Vietnam News Today (Oct. 14): Vietnam Likely to Become Leading Global Tech Hub

People get vaccinated against Covid-19. Photo: VNA

1,069 new Covid-19 cases recorded on October 13

The national Covid-19 caseload rose to 11,490,951 with 1,069 new cases recorded on October 13, according to the Ministry of Health.

With 411 patients given the all clear during the day, the number of recoveries rose to 10,597,953.

Meanwhile, there are 43 patients needing breathing support.

No death from Covid-19 was recorded in the past 24 hours. The total fatalities stood at 43,155.

As of the end of October 12, the total number of doses of Covid-19 vaccines injected was 260,261,463.

Vietnam likely to become the leading global tech hub

German media outlet Handelsblatt has recently published an article highlighting Vietnam’s bright prospects for becoming the world's leading information technology (IT) center in the future.

The article outlines that Vietnam is home to a large number of high-quality universities and young, well-trained human resources, noting that the Government has planned to develop the digital economy that will account for 20% and 30% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2025 and 2030 respectively.

It emphasizes that Vietnam has so far been hugely successful in the hardware sector, particularly as most Samsung mobile phones, iPads, and Apple Bluetooth headsets are manufactured in Vietnam.

Apart from mass production of electronic products, the country is also increasingly exporting source code as a means of controlling machinery and equipment. Many international corporations have therefore sought to establish development centres or have cooperated with IT service providers in Vietnam.

A.T. Kearney, a market researcher in the United States, regularly ranks Vietnam among the top five most attractive destinations for IT outsourcing services.

Meanwhile, Bosch is striving to strengthen the digital network of its products with one of Bosch's most important global software development centers operating in Ho Chi Minh City. Indeed, the southern metropolis is now home to more than 3,000 programmers who work for Bosch Global Software Technologies Vietnam (BGSW). The group also recently opened a new software center in Hanoi.

German businesses introduce advanced technologies at an exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: VNA

Gaur Dattatreya, CEO of BGSW, said Vietnam is a suitable location for investment thanks to its large number of young professionals who are well trained from high-quality public and international universities, including the Vietnam - Germany University (VGU).

Amid fierce competition for competent programmers this year, Samsung has completed the construction of a US$220 million R&D centre in Hanoi for artificial intelligence (AI) and big data solutions (Big Data).

Furthermore, French game developer Ubisoft has also opened an office in the coastal city of Da Nang, employing more than 80 game programmers, with the aim of capitalizing on huge business opportunities of this market, according to VOV.

Notably, applications software developers in Vietnam are also rising to the top of the region. According to data compiled by the application data and analytics firm Data.ai, seven out of the 20 most frequently downloaded apps in Southeast Asia come from Vietnam.

Typical applications include the blockchain game "Axie Infinity" by Vietnamese game publisher Sky Mavis which became globally-renowned during the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to a study conducted by Google, Singapore’s Temasek and consulting firm Bain, the Vietnamese internet economy is forecast to witness the strongest growth in Southeast Asia, with annual sales seeing a 10-fold rise from US$21 billion this year to US$220 billion in 2030.

The article emphasizes that European customers will become an important pillar for the Vietnamese industry in the time ahead. It notes that many German customers say that they can fulfill orders with Vietnamese partners, with production costs being up to 20% lower compared to competitors, an extremely important factor, especially for projects that require a lot to be spent on programming.

Monkeypox put under control in Vietnam

The first patient with monkeypox in Vietnam has tested negative to the virus, while people with close contacts with her have shown no suspected symptoms so far.

According to the Ministry of Health, after treatment, her fever has gone. The blisters on her face, hands, and feet have dried up, flaked off, and cicatrised, while those inside her throat have been healed. With her pain gone, the patient eats well, gains weight, and is optimistic.

