Vietnamese Connections

For further information about outsourcing IT development to Vietnam, check out these resources and vendors:

Mekong Delta Project Development Facility
Established in 1997, this group supports the development of private, domestically owned, small and midscale enterprises in Vietnam, Lao PDR and Cambodia. Its headquarters are in Hanoi with regional offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Vientiane. This group is managed by the International Finance Corp., the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, and is financed by a number of donor countries and institutions

American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam

U.S.-Vietnam Trade Council
The council serves as a focal point for American private sector leadership aimed at achieving normalized diplomatic and economic relations with Vietnam. The council provides members and interested individuals with detailed information on Vietnam's economy, the status of the trade and investment relationships between Vietnam and other countries and expert guidance on the new relations developing between Washington D.C. and Hanoi.

The Corporation for Financing and Promoting Technology
Vietnam's largest IT services company, owned by the state.

TMA Solutions
TMA was formed in 1997 in Ho Chi Minh City as a privately owned Vietnamese software application development company.

Glass Egg Digital Media
Glass Egg is a developer of multimedia products based in Ho Chi Minh City, founded in 1995.

Outsourcing to Vietnam

By Marc Lopatin

This emerging though still rough frontier for low-cost software development is showing signs as a viable alternative to India

If someone offered you a 90 percent discount on your offshore development costs, guaranteed almost zero rates of programmer attrition while working on your project, and threw in promises of wonderful customer service, you'd probably think the IT slowdown was causing some developers to take leave of their senses.

But such temptations have already induced the likes of Anheuser Busch, Bayer, Cisco, IBM, Nortel Networks and Sony to outsource software development projects to Vietnam - either directly or through third-party developers with an onshore presence in the United States and Europe. In fact, about 30 software development companies are currently operating in Vietnam. Some, such as Atlanta-based Paragon Solutions, are U.S.-owned. For others—companies such as Glass Egg Digital Media of Ho Chi Minh City, for example, which has U.S. sales and liaison personnel and a client base that includes publishers Harper Collins, Simon and Schuster and McGraw-Hill, as well as Disney Interactive—Vietnam is truly home. The result is that while China and Singapore tend to hog the region's IT headlines, Vietnam is slowly emerging as a viable alternative.

It's Not India

Cogita Solutions of San Francisco chose Vietnam as an offshore development center after spending much of last year trawling South East Asia for a vendor. The company finally cut a deal with Vietnam's largest (and state-owned) IT company, The Corporation for Financing and Promoting Technology (FPT), which—despite this exalted status—still employs around just 200 programmers. The deal will ultimately pave the way for the development of enterprise-level projects, says CEO Brad Reynolds. "If a company our size goes to India, no one is going to get excited—we're not Sun or IBM. But in Vietnam, service levels are much higher for smaller projects [from companies like ours] because the market is still emerging."

And it was for precisely such reasons that Hong Kong-based Web applications company Diffinc Innovations decided on Vietnam, after experiencing quality problems in India. The company actually plans to close in-house development centers in China and Singapore and replace them with operations in Vietnam, explains CIO Paul Gresham. "We are happily dealing with Vietnam. While it is true there is a lack of spoken English at the lowest levels, the understanding of technical English specifications is far greater than it is in China or India."

Before making a final decision, Gresham scrutinized the ability of senior and midmanagement to adequately control the development process. "Managerial support, teamwork and technical skills are by far the most important factors. We were very impressed by the industry's team spirit and skilled management, which sets Vietnam apart from other development centers across the region," he says.

Foreign Intrigue

On paper, at least, the attractions of Vietnam aren't hard to spot. Industry observers claim that developing software in Vietnam is 90 percent cheaper than in the United States, and between one-third and one-seventh of the cost of developing in India. Moreover, IT companies in Vietnam retain key staff and keep project teams together for months at a time. Low rates of attrition in comparison to Indian and U.S. onshore development ensure continuity and that familiarity grows between client and contractor.

Even so, transforming Vietnam into an offshore development center requires a leap of the imagination. For anyone thinking of outsourcing IT projects there, an understanding of Asian business values and a saint-like patience for dealing with Vietnam's legendary bureaucracy are still prerequisites. And Vietnam indisputably remains a nation of farmers rather than developers or other high-tech folk—statistics show that 80 percent of the population, 80 million people, still live off the land. In addition, the country's IT infrastructure remains remarkably poor by South East Asian standards, while the copyright notion is treated as little more than a Western eccentricity. Oh yes, and the military remains a big player in the world of commercial business—something to bear in mind when contemplating outsourcing projects with even the faintest defense ramifications, provided the U.S. government would even allow that to be sent offshore.

There is very little accurate market data available about IT in Vietnam, and what there is can sometimes unsettle even the most seasoned decision maker. Bandwidth is both limited and expensive, for example, as Internet access is owned and controlled by state-owned monopolies. A 128k leased line currently costs $2,000 per month, and international phone calls are among the most costly in the world.

The choice of potential location is also constrained. Vietnam's fledgling IT industry is largely a tale of two cities and is likely to remain so-the capital Hanoi, and the country's real powerhouse, Ho Chi Minh City, in the south. It's at Ho Chi Minh City, for instance, that Vietnam's most modern software park, the Quang Trang Software City, opened in March 2001. This development will, when complete, accommodate 10,000 programmers.

Being There

Despite those obstacles, telecom giant Nortel Networks has been in Vietnam since the early 1990s, and is well acquainted with the pros and cons of doing business in the country. Alex Pierson, vice president of Nortel's Enterprise Business Networks division, which has an annual turnover of $1.6 billion, urges caution, but maintains that Vietnam is well worth a look.

"American CIOs engaged in software development should be looking further than India, where costs are rising," he says. Even so, he warns that Vietnam is an emerging market in which uncertainty and sudden change are constant threats to the value creation of sound outsourcing. "Vietnam is no place to come for a one-off project. As an emerging market, the country should only be approached on a mid- to long-term strategic basis," Pierson stresses. "We learned the hard way that it's no good tying up costly onshore resources to manage a botched project overseas. Value creation is lost and a new solution must be sought."

To prevent falling into such pitfalls, Pierson recommends that interested CIOs seek out a local partner. Nortel works with TMA Solutions of Ho Chi Minh City, the largest privately-owned developer in Vietnam, with more than 100 highly-trained programmers. The company will soon start work on Nortel's Shasta line, developing software to run high-speed switches for digital data networks.

"We feel very confident outsourcing to TMA," says Pierson. "The skill-set of their best developers is on a par with anything in the United States and India." Equally important, he says, "the company employs experienced expatriate workers in key management posts to provide an interface between ourselves and the Vietnamese project teams."

Nortel first began working with TMA in 1997, becoming aware of TMA through one of its U.S. employees who is Vietnamese. Certainly, the potential for this kind of connection is there: around 1 million expatriate Vietnamese live in the United States-a significant number of them working in IT.

