(Photo: VNA)

The Internet of Things (IOT), also known as the Internet Connectivity Network, has recently emerged from the global technology boom.

IoT is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, and smart devices that can automate almost every sector and socio-economic field with its ability to transfer data over the network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.

Phan Thanh Son, Chief Technology Officer of FPT IS, said: “IoT will create more connections in a smarter way to provide people more information. It will communicate with people and things automatically. This represents a new way for people to exchange information to help each other. For example in the past, when a global incident occurred, government leaders had to fly to meet each other. That meant the opportunity to address the event could be lost. But now connection can easily be set up thanks to technology."

By 2020 Vietnam hopes to be a nation with a good IoT connectivity infrastructure. It is developing a science, technology, and innovation strategy, with a vision to 2035 for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh said at a recent seminar in HCM city: “The world is pursuing a trend of enhanced cooperation and integrated economies driven by advanced technology and innovation. Vietnam considers the opportunities and challenges brought by the Fourth Indutrial Revolution to be the bass for choosing national directions and a way to closse Vietnam’s development gap with other countries.”

Vietnam's advantages in the IoT era are a young workforce and breakthroughs in information technology. The government is encouraging businesses to build their own IoT platforms instead of just buying second-han technologies.