Vietnamese information technology (IT) firms can win international bids to provide services to big clients in the world under the valuable contracts, but they find it difficult to get jobs in the home market, a newspaper said.

Experts and government officials all keep optimistic about the opportunities of exporting Vietnamese IT solutions and software products in the time to come.

It is not so difficult to make and export IT solutions as people think and that it is within the reach of Vietnamese firms to provide made-in-Vietnam solutions to the world, Do Cao Bao, President of FPT IS, told the online newspaper Vietnam Net.

The first wave in the IT field in Vietnam, software outsourcing, started 15 years ago, has brought great successes to the country. And experts believe that it is now the time for the second wave – exporting IT solutions and services under the Vietnamese brand.

The FPT IS, for example, after overcoming a lot of difficulties when trying to penetrate the world market as a firm from a poor country, has gained encouraging achievements.

FPT IS’ telecom software solutions, after being used by most of the Vietnamese telecom groups such as Viettel, VinaPhone, VMS, Gtel and Vietnam Mobile, have been provided to five network operators in Laos, five in Cambodia, one in Myanmar and one in Malaysia, bringing in a total revenue of 15 million USD.

The SAP-based tax management software, made to the order by the Ministry of Finance, may help FPT IS to win the bid to become a sub-contractor to a 400-million-USD project in ASEAN market.

The software on the budget allocation management made by FPT IS and IBM has been successfully implemented in Vietnam, helping the FPT IS win the bid for a project in Cambodia worth 10 million USD. Meanwhile, some ASEAN, African and Latin American countries have shown their interest in the software.

F PT IS’ solutions for hospitals prove to have great opportunities in Cambodia, Indonesia, Senegal and Kenya.

Bao revealed that his company is going to sign a contract worth 1 million USD with an ASEAN company on an ERP solution.

Until July 2013, FPT IS could earn 5-7 million USD only from the IT solution exports. However, the turnover has been increasing rapidly since then. The company hopes to obtain contracts worth 150 million USD by the end of 2014.

It is obvious that exporting software and penetrating the world market is the way Vietnam needs to follow, because Vietnamese branded exports would bring the values much higher than the exports of outsourced products.

With outsourcing contracts, Vietnam can earn only 10 percent of turnover. Meanwhile, it can earn 90 percent of the total value of the contracts for Vietnamese branded solutions.

In other words, the sum of money Vietnam can earn from exporting 100 million USD worth of IT products would be equal to the money it earns from the 1 billion USD outsourcing contracts.

However, while Vietnamese firms keep optimistic with their plan to conquer the world market, they feel reluctant in Vietnam.

“Why have Vietnamese technology firms been highly appreciated overseas, but disregarded in Vietnam?” Chu Tien Dung, Chair of Quang Trung Software Park, questioned at a recent conference discussing the opportunities for Vietnamese IT.

“Vietnamese IT firms always have to persuade other Vietnamese businesses: 'Believe us',” Dung added.

The director of a technology firm admitted that it is easier to “look for jobs” in the world market than in Vietnam.

“It always takes time, efforts to persuade domestic clients to use our services,” he said.