"The importance of having someone who understands the way business is done in Vietnam should not be underplayed," Pierson says. "Whether it's a local contact or a Vietnamese employee, someone who can explain the cultural and political ramifications of outsourcing to Vietnam is invaluable."

The advice is echoed by Eric Bruner, director of Enterprise Technology Solutions at RWD, a U.S.-based developer of education software, and a client of Paragon Solutions of Atlanta, which has offshore development centers in India and Vietnam. "If you're going to outsource to somewhere like Vietnam, you have to take the time to learn the culture of your team. We have not done this well enough ourselves yet," Bruner admits. "You have to trust these people to develop your application when you're sleeping."

Looking Forward

A growing number of the small band of international observers familiar with Vietnam's IT industry believe that the moment has come to place that trust. Vietnam is a young country—half the population is under 30 years old—and a growing proportion of the economically active population consequently tend to regard the war with America as ancient history.

In addition, the government abandoned socialist planning in the late 1980s, mindful that the forces of globalization could condemn Vietnam to poverty unless it found a niche beyond the comparative advantage of cheap factory labor. An urban elite is slowly emerging, just as it did in India, and is beginning to provide the knowledge workers of tomorrow. Last year, the country's government set an objective of training 50,000 IT workers by 2005. An Indian training company Aptech is designing courses, while an aid package from the Japanese government provides funds.

"As international companies become more cost conscious they will look to Vietnam as an alternative to India. If the government can provide a stable investment climate, the young intelligent and dedicated human resources of Vietnam will provide the rest," says Anil Sinha, an analyst working for the World Bank, who has watched the IT market evolve in Vietnam during the past few years. Nortel's Pierson agrees: "Fundamentals are in place and improving all the time. The IT industry could take off here—it really could."

Marc Lopatin is a freelance journalist based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He can be reached at marclopatin@onebox.com.

Why TMA?

As a leading brand name for software outsourcing in Vietnam, TMA has the advantage of attracting the best talents from the top Universities in Vietnam as well as overseas. We have a proven track record for successfully delivering large and complex projects for several global companies. Our achievements and value propositions are based on the following advantages:

Established Business Management Framework Infrastructure and Security Measures Experience in Large and Complex Projects Strong Management First-rate Talents Multi-Cultural Staff Resource Availability: Scale on Demand World-class Research and Development Work Around The Clock

Established Business Management Framework Over the years, TMA has improved the company's processes to become a mature and effective organization. TMA has developed and trained an approach to all staff called TMA Business Management (TBM) that is based on industry best practices (RUP, CMMi) and TMA experiences. TBM is a service model and framework that drives all TMA activities towards a single goal of customer satisfaction. more... Infrastructure and Security Measures In terms of bandwidth, the infrastructure at TMA is among the best in Vietnam providing the most bandwidth per programmer. We have a guaranteed 24-hour power supply and our security measures will give you peace of mind. We designed our security policies, procedures and network configuration to protect the information network resources and customer intellectual properties across all project teams. more... Experience in Large and Complex Projects TMA has successfully completed many large and complex projects for several world-leading companies. At present, most TMA projects have more than 50 engineers, involving teams located in different time zones, requiring a wide range of skills and technology, and that will continue for several years. Strong Management After 8 years of operation, TMA has built an experienced management team that will virtually extend your operation. Most of our top management come from North America, or have overseas experience. Currently we have more than 120 team leaders and project managers that are capable of managing hundreds more employees. First-Rate Talent Thanks to the company’s reputation and a successful University interaction program, TMA can attract top engineering talent from the most experienced of Vietnam's population of 80+ million. We carefully test every potential new employee to ensure that only the brightest, most talented, and highly motivated IT candidates are selected. All TMA engineers have been through rigorous academic training to earn Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctor's degrees at the top Universities in Vietnam and abroad. English language ability is, of course, a requirement for employment. Multi-Cultural Staff Our staff is comprised of English, Canadian, French and Vietnamese nationalities. Amongst the TMA team, you will find individuals speaking English, Japanese, French, Chinese and Vietnamese. Furthermore, 40% of our staff has worked in various countries around the world. With TMA you will find a great degree of cultural understanding. Resource Availability: Scale on Demand Regardless of your needs, we can deliver high caliber staff NOW. Our average team assembly times are: Specialized 10 person team: within 1-2 weeks Specialized 20-30 person team: within 1 month Research and Development TMA has studied several new technologies including wireless applications, embedded software, and open source. We have also prototyped new applications and products to gain more experience and get ready for new customer needs. Work around the Clock Offshore centers applying innovation through the onsite-offshore model provide the opportunity for coding to follow the sun through an extended workday. With better communications infrastructure, well-integrated teams and mature development processes, it is now possible to have global development teams working around the clock on time critical assignments. Homepage: http://www.tmasolutions.com

Why Vietnam?

Vietnam's emerging software industry has mushroomed from just a few scattered firms in 1998 to approximately 500 companies in 2003. With good government support and infrastructure improvements happening virtually every day, Vietnam's software outsourcing industry is poised to evolve into a major player in the global arena.

Who's here in Vietnam
A report by Andersen Vietnam Ltd., a consultancy firm, finds some of the industry's leading technology names -- IBM, Cisco, Nortel, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, Sony and Fuji -- already outsourcing work to Vietnam.

Low Cost
Vietnamese programmers charge less than half of what their counterparts in India make. Including overhead charges, corporate customers pay approximately $20,000 per person per year in Vietnam, compared to $30,000 in Russia or Romania and $40,000 in India.

High Quality and Qualified Talent for Decades to Come
"With Vietnam, you do get quality," Dan Stern director of Research Vietnam, said. "Its education system, which emphasizes rote learning, mathematics and logic, creates good programmers." Furthermore, with approximately 60% of the country under the age of 26, the pool of talent is growing and ensures that TMA will continue accessing high level skills at competitively lower wages for decades to come.

Advanced IT Training and Receptiveness to Training
Access to quality IT education has expanded greatly in Vietnam. A number of Western and Indian IT training companies have opened state-of-the-art training centers in Vietnam providing up-to-date IT education. In Vietnam a high degree of importance is placed on education making Vietnamese students voracious learners, diligent and receptive to this advanced training.

Great opportunities to form long-term alliances
As the Vietnamese software industry is in its infancy, companies are eager to form long-term alliances. At TMA we understand the importance of strong relationships, which is why we provide excellent customer service that will ultimately foster long-standing and mutually beneficial alliances.

India's ICICI OneSource Expanding into China, Vietnam

Follows multinational customers to new locations

John Ribeiro

Indian outsourcer ICICI OneSource Ltd. is planning to expand into China and Vietnam over the next two years as its multinational customers set up operations in these countries, a company executive says.

The business process outsourcing (BPO) company may also look to China and Vietnam as alternative delivery locations to India as costs in that country rise, said Raju Venkatraman, president and chief operating officer of ICICI OneSource.

India's outsourcing industry is already up against growing costs of staff and high staff attrition. Some Indian software outsourcing companies have said that they are considering expanding into China, both to support their customers' operations there, and also to use Chinese manpower to service customers worldwide.