A representative of the General Department of Preventive Medicine visit the female patient. Photo: VNA

The female, a 35-year-old resides in Ho Chi Minh City, fell ill on September 18 while traveling in Dubai with symptoms of fever, fatigue, chills, muscle aches, headache and a cough, as well as red, itchy bumps on her arms, body, and face. She returned to Vietnam on September 22.

On September 23, she was admitted to the city’s Tu Du Hospital and then transferred to the municipal Hospital of Dermato Venereology, where she was isolated. Two days later, she tested positive for monkeypox and was transferred to the municipal Hospital for Tropical Diseases for further isolation, treatment and genetic sequencing, reported VNA.

Director of the General Department of Preventive Medicine Phan Trong Lan said when being suspected for having the virus, the patient was considered a positive case. Therefore, the Ministry of Health and Ho Chi Minh City have handled all stages of surveillance, testing, and zoning following recommended guidelines.

In addition to decoding the viral genome, the municipal Hospital for Tropical Diseases has safely treated the patient and worked with the city’s Center for Disease Control to conduct the epidemiological investigation, zoning, isolation, and monitoring of people and medical staff who had close contact with the patient.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on October 12 announced that more than 70,000 people were infected with monkeypox across the globe; 26 of them died.

Since the beginning of 2022, the disease been reported in 106 WHO member countries.

Vietnamese representatives listed among most influential scientists in the world

Two Vietnamese representatives, including Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Hoang Son and Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Duc from Vietnam National University – Hanoi were listed among top 10,000 leading scientists in the world.

According to the ranking published by Elsevier Publishing House, many Vietnamese scientists have listed among the list of 100,000 most influential scientists in 2022.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Hoang Son and Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Duc from Vietnam National University – Hanoi were listed among top 10,000 leading scientists in the world. Photo: NDO

The list was compiled by a team of scientists led by Prof. John P.A. Ioannidis from Stanford University in the US on the basis of the Scopus database of Elsevier Publishing House.

The list was evaluated based on many criteria, including total research citations.

The ranking selected top 100 leading scientists, top 10,000 and 100,000 people with the most cited scientific articles from 200,409 scientists in the database, cited NDO.

In the ranking, there are 35 Vietnamese scientists working at various universities in the country.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Hoang Son and Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Duc were named in the list for 4 consecutive years if 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Japanese retailer AEON to expand operations in Vietnam

Leading Japanese retail group AEON has unveiled plans to triple the number of its shopping malls nationwide to 16 between now and 2025 in an attempt to gain an advantage in the food sector, reported Japanese news service Nikkei Asia.

The news outlet noted that with almost 40 years of experience in Southeast Asia, the retailer will seek to use the knowledge it acquired in Malaysia, where it first entered the region, and other markets to intensify its store opening campaign.

The giant retail group is greatly attracted to the growing Vietnamese middle class as consumers, especially amid the lifting of restrictions placed on foreign operators.

Photo: VOV

"We have expertise in mass production and efficient delivery that we cultivated in Japan and Malaysia, these are areas where we can never be outdone by other companies," said Yasuyuki Furusawa, head of AEON Vietnam.

AEON has so far opened some 200 stores in Vietnam, including six shopping malls and several supermarkets. The stores are primarily located in Ho Chi Minh City, the country's largest city, and Hanoi, the capital, although a mall is set to open in the central city of Hue in 2024.

The Japanese firm has devised plans to increase its number of stores in Hanoi to 100 by 2025, approximately 10 times the current number. In addition, the number of malls will also be nearly tripled to 16 throughout the country.

"We need to accelerate our store openings, which is why we must take new initiatives now," Furusawa said, adding strengthening its food businesses, such as bakeries and kitchens, will be part of this effort.

A shift towards the Southeast Asian market is one of the key parts of the company's medium-term business plan. The Vietnamese market is considered the most important market in AEON’s overseas strategy which boasts approximately 100 million consumers and is expected to record expected economic growth of over 7% this year, VOV reported.

Vietnam is an attractive location as it is a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. It also plans to abolish its foreign investment restrictions as early as 2024.

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