Experts at a seminar about open source software held by the Ministry of Information and Communications on June 15, said that the application of open source software (OSS) had made a positive difference.
Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Minh Hong said that the application of OSS would provide many benefits, including cost reductions in the procurement and use of software for applying information technology (IT) in organizations and ownership of copyright and intellectual property rights. Moreover, the application of OSS would ensure the safety and security of information, reduce outside risks and promote the development of the IT industry. The application of OSS has been widely implemented by governments around the world.
The Party and State have numerous policy documents promoting the development of OSS. Following the suggestion of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Prime Minister issued Decision 235 to promote the development of OSS in Vietnam during the 2004-2008 period. An office in charge of OSS in the Ministry of Science and Technology was established for experts, and eOffice and Ubuntu OSS were created. The Prime Minister approved the continuation of the development program for the software industry in 2007 and issued Decision 50 in 2009 to reaffirm the commitment to project. According to Decision 50, each locality receives VND200 million over two years to universalize OSS in local State agencies. In addition, the Ministry of Information and Communications issued Circular 41 and the OSS portfolio in 2009 to meet the requirement of the State agencies.
Information Technology Department of the Ministry of Information and Communications Deputy Director Nguyen Thanh Tuyen said that OSS has been expected to develop in Vietnam since 1999. Although the utilization rate is small, there have been positive changes in leadership at all levels. Open source products and solutions have been widely used in State agencies in electronic information portals, document management, district-level one-stop-shop public services and email systems.
To implement Prime Ministerial Decision 50, most localities have planned to develop the application of OSS. 46 of 63 provinces have installed and used OSS. By April 2011, it was estimated that more than 7,000 officers were trained in the plan to support increased OSS use. In many localities, open source solutions have been developed and utilized by the local budget. For example, six local State agencies in Bac Giang are using electronic information websites developed on Joomla OSS and two districts are using the one-stop-shop software based on Drupal OSS or Quang Nam Province has 90 percent of electronic information websites of the local State agencies developed on open source code.
Ministries, such as the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Construction and the State Bank have implemented OSS to serve the executive management and provide public services. While nearly 30 businesses and centers have supported the installation of OSS, such as HanoiLux, SaigonLux and the Vietnam Free & Open Source Software Association.
To widen the application of OSS in the future, it is necessary to identify the correct direction and a suitable schedule. Moreover, software users are acquainted with commonly available commercial software so there is a need to universalize OSS usage and change user habits.
It is also necessary to develop human resources and build as strategy to develop server OSS. Moreover, the consistent policy and determination of the Government and localities to have sufficient resources and funding as well combined deployment of such applications are necessary.
Experts said that the participation of businesses in the OSS deployment is necessary. Businesses currently have a desire to take part in open source development in Vietnam but have not received enough financial support from State agencies. Moreover, small scale businesses with limited potential and lack cooperation have proved an issue. Therefore, the State and ministries should consider support for these businesses. In addition, Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) is considered to promote the development and application of OSS in Vietnam./.