Because of India's poor infrastructure, BPO companies in India have to pick up the bills for captive electricity generation, higher telecommunications costs, and transporting employees to and from work, Venkatraman said. These costs add up to over 20 percent of the total costs of a BPO operation in India, and are far higher than in China or Vietnam, he added.

The company will establish 500 to 1000-seat operations in China and Vietnam initially, Venkatraman said. Typically the company would set up in these locations for an "anchor customer" and then expand the facility to service additional clients.

ICICI OneSource is India's fifth largest independent BPO company. A large number of BPO operations in India are subsidiaries of multinational companies like IBM Corp. and Accenture Ltd.

ICICI OneSource is also establishing a delivery center in the U.K. as part of a contract it bagged from an undisclosed customer there. The company currently gets 50 percent of its business from the U.S. and the rest from the U.K. It has a delivery center in the U.S.

The company had revenue of US$124 million in its fiscal year to March 31 this year, and employs 8000 staff. It focuses on the banking and financial services, telecommunications, and health care industries.

Outsourcing to Vietnam? Are You Kidding?

Outsourcing services are equally as expansive as outsourcing products, and the competitive capabilities of Vietnamese companies are very impressive - even when measured on a global scale.
- Ed Carroll, former VP of Engineering for Egghead.com

Emerging 30 Years Later

April 30th, 2005 marked the 30th anniversary of the end to the Vietnam War...Have things changed? Today, Vietnam has one of the most enviable economic growth rates in the world. In the last 30 years Vietnam, a country the size of Italy with a population the size of Germany has one of the most enviable economic growth rates in the world. Interestingly, over 60% of the population is under the age of 30, which means that most of the people living in Vietnam today are too young to remember the fighting.

Mixing Old and New

Hanoi today is a bustling city of 3.5 million, where the mixture of old and new is in constant evolution. One of the first sights to strike the first time traveler here is the amount of rubble piled in seeming random patterns around stacks of new brick - the amount of new growth construction can only be described as astounding. New streets, new office complexes and new homes are going up everywhere one looks in this key industrial and government center. Vietnamese tend to invest in land because of an old wariness of banks, driving up land prices and fueling a building boom.

A Global Competitor

With the characteristic energy of youth, this young nation is pushing hard to build a future where Vietnam is a global competitor-and America is a top trading partner. One area in particular is in providing outsourcing services to American businesses looking for faster, better, cheaper ways to make their products from apparel manufacturing to clerical support centers, from software development services to contract computer product manufacturing to integrated circuit production. Outsourcing to an overseas company may not be appropriate for every situation, but when it does, clearly the Vietnamese want to prove that they have the capability to be a worthy business partner.

Opportunity Arrives

Partnering with industry, the Vietnamese government is making a big push to expand their economy out of deep impoverishment at the end of the American/Vietnam war; encouraging significant investments in education, transportation, housing, and technology. Over the last several years, significant reforms, including a wide-ranging trade agreement with the US and the promise of World Trade Organization membership in 2006, have caught the attention of those looking for capable off-shore partners and foreign investments, now exceeding $30 billion. The partnership between government and industry provides important impetus to this thrust. Industrial growth has been constant at 15% annually for many years, and similar examples of extraordinary growth can be found in telecommunications and road systems. Wireless Internet cafes are popping up everywhere and everyone has a mobile phone, not unexpected in a society of thirty-somethings.

Competition on the Rise

The Vietnamese are determined to challenge their much larger, older, and better financed competitors (India and China). Economic growth has averaged 7-8% annually for the past 8 years, earning good profits for an increasing number of private and public Vietnamese firms. Considering the state that the country was in following the war, Vietnam's emergent growth can only be considered spectacular.

Modern Infrastructure

As with many emerging economies, Vietnam will leap-frog the telecommunications and computing infrastructure of 30 years ago-jumping directly into advanced fiber optic cabling and wireless capabilities. And, many of the globally largest corporations have taken notice of the investment. More and more high-technology production is moving to Vietnam. Several multi-national companies such as IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, and Infosys have well established contracts manufacturing computers, printers, and components. These companies are in Vietnam because of the quality of the products produced here.

Outsourcing For a New Beginning

Outsourcing services are equally as expansive as outsourcing products, and the competitive capabilities of Vietnamese companies are very impressive - even when measured on a global scale. For example, FPT Software Corporation, one of the largest technology companies in Vietnam with over 1,000 software engineers provides software engineering services for mission critical software products and applications to clients world-wide. FPT has deep technical capabilities and is one of only 120 companies in the world to achieve the highest levels of software quality certification.

A Capitalistic Attitude

One might ask how this is possible under a communist government. Well, although the government is led by the Communist Party, the government has provided tax incentives, much like non-communist governments do, to encourage development of technology based companies and workers. Perhaps the best thing fueling their growth is the capitalistic attitude of the people. Examples of free enterprise abound, and are sanctioned and actively encouraged by this government. Of course, to make money, takes money, and the Vietnamese government has shrewdly bolstered the financial infrastructure.

Language Fluency

Another key attribute fueling Vietnam’s growth, is its multiple language fluency. As is common in much of Asia, many Vietnamese speak multiple languages fluently, and English is often a second (or third) language of choice; making it mildly easy for a non-Vietnamese speaking American to make himself understood. And these are just a few of the clear signs that Vietnamese society is becoming more educated, more technically capable, and more globally competitive. If outsourcing technology products and services makes good business sense, than take a close look at Vietnam. here.

Vietnam Partnerships

When Agilis Solutions went about the process of selecting a development partner, we conducted a detailed analysis of many companies, their processes and business models, in multiple locations around the world. We chose FPT Software Corporation, based in Hanoi, Vietnam, to be our partner primarily because of their long-term commitment to continuous process improvement and their reputable track record working with leading technology companies (HP, IBM, Toshiba, etc.). "This partnership is in its fourth year now, and we could not be more pleased than we are with the quality of the delivery we receive from FPT," says Eileen Boerger, General Manager and Vice President, Agilis Solutions.

About the author

Ed Carroll has been building software products for over 20 years, with particular expertise in automating economic analyses, decision support, and supply chain management process. He is presently a sales executive with Agilis Solutions, and has provided strategic technology leadership for a variety of companies. He is the former vice president of engineering for Egghead.com, and has held senior technology leadership positions at Nike and Boeing. Contact Ed Carroll

Vietnam’s slow outsourcing

VietNamNet Bridge -

Vietnam’s software outsourcing resources need to step up to the current potential for IT expansion in Vietnam and upgrade human resources in order to thrive.

Software outsourcing in Vietnam has grown more than 50 percent annually over the past three years. However 2005’s US$70 million revenue indicates there is still room to grow.

Thus, policies aimed at boosting domestic software outsourcing are needed.

Figures from the Ministry of Post and Telematics indicate that the demand for software outsourcing in developing countries is high.

