The Government of Vietnam acknowledgesthe benefits of Information and Communication Technologies(ICT) in its various applications, as a means to developeconomic diversification, foster competitiveness, increaseproductivity, and improve the efficiency and capability ofinstitutions on a governmental level. The increasingavailability to information and communication technologieshas improved citizens access to information across thedifferent economical sectors. ICT is therefore considered asa crucial catalyst to poverty reduction through thefacilitation of information flow between citizens,businesses, and the government. Furthermore, it isconsidered that ICT ensures a better allocation ofresources, service delivery, and acts as a value-creator forpoor populations through the creation of new sources ofemployment and income. The results of this study willprovide basis for discussion between the World Bank and theGovernment on concrete steps regarding how the Bank'sfinancial assistance can best meet the country's needand support the implementation of the Government'splans in this important area. This consultancy is beingundertaken as an initial part of a larger technicalassistance project whose overall objective is to support theGovernment of Vietnam in the improvement of itsprovincial/local telecommunications and informationinfrastructure and services; it is undertaken in the contextof public administrative reforms and decentralization byanalyzing options of sustainable implementation arrangements.