The event is organised by the HCM City Computer Association (HCA), Viet Nam Electronic Industries Association, the HCM Semiconductor Industry Association (HSIA) and ITO Viet Nam Co.—VNS Photo

HCM CITY (Biz Hub) – An international forum will be organised for the first time in HCM City on July 8 to discuss the current status of Viet Nam's hi-tech support industry and the Government's policies to develop the sector.

The event will also feature the latest technology and machinery, including welding, spraying, LCD repair, chip and electronic technologies.

The event is organised by the HCM City Computer Association (HCA), Viet Nam Electronic Industries Association, the HCM Semiconductor Industry Association (HSIA) and ITO Viet Nam Co.

The forum will be held at Vien Dong Restaurant in District 1 and is expected to attract 200 local and foreign companies, including those from the US, Canada, Japan, Germany and India.

Chu Tien Dung, HCA chairman, said that local and foreign companies could exchange information and seek business partners in the electric, electronic, chip and IT sectors.

The event will also provide foreign investors the opportunity to learn about Vietnamese policies and investment environment, he said.

Speaking at a press conference in HCM City on Tuesday, Nguyen Anh Tuan, deputy director of the city Department of Information and Communication, who is also chairman of HSIA, said: "The support industry is one of four critical factors that can give the country competitive advantages."

HCM City has chosen the hi-tech and support industry as key industries. The city wants to raise exports of hi-tech products, in an aim to restructure the city's economy and change its growth model, Tuan said.

Le Bich Loan, deputy head of the SaiGon Hi-Tech Park's board of management, said the park was offering incentives on land rental, human resource training, preferential interest rates on loans and others.

For the first half of the year, the park has handed out investment licences for four projects worth a total investment capital of US$107 million, Loan said. It expects to add $1-$2 billion of investment capital in the near future.

Dung said the Vietnamese Government had issued a number of policies to encourage support industries, especially those connected to high-tech sectors.

However, the results had been less than satisfactory, and many companies had not taken advantage of these policies.

Dung said he hoped that participants at the forum would learn more about these policies. — VNS