In 1980, the U.S. and Japanese software outsourcing markets were strong, but in 1990 software outsourcing in India, China and Eastern Europe rose sharply. Now, software outsourcing in Southeast Asia is booming.

A.T.Kearney, a global management consultant firm, ranked Vietnam 20th out of the 25 most attractive countries for offshore IT services, business processes and call centers.

A.T.Kearney’s annual ranking, known as Global Services Location Index, is based on financial structure, human resource quality and availability as well as the overall business environment.

Some local IT outsourcing companies are currently trying to acquire international quality control standards in order to attract more foreign customers.

For example, several companies have obtained the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) international standard certification and 50 enterprises in this category have been able to set up ISO 9001 quality control so far.

The U.S. remains Vietnam’s key outsourcing market. Recently dozens of Japanese companies including Unico Vietnam, Ichi Corporation, Individual Systems, Aplis Vietnam and Fusione have moved into Vietnam, promising to expand their software outsourcing in the future.

There were nearly 650 Vietnamese software outsourcing companies with about 20,000 employees in 2005.

But the country’s quantity and quality of human resource cannot meet the requirements of big software outsourcing projects. Salary of a Vietnamese software engineer is around US$10,000 a year. And no software outsourcing company in Vietnam has yet to employ more than 1,000 engineers.

“Vietnam hungers for big companies to boost up the software industry” said head of the Department of Information Technology Industry Nguyen Anh Tuan.

According to the Chairman of the TMA Solutions Nguyen Huu Le, top names investing in Vietnamese IT such as International Data Group (IDG), Intel and Microsoft have helped spread Vietnam’s IT potential all over the world. If played properly, these contracts could pave the way to even bigger software outsourcing contracts.

Therefore, the quality and quantity of Vietnamese engineers must be improved and the government has to make suitable policies for software industry.

The government should hold international seminars on software outsourcing and help the companies in this sector enter foreign markets.

(Source: SGGP, VietNamNet)

Vietnam's Growing Role in Outsourcing

Some of the biggest names in technology are turning to the Asian country for top-notch game design and software development

by Frederik Balfour

When Microsoft's video game unit began looking to offshore some work in 2002, Vietnam was hardly an obvious choice. But after a fact-finding team returned from an Asia-wide tour including stops in India, China, and South Korea, a small outfit named Glass Egg Digital in Ho Chi Minh City was a top contender. After successfully completing a pilot project designing 3-D racing cars used on the Forza Motorsport game installed in every Xbox console, Glass Egg's relationship with Microsoft (MSFT) has steadily grown.

Today, Glass Egg Digital designs most of the 330 different models in Forza Motorsport 2. Not only do the digital Lamborghinis, Maseratis, and Mercedes look and handle on screen exactly like the real thing, but equally important, they look just as convincing as crumpled wrecks after collisions.

Next up, Microsoft is planning to contract out the considerably more demanding task of creating the tracks and cities through which its cars race. "Today we work on a massive scale [with Glass Egg]," says Nick Dimitrov, senior business manager at Microsoft Game Studios. "We have pretty much put them through the grinder on QA [quality assurance] compliance, and we couldn't be happier."

Selling to the Masters

He's not the only one singing Glass Egg's praises. "They have done some fantastic stuff for us," says Brian Woodhouse, executive producer at Bizarre Creations in Liverpool which outsourced the creation of digital gas masks, telecom towers, and statues that get shot up in a gun-lovers' game called CLUB under development for Sega.

Glass Egg's client roster now includes Electronic Arts (ERTS), Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SNE), Codemasters, and Atari (ATAR). Founded in 1995 by Vietnamese-American Phil Tran as a 2-D production studio, Digital Glass Egg has seen revenues grow 50% in the past two years. The company declined to give exact numbers but says sales this year will be just under $5 million.

Glass Egg is by no means the only Vietnamese company carving out a niche in software outsourcing. Crosstown rival Alive Interactive, also with a U.S. founder, has excelled in car design, while software developer TMA Solutions, founded by Canadian-Vietnamese Nguyen Huu Le does work for Nortel (NT), Comsys, and Alcatel-Lucent (ALU).

Intel Planning Plant

Homegrown Vietnamese companies are gaining momentum too. The country's largest outsourcing outfit is a division of Hanoi-based IT company FPT Corp., which just garnered a $36.5 million investment from private equity firm Texas Pacific and Intel Capital.

Further proof of Vietnam's potential are the ringing endorsements the country has received from some of IT's biggest names. In March, Intel (INTC) Chairman Craig Barrett visited Vietnam to unveil plans for a $600 million chip testing and assembly plant (see BusinessWeek.com, 3/13/06, "Good Morning, Vietnam"). Intel subsequently bumped up the figure to $1 billion.

In April, Bill Gates was greeted like a rock star by some 7,000 students at Hanoi University of Technology where he talked about his vision of IT in Vietnam. Nonetheless, the country faces some big obstacles if it is to become an IT outsourcing hot spot. Internet connections can be painfully slow since there is no fiber-optic broadband network. The staff at Glass Egg often stay up half the night in order to upload and download files.

Lost on the Map

Another drawback is the lack of fluent English speakers, though clients say this problem is minimal as most communication is via e-mail. Helping balance out these deficiencies are the country's low wages—programmers earn about one-tenth what computer programmers make in the U.S.—a young and highly motivated workforce, and low staff turnover rates of about 5%.

With software and IT exports of just $70 million last year, tiny Vietnam is never going to eclipse India, which logged $17.7 billion in high-tech shipments in 2007. Indeed, for many multinationals looking to outsource this kind of work, the country doesn't even figure on the map.

"One disadvantage of being here is that some people think we work in rice paddies and little grass huts," says Glass Egg Chief Operating Officer Charles Speyer. Nothing could be further from the truth. Glass Egg's 140 employees toil in state-of-the-art facilities just a mile from Ho Chi Minh City's international airport in E-Town, Vietnam's first high-rise dedicated to high-tech clients.

Mastering the Background Arts

The company's big challenge will be keeping its edge over China. "Ultimately China will beat us on cost," says Steve Reid, a Glass Egg business development manager. "If we want to be in business in five years, we have to move up the value chain." For his company, that means mastering the technically more demanding task of environment design.

Reid says its first attempt, working with Electronic Arts to create an imaginary Middle Eastern background for EA's Battlefield 2 war game was a huge learning experience for both companies. Turning out sleek driving machines is a snap, says Reid, compared to the challenge of portraying rusted tanks, bombed-out mosques, and water-stained walls.

Balfour is Asia Correspondent for BusinessWeek based in Hong Kong.

Quality Onshore at Offshore Value Software Development

FCG Vietnam, previously known as Paragon Solutions Vietnam (“PSV”), is a large U.S based software development company providing global outsourcing services to the overseas markets. We are a wholly owned subsidiary of First Consulting Group (“FCG”) (NASDAQ: FCGI). FCG is a leading provider of consulting, technology, blended-shore sourcing, and applied research services for healthcare and other organizations throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.

