

Speaking at the reception, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung appreciated IBM role in information technology (IT) development and hoped that IBM will continue to expand its operation in Vietnam.

PM Dung expressed his belief that IBM will develop well in Vietnam as the country has a population of more than 80 million, 70 percent of them aged under 30. Moreover, Vietnamese people who have a national gift for mathematics can easily access IT.

Vietnam’s economic growth rate has kept increasing over the past 20 year and the country’s economy is deeply integrating into the world. In its development policy, the Vietnamese Government gives priority to the development of high technology, including information technology.

The Prime Minister highly valued the opening of an IBM global service centre and said that the Vietnamese Government will create favourable conditions for the centre to help Vietnam develop IT industry on par with regional and world levels.

IBM Vice President Nick Donofrio told Prime Minister Dung about the results of his working mission in Vietnam. Mr Donofrio said the IBM group has signed a memorandum of understanding on IT development with the Ministry of Science and Technology in Hanoi on February 5 and opened the IBM global service centre in Ho Chi Minh City to assist Vietnam in its IT development.