Vietnam IT major sets up shop here
Winston Chai
15 March 2007
Business Times Singapore

This follows the setting up of its office in Tokyo

SENDING out a strong signal of Vietnam's fast-developing technology capability, one of the country's technology flag bearers has chosen Singapore as its base for expansion in the Asia-Pacific region.

Hanoi-based FPT Software stepped up its overseas foray with the opening of its office in the Republic on Tuesday, only its second overseas.

The firm is a subsidiary of Vietnamese technology conglomerate FPT Corporation, which owns a myriad of businesses ranging from mobile phone distribution to IT training to systems integration.

The group is listed on the nascent Vietnamese stock exchange and is widely viewed as the country's IT crown jewel, with sales growing from US$517 million to US$730 million last year.

FPT Software is the group's application development and software outsourcing arm, and employs nearly 2,000 workers across three cities in Vietnam. The Singapore office will be helmed by director Hoang Viet Anh and it will serve the base for managing the company's operations in the Asia-Pacific region.

'The opening of this office not only affirms the important role that Asia-Pacific plays in our growth strategy, but it also allows us to get closer to our clients in this region,' he said.

The Singapore expansion follows the establishment of the firm's flagship overseas office in Tokyo in 2005.

Besides undertaking software development tasks for other companies, the company also offers other services like consulting and system maintenance.