FCG Vietnam (PSV) is the first software company in Vietnam to achieve SEI-CMMI maturity level 5. We have created a robust software development methodology, which is based on Rational Unified Process (RUP) to drive consistency, predictability and productivity. As a result, FCG Vietnam (PSV) enables clients to reduce costs and minimize risks as they implement strategic technology initiatives.

Technology Focus

FCG Vietnam (PSV) focuses on current and emerging technologies. We continually invest in, and work with technologies that are in the early stages of industry acceptance. This allows us to create technology teams that are capable of developing and delivering forward-thinking solutions to our customers. We add value to our customers through our technology leadership in the following areas:

• .NET
• J2EE
• Database/Datawarehouse

Services Offering

FCG Vietnam (PSV) is a full life-cycle software development partner. Our expertise allows organizations to reduce their development expenses, expand development capacity and improve the overall efficiency of software development. Our software development services include:

• Application Development
• Application Re-engineering
• Application Maintenance
• Application Quality Assurance

About FPT Software Company

FPT Software is a sub-company of FPT Corporation - the leading IT company in Vietnam with US$ 510 million in sales (2005). Used to be a division of FPT Corporation, FPT Software has been developing software for more than 17 years. In addition to its development centers in Hanoi, Danang, Ho Chi Minh City, FPT Software owns FPT Software Japan headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

FPT Software manages and operates dedicated offshore software development centers (OSDC) for key IT professional services firms and leading corporations worldwide. FPT Software has employed 1300 staff (as May 2006), including software engineers, project managers, and software test engineers who are experienced with the latest languages, protocols, and platforms. The company plans to grow its staff to 2000 by the end of 2006 and to 5000 by 2008. FPT Software's development centers are ISO9001:2000 and BS7799 certified. On top of this, FPT Software achieved CMMI Level 5 in May 2006. Click here for more details in Company Profile

The Hanoi International Technology Center, FPT Software's Head office

FPT Software offers the following services :
	Software Outsourcing.
	ERP Deployment.
	QA Test and Embedded System Services.

Vietnamese technology company FPT Corporation announces landmark US$36.5 million investment from TPG and Intel Capital

Hanoi, Vietnam — October 24, 2006 — FPT Corporation, a leading information and communications technology (ICT) provider in Vietnam, today announced it issued new shares to private equity firm Texas Pacific Group (TPG) and Intel Capital, the venture capital organization of Intel Corporation.

Under the terms of the agreement, FPT received a total investment of US$36.5 million, from TPG, through its TPG Ventures fund, and Intel Capital. This marks one of the largest cross-border investments into Vietnam by leading global investment firms, underlining the long-term confidence that institutional investors have in the country.

"FPT is already an information-communications technology leader in Vietnam. We intend to leverage the capabilities and financing from leading investors TPG and Intel Capital to enter new business lines and to expand internationally," said Truong Gia Binh, CEO of FPT. "This is a landmark occasion for both Vietnam and FPT. We believe this deal underscores the potential and capabilities within Vietnam and is a milestone in the country’s efforts towards joining the WTO."

FPT reported 2005 revenues of more than US$517 million, and revenue growth averaging 70 percent annually over the past five years, making it one of the largest private technology companies in Vietnam by revenue. FPT leads the industry in terms of sales or subscribers in many of its business lines in Vietnam, which include mobile distribution, systems integration, software services, telecom, Internet and e-media content. FPT also reports 28,000 students enrolled in its technological training academies throughout the country, since 1999.

With the infusion of capital and global expertise from the investment firms, FPT intends to explore new product and services lines. The company, which is already a software-development services provider to Japan, also will have increased capability to expand its products and services to other geographies. Additionally, Vivek Paul, a partner with TPG, will serve as Special Strategic Advisor to FPT, bringing his global technology industry experience and leadership to help FPT achieve its global ambitions.

Sing Wang, a partner with TPG based in Hong Kong, said, "This is a historic deal for TPG in Vietnam, which is an increasingly enticing destination for outsourced services and foreign investment." Tim Dattels, also a partner with TPG, added, "In partnering with FPT, we are joining with Vietnam’s national champion in the ICT industry."

Arvind Sodhani, President of Intel Capital, said, "Our investment in FPT reflects Intel Capital’s global presence and reach in emerging markets, and is a testament to our continuing efforts to encourage entrepreneurship and technology innovation worldwide. We see strong prospects for Vietnam’s IT sector and look forward to making a contribution to Vietnam’s success through support of fast-growing companies, such as FPT."

TPG’s Paul said "Vietnam has the second-highest annual GDP growth rate in Asia-Pacific, behind only China, a literacy rate of over 96 percent, a rapidly growing middle class, and a government committed to economic reform. These are all key building blocks that allow a country to compete globally."

At nearly US$50 billion, the GDP of Vietnam has averaged 7.5 percent annual growth since 2001, with a high of 8.4 percent last year. According to research by investment bank NM Rothschild & Sons, Ltd., the advisor on the deal, exports between January and July of this year topped US$22 billion, a year-over-year increase of 25 percent; foreign direct investment into the country reached US$5.8 billion last year, a 37 percent increase over 2004.

Varun Kapur, managing director, Intel Capital Asia Pacific, added, "This first-of-its-kind investment is a milestone for Vietnam, and reflects Intel Capital’s confidence in the market and its business climate. Venture investing has the potential to contribute significantly to the growth of Vietnam’s IT industry."

This deal highlights the core investment strategies of both TPG Ventures and Intel Capital, which support profitable and innovative enterprises with solid management teams that are well positioned in their respective fields. The ICT market in Vietnam has been growing 20 percent annually and is valued at over US$800 million, according to research by Rothschild. The number of Internet users in Vietnam is predicted to climb to nearly 13 million this year from only 500,000 in 2000. The number of Internet and mobile phone users in Vietnam is growing the fastest of any country in Asia-Pacific. The country’s mobile subscribers are increasing at nearly 63 percent each year.

About FPT
FPT Corporation is Vietnam’s largest information and communication technology company. FPT is the Vietnamese market leader in mobile distribution, systems integration, software outsourcing and development, telecom, Internet and e-media content, and computer assembly. International technology partners include IBM, Oracle, Microsoft, Cisco System, and Intel. FPT is also a leader in technological training having enrolled 28,000 since 1999 in its tech academies throughout the country. Established in 1988, FPT employs the largest number of informatics engineers and specialists in the country. The company has 6,000 employees. Visit http://www.fpt.com.vn for more detailed information.

