Read context first:
Vietnam's Communist Party gets help from Intel
,----[ Quote ]
| The Communist Party's decision to use open-source software matches a
| wider Vietnamese government effort. In 2004, the government announced
| plans to promote the use of open-source software in a bid to reduce its
| IT costs and promote the development of the local software industry.
`----
http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/08/25/HNvietnamintel_1.html?source=rss&url=www.infoworld.com/article/06/08/25/HNvietnamintel_1.html
http://tinyurl.com/zz3s8
Intel Raises Vietnam's High-Tech Profile
,----[ Quote ]
| The latest Intel news, which follows an initial announcement in February
| to invest $300 million in the factory, comes as Vietnam is working hard
| to convince foreign companies to put their trust in a country many
| still equate with war and poverty.
|
| It also is trying to overcome a reputation as one of the region's
| worst violators of intellectual property rights. Vietnam has the
| highest percentage of pirated software in Asia, with copies of
| Microsoft Corp. operating systems available on the street for
| a couple dollars.
|
| [...]
|
| While the country remains a staunch one-party system, the
| communist government is opening up and pushing for economic reforms
| that will lead to a market economy. Vietnam's fledgling high-tech
| sector also got a boost in April when Microsoft Chairman Bill
| Gates visited and was treated like a rock star by hundreds of
| cheering technology students.
|
| [...]
|
| "This is a very positive development, which will help to boost
| information technology industry in Vietnam in general and the
| software industry in particular," said Tran Doan Kim,
| administrative head of Vietnam Software Association, or Vinasa.
| "Vietnam's IT industry badly needs investment from a major
| foreign investor like Intel or Microsoft."
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/061117/vietnam_intel.html?.v=2
So it's all about exchange of favours rather than the choice of technology
that is better and more affordable to the Vietnamese people. I would not be
surprised if the Gates Foundation plays a role here as well.
|
|
