Taiwan launches four more digital centers in Vietnam
The move boosted the number of digital centers built by Taiwan in the Southeast Asian country to 18.
The centers were launched under the second phase of the Taiwan-sponsored Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) Digital Opportunity Center (ADOC), a project that began in 2004 to narrow the digital divide in the Asia-Pacific region.
The project provides training in information and communication technology for disadvantaged groups such as women and children in remote areas and small and medium-sized enterprises that have difficulty accessing computers and digital technology.
Two digital centers were inaugurated in the town of Dong Ha in central Vietnam on Wednesday, while two others opened in northern Vietnam a day later.
At the inauguration ceremony in Dong Ha, Taiwan’s representative to Vietnam, Huang Chih-peng, said the goal of ADOC is to help APEC members transform the digital divide into "digital opportunities" and to give every individual an equal opportunity for digital education.
The 42 computers and other digital equipment donated to the two centers in central Vietnam will improve the information and technology skills of local citizens, bridging the digital divide between urban and rural areas, said Huang.
The ADOC project, which began in Vietnam in 2005, has helped close to 30,000 people receive computer and e-commerce training.
Taiwan has established more than 70 digital training centers in 10 countries -- Peru, Chile, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia and Russia -- and has helped hundreds of thousands of people receive digital training.