About TPG
TPG is a private investment partnership that was founded in 1992 and currently has more than US$30 billion of assets under management. With offices in San Francisco, London, Hong Kong, Fort Worth and other locations globally, TPG has extensive experience with global public and private investments executed through leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, spinouts, joint ventures and restructurings. TPG was one of the first private equity firms dedicated to the Asia region through its investment arm TPG Newbridge. The firm seeks to invest in world-class franchises across a range of industries including technology (Lenovo, MEMC, Seagate), industrials (Altivity Packaging, British Vita, Grohe, Kraton Polymers, Texas Genco), retail/consumer (Debenhams, Ducati, J. Crew, Myer Department Stores, Neiman Marcus, Petco), airlines (America West, Continental), media and communications (Findexa, Hanaro Telecom, MGM, TIM Hellas), financial services and banking (Endurance Specialty Holdings, Fidelity National InformationServices, LPL Financial Services, Shenzhen Development Bank) and healthcare/pharmaceutical (IASIS Healthcare, Matrix Laboratories, Oxford Health Plans, Parkway Holdings, Quintiles Transnational), among others. Visit www.texaspacificgroup.com, www.tpgventures.com and www.newbridgecapital.com.

About Intel Capital
Intel Capital, Intel's venture capital organization, makes equity investments in innovative technology start-ups and companies worldwide. Intel Capital invests in a broad range of companies offering hardware, software and services targeting enterprise, home, mobility, health, consumer Internet and semiconductor manufacturing. Since 1991, Intel Capital has invested more than US$6 billion in nearly 1,000 companies in more than 40 countries. In that time, about 180 portfolio companies have been acquired by other companies and another 155 have gone public on various exchanges around the world. In 2005, Intel Capital invested about US$265 million in about 140 deals with approximately 60 percent of funds invested outside the United States. For more information on Intel Capital and its differentiated advantages, visit www.intelcapital.com.

Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

Eight prominent IT events in 2006

VietNamNet Bridge – The year 2006 saw a series of important events in the information technology world in Vietnam. Here comes the list of the top eight.

Bill Gate’s visit to Vietnam

Bill Gates

The boss of Microsoft paid an official working mission to Vietnam on April 22, 2006, marking a memorable event in the domestic IT industry. His open talks and sharing deeply touched the hearts of thousands of Vietnamese students at Hanoi University of Technology and IT experts. Moreover, he was strongly impressed by the dynamism, creativeness and love for IT of Vietnamese students.

During his visit, Bill Gate spent time meeting with Government authorities, IT leaders in Vietnam, focusing on the development of computer software. He also visited some trade villages in Bac Ninh province, enjoying Vietnamese betel and areca, a symbol of traditional Vietnamese weddings.

Despite his short visit, Bill Gate brought a wind of change into the IT industry of Vietnam, adding that Vietnam would be a business partner of Microsoft. The visit also paved the way for more foreign investment into Vietnam.

Intel opens its biggest chip factory in Vietnam

In late February 2006, Intel opened a factory to produce semiconductor chips in HCM City, the largest in Southeast Asia with the total investment of 605mil USD.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, at that time acting Deputy PM, attended the ceremony to grant the business licence to Intel Corporation.

Thanks to a favourable investment environment, preferential policies, growth potential and the Government’s proper guidelines, Intel Corporation decided to increase its investment to 1bil USD last November, becoming the biggest American investment project in Vietnam.

The factory will kick off its operation in 2009 on the area of 150,000 square meters with 4,000 labourers and 100% products to be exported.

FPT University, the first private IT university to be founded

In September, the Government officially approved the establishment of FPT University, the first IT training institution belonging to an enterprise. The university will apply international standards in enrolment, administration and training methodology. Despite the high tuition fee of 900USD/semester, the university has got 4,000 student’s dossiers and received 1000 phone calls for consultations. The university’s foundation meets the requirements of many parents and students, especially as IT has become the hot profession among youngsters.

Vietnam takes the lead in WIMAX trial

Vietnam has been successful in bringing WIMAX technology to many locals living in remote and mountainous areas. This is the first IT application in Vietnam and the world helping to popularise information to raise people’s awareness about socio-economic development strategies.

There are four companies in Vietnam applying this WIMAX system: VDC, Viettel, VTC and FPT.

Software copyrights: hot issue

Software copyrights have become an alarming issue as Vietnam has to initiate its commitments to the WTO.

Several renowned agencies and companies have taken the lead in using protected software applications such as FPT, Vietcombank, BIDV. The Government has raised people’s awareness in the field to minimise the risk of facing legal proceedings by foreign companies due to software violations.

Rampant YM viruses

The year 2006 witnessed different types of virus spreading on YM. Most of the viruses were named gracefully to attract Internet users’ curiosity. Noticeably, all the culprits were students, who consider spreading viruses on the Internet a way to show off their IT excellence. Yet, none of the Internet criminals were punished. The movement only seemed to stop when Internet users raised their awareness of self-protection.

Yahoo 360 blog booming

Personal websites have become popular in Vietnam; however, it was not until the booming of Yahoo 360 blog that the lifestyle of Vietnamese people was revolutionised, especially the young generation. Composing blog entries has become part of many youngsters, changing their attitudes about online communication.

Information on blogs is able to spread even more rapidly than through the mass media. A blog is not only a personal corner but a window for friend sharing and understanding. Bloggers have joined forces to launch many meaningful activities such as charity campaigns for the poor and homeless children.

Online games with concrete regulations

Different from the exciting images of online games in 2005, the year 2006 witnessed a boring game playground. Despite many new kinds of games being rolled out, none seemed to have created a breakthrough in online entertainment.

On November 14, the HCM City Department of Post and Telematics launched a circular ordering all online game suppliers to renovate their contents and techniques, as well as limit the time of playing to avoid bad impacts on players’ health. Any game supplier violating the circular will be strictly punished or banned from business operations.

(Source: VNE)

The breakdown of Internet cables: Services go back to normal

VietNamNet Bridge – Though it is not certain whether the problem was completely fixed,
Internet and international phone services went back to normal late afternoon 01/01. According to service providers, the lesson to remember was that depending solely on international partners and sea cables is dangerous.

No compensation for harms done

After the serious cable breaking in Taiwan, service providers tried their best to overcome difficulties and "feed" channels transmitting signals internationally. The common solution that VDC, FPT and Viettel used was to send their channels through satellites, made use of reserved bandwidth, and increased connection from partners.

Domestic as well as international efforts helped to ease Vietnamese Internet citizens’ distress. According to a representative of VDC, about 80% of the flow of the international channels under VDC management is operating stably. The channels connected with Singtel and T-System were completely restored.

Channels to the U.S and Japan are being restored. VDC’s Frame Relay and
IPVPN services were transferred to satellite channels. Thus, customers can use these services as usual.

As for how to “compensate” customers to whom the incident has done damage, the representatives of these companies responded that it was only an accident, so talking about compensation in this case would be inappropriate. That said, the companies would try to support customers as well as they could. According to Viettel, to subscribers whose services were completely halted, the company might not charge subscription fees. Or the fees could be reduced.

Congestion and flickering may happen

At present, email and chat services are relatively stable. However, experts warned of possible congestion or flickering at busy hours today (02/01) when offices re-opened after the New Year.

