Apparently there's lots of software piracy in Vietnam, and wow, do they have a great way to fix this problem! From siliconvalley.com: Vietnam embracing open-source products.
"We are trying step by step to eliminate Microsoft," said Nguyen Trung Quynh of Vietnam's Ministry of Science and Technology. Quynh and other government tech officials want Vietnam to be on the cutting edge of an international movement to embrace open-source software -- products that can be downloaded from the Internet for free and perform the same tasks as Microsoft Windows or Office.
The initiative is Vietnam's solution to software piracy, a rampant problem that threatens to derail the country's economic aspirations.
Vietnam implemented a trade agreement with the United States in 2001 that requires the government to bring down the piracy rate. And the government also needs to do that to meet its goal of joining the World Trade Organization by 2005.
Microsoft Windows and Office cost at least $140 in Vietnam -- way out of reach for most people, where the per capita annual income is roughly $420.
The economic logic of using software that's free is hard to resist, and more and more countries seem willing to take a chance on it. [continue]
Related:
Linux - a free operating system
Open Office - a free office software suite (Word processor, spreadsheet, etc)
Houston's alternative to Microsoft Office