Answering questions in an interview given to Thoi Bao Kinh Te Saigon, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Van Lang said that if there is a better environment, technological enterprises can serve as the foundation and the driving force for the service sector to develop.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Lang said:

Enterprises have been utilizing information technology in the service sector in a spontaneous way because of the rising demand in their lives and work. In fact, the concept of “scientific services” in Vietnam remains unfamiliar, even though it has existed and has been developing for a long time. To date, we still do not have policies, government decrees or circulars on the issue, though relating laws have chapters and provisions on utilizing science and scientific achievements to develop services.

The State needs to continue perfecting information technology infrastructure, internet infrastructure, fiber systems, and apply policies which eliminate monopoly and create a competitive market. Only by doing so, will the State be able to support enterprises. The State should also orient the development of services by utilizing more scientific achievements.

For example, why don’t we develop a call center service (the remote service center)? If we can use the network system well, HCM City will be able to create thousands of jobs, while satisfying the demand for information for millions of people in Vietnam and in the world as well. Meanwhile, the requirements on the workers in this service are not too high or demanding: workers just need to graduate high school, have a standard voice and have competent foreign language skills.

As you have said, cooperation among ministries in order to set up good policies to develop services is a very important factor. However, this still cannot be done well, right?

In order to settle the problem, I think, we need a conductor, who coordinates work. If developing scientific services based on information technology, the responsibility needs to be undertaken by the Ministry of Information and Communication. In order to do that, we need to reorganize the whole network system and broadband transmission line. The latest technologies need to be utilized.

Training is also a very important factor which can help develop the utilization of scientific achievements to develop services. Besides, we also need to draw up long term development strategies for different localities, business fields and different regions.

In the long term, in order to develop tourism, agriculture, industrial services, it is necessary to have concentrated management and have concrete task assignments. We need to point out which ministries undertake general management, the process of implementation, and who takes the responsibility to supervise and examine the implementation. The heavy task will be put on the shoulder of the conductor who draws up concrete steps towards the development of services.

In order to develop scientific services, we need investment money. However, budget allocation remains a big problem for now. Some provinces do not use up the sums of money allocated to them, while others complain that they lack money. Do you think that we need to make changes to the current way of allocating budgets for conducting scientific research?

Thia problem has existed for many years. We cannot do things contrary to the Budget Law. In order to change the situation, we need to amend the law. I do not think that dividing the budget equally among localities is a good principle. Money should be poured to the localities which really need it. HCM City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Can Tho and Hai Phong are the big cities and it is necessary to reconsider the budget allocation mechanism.

Besides, I think that the State should differentiate basic scientific research and scientific research for utilization. The former one should be concentrated at the central level, while localities should not spend time on basic research because they do not have material facilities, technical infrastructure or a labor force good enough for this work.

We also need to reconsider what fields of basic scientific research should be pursued. Vietnam cannot do everything. The research needs to be carried out based on actual demands in society, while research works also need to have several application. It is necessary to encourage enterprises to participate in scientific research in order to create good products and services for society.

But is it still difficult to commercialize scientific research works?

The State should establish an agency in charge of inspecting the results of scientific research work. It will “filter” the good works and introduce the works to the market through technology product trading floors.

Source: Thoi bao Kinh te Saigon