This warning seems to be justified because not only domestic but international providers said the problem hasn’t been completely fixed. It’s even likely that things will not go back to normal until mid January/2007.
To the question, "after this accident, what will providers do to stop this deadly hole," Mr. Hien answered, "depending on partners and sea cables is too risky and full of limits. That’s why using different channels, and prioritizing satellite ones, is quite urgent. It is also necessary to work with various partners who have many different channels themselves.”

Experts said that it is customers’ right to demand satellite channels, which can meet the demand for economic security, especially in areas involving e-transactions.

(Source: Lao dong)

Viet Nam records 10 million new telephone subscribers

Viet Nam posted a record 10 million new telephone subscribers in 2006, marking a year-on-year increase of 188 percent, announced the Ministry of Post and Telematics.

So far, Viet Nam has 25.5 million telephones, over 4 million Internet subscribers and nearly 8,000 post offices located in localities nationwide.

The impressive growth of the Internet broadband services market and the ministry's allowance for the registration of the second-level .vn domain name have proved the development potential of the Vietnamese telecommunications market.

The important role of information technology (IT) was also demonstrated by the participation of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung as head of the National Steering Committee on IT, the first ever government leader holding this position.

Viet Nam is also deemed as an attractive and trustworthy investment destination to international investors in the field of IT. The US Intel Corp., the world's largest computer chip manufacturer, for example, increased its investment capital in Viet Nam to 1 billion USD from 605 million USD to build a chip assembly and testing plant in a hi-tech zone in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Multimedia Corporation (VTC) started in November this year to provide the digital television service via mobiles in Viet Nam. Consequently, Viet Nam has become the third country worldwide to develop this service.

In 2006, Vietnamese telecommunications businesses started to penetrate into international markets. The Viet Nam Post and Telecommunications Corporation (VNPT), for instance, has promoted investment to produce copper cables in Laos and expand its network in Cambodia. VNPT also opened a representative office in the US in preparation for its operation in this market.

The Viet Nam Military Telecom Corporation has also provided the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), mobile and Internet services in Cambodia.

Particularly, the Law on Information Technology was ratified by the National Assembly in 2006. According to Deputy Minister of Post and Telematics, Tran Duc Lai, this is the first time a law of this kind has been issued after 61 years, creating a legal framework for the sector's operation.

(Source: VNA)

VMS legalises Microsoft software versions

The Viet Nam Mobile Telecommunications Services Co. (VMS), the operator of MobiFone, has signed a contract for the purchase of 1,000 copyright licenses for the use of the Microsoft Office 2003 software version.

VMS had also bought copyright licenses for the Windows 98, Windows Server 2000 and 2003, and XP operation system software versions of Microsoft.

Owning these software copyright licenses, VMS will be the fist telecommunications in Viet Nam to legalise all Microsoft software versions.

(Source: VNA)

Viet Nam urges Japan to invest in high-tech industry

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has offered best available conditions to Japanese investors with priority to be given to high-tech industry.

Dung made the offer at a meeting with Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Yoshihide Suga of Japan in Ha Noi on Jan. 8, urging for Japanese investment in the Hoa Lac High-tech Park.

The Government leader appreciated Japan's aid, including its project on community internet development and the North-South optical cable system valued at 160 million USD.

These projects have laid a ground to develop information technology and boost socio-economic development in Viet Nam as well, emphasised the Prime Minister.

Dung expressed his belief that Viet Nam - Japan ties, especially in the information technology sector, will develop even further, following the current visit by Suga.

The Japanese minister informed his host that his talks with the Ministry of Telematics were wrapped up with deals on mobile information technology and broad band internet services.

(Source: VNA)

IT outsourcing sought in Japan

With outsourcing work to low-wage countries on the rise globally, Vietnamese software companies are eager to get a bigger share of the pie.

Local IT experts say Japan, which outsources about US$100bil in software work to countries like Vietnam, China and lndia, is seen as the market to tap.

Winning more outsourcing contracts is increasingly viewed as a top priority by most domestic IT companies, whose sales at home are hurt by rampant copyright violations and limited use of software in Government offices.

To win more contracts, companies are refining their marketing strategies and specialising in products catering to markets like Japan, the US and the EU.

"It's time for us to change direction. Local companies should specialise instead of making all kinds of software," said, Chu Tien Dung, director of Quang Trung Software Park in HCM City. "If they become excellent in one area, then they can grow more easily."

TMA Solutions, for example, which is the largest software company in Vietnam with more than 650 staff, makes software exclusively for the telecommunications industry in Japan.

FPT, another large domestic IT company, also does outsourcing work for Japanese companies.

Although Vietnam's software industry has grown 25-30% annually since 2000, it is far from reaching its ambitious goal set five years ago of an annual $500mil in both export and domestic sales.

Last year, domestic software sales amounted to US$125mil with exports at $45mil. The latter is expected to double this year, with domestic sales rising only $150mil or 20% from last year.

Industry experts say annual domestic software sales could easily reach $200mil if more Government offices used IT and the country had a more effective law on intellectual property rights.

"The domestic market is small because of the low use of information technology in offices, the high level of copyright violations and the slow implementation of State-owned IT projects," Nguyen Trong, chief of the secretariat of the National Steering Committee for IT, said.

The National Assembly is slated to pass a new law on intellectual property rights by the end of November.

Working in Japan

With their eye on the huge Japan market, domestic IT companies are searching for innovative ways to improve their software engineers' skills.

One such strategy involves sending Vietnamese engineers to work in Japanes software companies at low pay. Under this exchange, Vietnamese employees can upgrade their skills and learn more about the needs of the Japanese consumer.

Phi Anh Tuan, vice-director of AZ software company, said work abroad gives most IT employees, who have weak English and Japanese skills, an opportunity to learn the language.

Dung said the newly formed UK Brain company, a joint venture between Japan and Vietnam, will train IT staff for work in Japan.

Students, who are IT staff, study Japanese for six months and IT skills for another six months, and are then sent to Japan for one to three years.

The company, with a US$1.2mil investment, has already trained 120 IT staff and another 180 will study in 2006.

"After they return, the employees will more clearly understand what the Japanese market needs. They will then be able to adjust their work and be more productive," Nguyen Bach Khoa, director of the UK Brain said.

UK Brain will also help domestic software companies better meet the need of Japanese customers.

Private company training like that offered by UK Brain is becoming more popular, as the industry continues to lack well-trained IT graduates.

About 63% of domestic software companies are in need of highly qualified employees, according to IT experts. With that in mind, more graduates are being trained in-house.

To solve the training gap, the industry is also stepping up co-operation between companies and universities. "Universities, more and more, are training for what businesses needs," said Tuan.

In the last five years, the software industry recruited 15,000 employees who work in 600 companies.

(Source: Viet Nam News)

Vietnam concentrates on providing Software services for the Japanese Market

Outsourcing of IT business processes from the US, Japan, and the European Union are on the rise, and countries like Vietnam are going all out to grab a larger share of the market. Japan alone is responsible for the outsourcing of US$100 billion in the software sector to China, India, and Vietnam. With the use of IT within the country an uncertain proposition, Vietnam is looking to gear its IT program towards attracting outsourcing projects from Japan.

