Information and Communication Technologies for Development

Intel Products Vietnam on June 24 granted scholarships to 22 outstanding technology students to help them meet future staff requirements at its assembly factory. This year’s scholarships went to students from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang Universities of Technology with each worth $80,000, the Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper reported June 25. The scholarships will enable the recipients to complete their final two years at Portland State University in the U.S. and after graduation, they will work at Intel’s assembly and production factory in Vietnam. Intel has donated a total of VND76 billion ($4 million) worth of scholarships to Vietnamese students over the past two years. So far, the company has opened one production line requiring 500 engineers.

Cisco Systems Inc. signed a memorandum of understanding with the central city of Danang on April 22 to upgrade its information technology network. Under the MoU, Cisco will help Danang build a center for researching, developing and manufacturing hi-tech products and train human resources to develop its economy in a sustainable manner. This is a new initiative launched by the World Bank aimed at helping big cities in developing countries to achieve sustainable economic and ecological development.  Cisco and Danang signed a MoU in 2007, under which the U.S. company pledged to help Danang take the lead in applying information technology in the country.