QTSC aims to become major IT park
By Nhan Tam - The Saigon Times Daily
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| A QTSC representative signs the cooperation agreements with representatives of Saigon Times Group, Vietnam Investment Review and Sai Gon Giai Phong to increase publicity for the IT park in HCMC’s District 12, while Chu Tien Dung (2nd L, back row), general director of Quang Trung Software City Development Co., looks on - Photo: Kinh Luan |
HCMC - Quang Trung Software City (QTSC) in HCMC will be developed into a giant information technology park, said Chu Tien Dung, general director of Quang Trung Software City Development Co.
Speaking at an event held at the White Palace Convention Center in HCMC last Friday to meet partners and investors, and honor the best enterprises at QTSC, Dung said the company would make use of experiences and advantages acquired over the past nine years to map out a long-term development strategy.
The event also marked the ninth anniversary of QTSC, which the Ministry of Information and Communications has acknowledged as the only concentrated IT park in Vietnam.
“Our three main goals are to attract the biggest enterprises and nurture small ones to turn the park into Vietnam’s biggest software producer; supply high-quality human resources to help the sector take off; and create a favorable business environment to help firms thrive,” Dung said.
One of the activities to carry out the plans is to boost promotion programs toward both domestic and foreign enterprises.
At the ceremony, QTSC signed strategic cooperation agreements with three news media organizations – Saigon Times Group, Vietnam Investment Review and Sai Gon Giai Phong – to shore up publicity for the IT park.
Le Manh Ha, director of the HCMC Department of Information and Communications, said that after nine years of operations, QTSC had become a software park brand in Vietnam. “As for future development plans, I think, it’s necessary to build a chain of Quang Trung Software Cities in other cities and provinces or even in foreign countries to further promote the QTSC brand,” Ha said.
“When the QTSC brand is well developed, it will certainly attract multinationals whose satellite companies can follow suit by setting up shop at QTSC.”
At the event, QTSC rewarded 12 best enterprises of the year 2009. They are Tuong Minh Services Private Enterprise, Global Cybersoft Vietnam, Sports Marketing Software Co., TUV Rheinland Vietnam, GHP Far East, Capgemini Vietnam (IACP ASIA), Digi-Texx Co., Pyramid Software Development Co., Larion Computing Co., Saigon Technology College (Saigontech), Hoa Sen University and Global Consulting Vietnam.
Frank Schellenberg, general director of GHP Far East, said: “In the past seven years, I’ve been here at QTSC where infrastructure, security and internal ISP are found to be good, and it’s easy to expand office spaces and use facilities.
“I suggest creating a ‘director club’ with members of QTSC. We can make a roundtable with directors in QTSC once a month to share experience and sound out cooperation opportunities.”
QTSC at first got about VND210 billion from the State budget and attracted about 20 enterprises. The respective figures have now shot up to VND2 trillion and over 100 enterprises.
Around 57% of the companies operational at QTSC come from foreign countries. Total revenues generated at this IT park last year amounted to about US$100 million. In 2007-2009, 23,000 IT students were trained there and at the moment, there are 15,600 students completing their courses.
With 64,000 square meters of office space available for leasing, QTSC is now more than 75% full.