Hong said that the information and technology (IT) application has helped people from remote areas access public services, improving quality and sharply reducing service costs.

"Viet Nam needs to improve the effectiveness of its public services via cloud computing technology for purposes of the national safety development, mobilising people in administrative reform," he told a forum on e-government last week.

New technologies

The ministry has developed several new technologies including the use of digital signatures, the national data base for population and land and cloud computing.

The ministries of Trade and Industry (MOTI) and Health and Finance have both applied IT models in their operations.

The MOTI has been one of the leading State agencies to launch online public services, issuing electronic certificates for toxic chemical declaration.

Vice Chair of SAP's Administrative Public Services in Asia-Pacific, Rachel McClure, said that the application of IT in management activities, renewing services and increasing effectiveness has been in urgent demand.

Every government should ready themselves in order to meet people's demands for quickly accessing administrative and public services through mobile phone devices and social networks, she said.

She said that smart phones were expected to be one of leading devices used by people in order to access the internet by 2015, adding that State agencies should take advantage of social networks in order to provide 24-hour public services.

According to the IDC Government Insights Company, intelligent devices, including smart phones, would attract many users.

The ministry and the Ministry of Planning and Investment, plans to submit a pilot PPP programme to mobilise resources for IT infrastructure development.

The co-operation is expected to renew public services.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News