Viettel aims to be a digital transformation pioneer

Major General Le Dang Dung, acting chairman and CEO of the military-run company, said that Viettel targets to complete its digital transformation plan by next year.

The firm's staff management, technical processes and financial activities will be digitalized by then, he explained.

"Only by becoming a digital organization can Viettel fulfill its mission to promote digital transformation and build a digital society," he said at a function marking its 30th anniversary on Saturday.

Viettel plans to achieve this goal by developing 5G technology and building an infrastructure for the internet of things to connect billions of devices with almost no latency.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said Viettel should be a top 10 global telecom company in terms of subscriber numbers by 2025. The firm is now in the top 15.

"Viettel needs to be a top company alongside Huawei, ZTE, Ericsson, Google, Facebook and Samsung," Phuc said at the anniversary.

Viettel recently set up a high-tech subsidiary, the Viettel High Technology Industries Corporation (VHT), which will focus on defense and electronics for the telecom industry.

VHT will sell its technology products and services in both the local and international markets under the government’s "Make in Vietnam" campaign which encourages local tech firms to manufacture their own products.

Viettel earned a revenue of $10 billion last year, accounting for 60 percent of Vietnam’s telecom revenues.

Brand Finance, a leading global brand valuation consultant, early this year named Viettel as the only Vietnamese firm in its list of 500 most valuable brands in the world, valued at $4.3 billion.