Local companies are producing software that caters to the Japanese market. A real-world example is Vietnam's largest software company TMA Solutions, which concentrates its entire product line towards the telecommunications industry in Japan. FPT, another leading company in Vietnam, is also engaged in outsourcing work for Japanese companies. While outsourcing is an option, the Vietnamese software sales can improve if there is an increase in domestic consumption , particularly by government offices and institutions. VietnamNet Bridge reports:

With their eye on the huge Japan market, domestic IT companies are searching for innovative ways to improve their software engineers' skills. One such strategy involves sending Vietnamese engineers to work in Japanese software companies at low pay. Under this exchange, Vietnamese employees can upgrade their skills and learn more about the needs of the Japanese consumer.

AT&T Extends Into Vietnam

HANOI, Vietnam -- AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T - News) today announced that Vietnam will be accessible from the AT&T global network through collaboration with one of the leading local telecommunication carriers, Viettel Corporation. The collaboration with Viettel, sealed against the backdrop of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit 2006 (APEC CEO Summit) in Hanoi, paves the way for AT&T to extend advanced information and communications support to its growing number of multinational enterprises customers with sites in Vietnam.

Chris Rooney, senior vice president of AT&T Operations Inc., who will also speak at the APEC CEO Summit 2006, said, "As the second fastest-growing economy in the Asia Pacific region, Vietnam is an exciting place for us to be deepening our network reach. AT&T can already provide data services to a global area accounting for 97 percent of the world's economy, and our collaboration with Viettel will extend it further. This demonstrates our commitment to global customers who are doing business in Vietnam and our determination to provide them with a consistent set of services offering high levels of quality and reliability wherever they do business."

"Global enterprises require transnational communications support in order to function efficiently, and their decisions are influenced by the availability of a reliable communications infrastructure before they move into new markets. We expect that this collaboration between AT&T and Viettel will promote investment in Vietnam by all telecom-dependent industry sectors and provide a catalyst for further economic growth in the country," Mr. Rooney added.

AT&T Inc.

Intel Invests in Vietnam-Based Offshore Software Developer

Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip maker Intel and San Francisco-based investment firm Texas Pacific Group are collectively buying a stake in FPT, which provides software services in Vietnam. FPT, which is based in Hanoi, will use the funds to expand its product lines and services, as well as grab a larger slice of the global outsourcing business.

In a small but symbolic move, Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) and a U.S. investment group are investing US$36.5 million in Vietnam’s largest software company, the companies announced Monday.

Intel Capital, the venture capital arm of the Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip maker, and Texas Pacific Group, the San Francisco-based investment firm, are collectively buying a stake in FPT, which provides software services in Vietnam, including back-end operations, telecommunications and outsourcing to Japanese companies.

FPT, which is based in Hanoi and has 6,000 employees, will use the funds to expand its product lines and services, as well as grab a larger slice of the global outsourcing business.

Vietnamese Economy Growing
The investment reflects a growing confidence in the Vietnamese economy, which reported economic growth of 8.4 percent last year. Vietnam’s tech market, estimated to be valued at $800 million, is growing at about 20 percent a year.

full story: http://www.technewsworld.com/story/53880.html

Navigos Group Vietnam Co., ltd

NAVIGOS GROUP VIETNAM CO., LTD. As a leader in both on line and off line recruitment and human resources services in Vietnam, in 2006, NAVIGOS GROUP & VIETNAMWORKS.COM are serving more than 4500 leading companies in Vietnam, we have grown and tripled our revenue and number of employees every year from the last three continuous years. We are currently having three quality offices in HCMC and Hanoi and plan to expand internationally. Our number of employees has been doubled every year since 2004. Not stopping at that success, the Company has still continued to expand and develop our business, organization and importantly our talents to maintain our company vision TO BE THE LEADING AND HIGHEST QUALITY PROVIDER OF RECRUITING AND HR ADVISORY AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES IN VIETNAM, the company mission TO ASSIST PEOPLE ADVANCE IN THEIR CAREER AND ACHIEVE SUCCESS, and to prepare for our company and people in a next position of a listed IPO company. Aligning these objectives, we are opening and welcoming the best HR Leader as also a Chief People Officer possessing the excellent HR experience, view, objective and management practices to join our company board of management. We expect and believe in great talent, people focused and deliverable contributions of this member to focus on and develop all our employees at the same time being the leader of the company Human Resources and Operations Department being responsible for managing, leading and developing the entire HR and Operations Department, including but not limited to human resources management and development, administration, facilities management, legal and purchasing functions and operations in the whole company and its offices.

Offshore Outsource Services

Offshore Outsourced Services JSC (OOS) is a Global Provider of security solutions, software, data backup, and various IT services including Web development, search engine optimization, software testing and wireless technology. We have an expertise in many of the latest technologies, including the .NET, COM, ASP, IIS, Java, XML, SOAP, wireless technology, Microsoft Transaction Server, Live Communications Server, webservice and client solution, etc. We bring in economic value by employing highly skilled but inexpensive human resources that ensure high accountability at minimal risk, and this approach allowed our firm to establish its reputation in providing quality solutions by the best engineers and developers in Viet Nam .

We bring in local consultants with domain expertise to better understand the business and ensure seamless communication with our Vietnamese development center. It helps in reducing our client’s risks associated with offshore engagements. Our “Global Consulting” approach ensures that our work force is globally trained, and our clients enjoy the benefits of the low cost services, low risk engagements and world-class quality solutions. The ability to convert our client’s vision into a cost effective and efficient business solution is our distinct selling point.

Our organization values revolve around customer satisfaction, quality delivery, privacy protection, integrity and equal opportunity rights. Our clients, customers and employees view us as an organization with high respect for intellectual property rights, individual talent, and mutually beneficial partnerships. We are confident in our potential and looking forward to making valuable contribution to the success of our customers.

Corporate Overview:

• State-of-the-art development center
• Over 20+ highly qualified software professionals on board with expertise in varied technologies.
• Serving many clients across 2 continents, North America & Asia Pacific.
• Currently working on over 10 offshore projects
• Consistent records of repeat customers
• Projects spread across varied business verticals and technologies.

Homepage: http://offshore-outsourced-services.com/

TRG International

TRG International is Vietnam's largest leading independent provider of business management and financial solutions. We provide advice, software, implementation, training and support services to a wide range of organizations from small domestic companies to large multi-nationals in both the public and private sectors. As part of our continuing global development and expansion plan, we are looking for enthusiastic, highly motivated and team oriented professionals to work within our dynamic organization in Vietnam.

Our Vietnam operations support our clients in more than 65 countries around the globe.

TRG provides multiple opportunities and challenges to professionals with a "Can Do" and the right attitude in HCMC, Hanoi and Europe.

We provide extensive training and education support and we have our own team of expatriate instructors dedicated to training our team in English and soft skills. We support all certified vendor technical training eg MCSE, MCSA etc.

Homepage: http://www.trginternational.com/