Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Vietnamese Acting Minister ofInformation and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung has said that Vietnam, as anemerging economy, would be able to take advantage of the fourth industrialrevolution, even though the country missed the first three.

“The future does not depend on the past in this newera.  Developing countries have fewer facilities from the previousrevolutions, but they have fewer burdens and can move faster,” he said whileattending a co-chairs meeting organised within the framework of the WorldEconomic Forum on ASEAN, taking place in Hanoi from September 11-13.

He went on to say that success was not so much abouttechnologies but about policies.

“Since developing countries don’t have a solid legalframework, they are more flexible to develop new policies to adapt and acceptchanges,” Hung said.

The acting minister said he came to the event to share hisinitiatives about the future for Vietnam and the region.

“I want to share the idea of developing one ASEAN, meaning aflat ASEAN – no roaming charges or roaming charges as low as local charges, sothat everybody can travel but feel like they’re at home,” Hung said.

He also suggested establishing an ASEAN University ofInformation and Communication Technology (ICT), saying ICT is the key sector inthe fourth industrial revolution.

The acting minister also put forward an initiative to set upa regional cyber security information centre and expressed his hope that theinitiatives will be discussed during the forum.

“Our life nowadays depends on the internet, but the internetis not safe enough – so we have to make it safer in the future,” he said.

Meanwhile, Anne Birgitte Albrectsen, Chief Executive Officerof Plan International, a development and humanitarian organisation thatadvances children’s rights and equality for girls, said she hoped discussionsat the forum would help close the technology gap for women and girls.

“We’re seeing that women actually have less access to theinternet, less access to mobile phones, young girls and women have fewer skillsto enter the technology sector. Generally in technology, we’re seeing only 10percent of the employees being young women. And they’re certainly not climbingthe ladder in companies,” she said.

Social norms still lag behind, she added.

“Women are still expected to take care of the home. Younggirls and women cannot be what they cannot see,” she said.

Sharing this opinion, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Minister ofFinance of Indonesia, said that governments would have to prove their roles.

“It’s very exciting for young people to come into this fourthindustrial revolution. But in order for this revolution to become an equalopportunity for everyone, there needs to be policies today that will preparethem to be able not only to use it and enjoy it but also to adapt and innovate,”she said.-VNS/VNA