Le Manh Ha, deputy chairman of the HCM City People's Committee (five from left in the first row), and representatives of the city's Department of Information and Communication and the HCM City Computer Association pay a visit to ROBO Technology Corp. in District 10 on February 26. VNS photo Xuan Huong.

HCM CITY (Biz Hub) — After ending last year with encouraging results, several IT firms in HCM City have set higher business targets this year.

Dang The Tai, general director of CMC System Integration Saigon Ltd, said his company achieved revenue of VND659 billion (US$30.9 million) last year compared to VND543 billion ($25.48 million) in 2013.

The figure is expected to reach VND725 billion ($34.02 million) this year, Tai said.

CMC Saigon is currently one of the two largest Vietnamese companies capable of providing all IT and telecommunication services and solutions, he said.

It accounts for 60 per cent of market share in the south in providing professional IT solutions and services for customers in the fields of finance, banking and the stock market.

Several Vietnamese firms are willing to invest in IT, but the company currently only focuses on big companies since it does not have enough staff.

The segment for small firms offers huge potential, although they make smaller investments than large firms, he said.

Le Minh Chau, pre-sales manager of Meganet, which specialises in network solution, equipments and infrastructure, said the company has set a target to achieve VND10-15 billion ($469,263 - $703,894) in revenue this year from nearly VND4 billion last year.

After its success in providing wifi services to universities in HCM City and Da Nang, the company is expanding its services to universities in the north to meet high demand for internet use of students, he said.

Doan Son Hai, CEO of ROBO Technology Corp., reported that the company assembled more than 9,600 computers and more than 1,000 servers, an increase of 5 per cent and 10 per cent over 2013, respectively.

Its revenue reached VND155.3 billion ($7.28 million) last year, a year-on-year increase of 12 per cent.

In its development strategy for the year, the company will expand its distribution system to all provinces and cities nationwide, as well as enhance co-operation with its partners to widen its products and services portfolio, he said.

Several IT companies in Quang Trung Software City, including Larion, Luxoft Viet Nam and Global Cybersoft Viet Nam, reported good business results last year, with many firms having high recruitment demand.

Ngo Duc Chi, general director of Global Cybersoft company, for instance, said the company's revenue last year was worth VND292 billion ($13.7 billion) compared to VND244 billion ($11.45 million) in 2013.

It has set a target to achieve a revenue of VND380 billion ($17.8 million) this year and increase its staff from 862 to over 1,100, he said.

Along with the economic recovery, the IT sector is expected to have a better growth this year, Le Manh Ha, deputy chairman of the HCM City People's Committee, said during a visit to IT companies on Thursday with representatives of the city's Department of Information and Communication and Computer Association.

Despite economic difficulties in previous years, IT firms have enjoyed good growth, he said.

The Prime Minister last December approved a regulation on pilot implementation of hiring IT services at State-owned enterprises to reduce the financial burden on the State budget. This would give IT firms more opportunities, Ha said.

The city has also urged State-owned firms in HCM City to enhance the application of IT and science technology in their operations to enable them to develop in a sustainable manner and integrate more deeply with the world market, he said.

During the meeting with the city leaders, enterprises also suggested that the municipal government help them solve difficulties involving human resource training and promote their products abroad, among others.

Vu Anh Tuan, general secretary of the HCM City Computer Association, said Vietnamese IT companies have increasingly paid attention to improving their product quality and design and have reduced prices to raise competitiveness. — VNS