Tuan said SMEs account for about 95 percent of the city's 117,000 enterprises, but only a quarter of them had annual plans for IT application, while only about 7 percent had internal regulations for information security.

He said a survey conducted by the department this year showed that almost all SMEs had installed devices for Internet connection and anti-virus programmes, but few used systematic information security solutions.

The enterprises spent about 0.15 to 0.3 percent of their revenue on IT application, primarily on devices and internet services, according to the survey.

They spent less money on upgrading software programmes and data management.

More than 90 percent of surveyed enterprises use free e-mail accounts.

Le Van Loi, Head of the Institution of Information Technology for Business under the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said local enterprises prefer to spend money on input materials, labour wages and operation costs rather than IT application.

Loi said IT application is essential for modern enterprises to conduct business effectively. He added that it is necessary to conduct a national survey on IT application among businesses, which would provide a basis for developing strategic solutions.

Nguyen Thi Bich Hang, Chief of Accounting at Nhat Cuong Trading and Technical Service Ltd Co., said accountant programmes have helped the company reduce labour and handle work quickly and precisely.

Previously, the company needed 13 accountants to manage invoices and transactions at 13 stores, which transferred data to the head office. The chief accountant manually computerised the data.

Now, the company needs only four accountants, thanks to the use of an accounting programme.

Nguyen Kim Cuong, Vice General Director of CMC Software Ltd Co., said the company launched a programme to manage notarised documents, and thus minimise risks.

The cloud computing programme helps notary officers to avoid duplicate transactions with an asset, as well as falsified authorisation contracts, Cuong said.

He said some customers have been unhappy with the notary services in Vietnam, which have been described as time-consuming with inconsistent procedures and slow data-sharing.

The online management of notary documents could fix the shortcomings, he said.

VNA