Ha Noi has around 5,000 IT businesses currently. — File Photo

HA NOI (Biz Hub)  — The capital city attracted more than 300 IT projects with a total investment of US$1.8 billion in 2013.

This represented an increase of 13 per cent in the number of projects and 21 per cent in terms of value. Of this, $1.6 billion went into 43 projects in centralised information technology zones, according to Ha Noi's Department of Information and Communication.

Japan and Korea are the two biggest contributors to the total investment in IT projects in centralised information technology zones, which account for 53 per cent of the total number of the projects and 41 per cent of the capital, the department said.

Meanwhile, the remaining investment of $200 million was from small projects undertaken by local IT companies.

According to the department, Ha Noi currently has around 5,000 IT businesses, of which 1,200 are software companies, 800 digital content providers and almost 3,000 businesses operating in hardware, distribution and retails.

The city's IT sector last year earned a revenue of $3.3 billion, an increase of 20 per cent over 2012.

Ha Noi, in February this year, decided to invest VND30 billion, or $1.4 million, to improve the infrastructure of its Cau Giay Centralised Information Technology Zone.

The city has also asked its departments to carry out research on reasonable mechanisms and policies for its centralised technology zones.— VNS