Information and Communications Technology

Information and communication technology (ICT) is helping to transcend geographic boundaries across the Greater Mekong Subregion.

More and more people have access to phones and the internet, enabling individuals, communities, and businesses to connect and collaborate as never before. The countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) recognize the importance of investing in ICT to improve productivity and efficiency, build knowledge-based economies, and reduce poverty.

Under the GMS Program, cooperation in this sector has contributed to a subregional “information superhighway” based on interconnected telecommunications infrastructure. The countries are now leveraging ICT to make the GMS more economically integrated and competitive.

In 2015, the GMS Cross-Border E-Commerce Cooperation Platform was established, followed a year later by the GMS E-Commerce Business Alliance. Together, these two initiatives are boosting intraregional trade through policy exchanges, enterprise interaction, and capacity building.

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Summary of Proceedings

Contact Persons


Focal Persons at the Asian Development Bank

  • Pinsuda Alexander 
    Regional Cooperation and Integration Unit
    Southeast Asia Department 

  • Arun Ramamurthy 
    Transport Sector Office
    Sectors Group

Other Concerned Staff & Consultants

  • Lucia Martin Casanueva
    Regional Cooperation and Integration Unit
    Southeast Asia Department/GMS Secretariat 

Send inquiries to GMS Secretariat


Viet Nam Industry 4.0 Summit 2021 Promotes Industrialization and Modernization in the Digital Age

The Viet Nam Industry 4.0 Summit 2021 highlighted the creation of a sustainable socioeconomic recovery and growth in Viet Nam in the post-COVID-19 era, and promoted industrialization and modernization in the digital age.  

Mr. Andrew Jeffries, Country Director for ADB Viet Nam Resident Mission, joined the plenary discussion on post-pandemic economic recovery and digital transformation as a new vehicle for green recovery on 5 December 2021.  


ADB-UNIDO Workshop Emphasizes Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in Cambodia

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation and the Ministry of Economic and Finance of the Government of Cambodia, held a virtual discussion on the status of Cambodia’s fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and pathways for the country’s transformation to this new industrial model by 2030 on 7-8 December 2021.  


Chay Lap Farmstay in Phuc Trach commune, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province. The community-based tourism area was first supported by the GMS Sustainable Tourism Development Project funded by ADB. The People's Committee of Quang Binh province allowed it to partner with Oxalis Adventure Tours in order to upgrade the Farmstay to a four-star service. Photo by ADB

Viet Nam Eyes Development of Rural Tourism Powered by Digital Technology

Viet Nam is eyeing the development of rural tourism—such as community-based tourism, agricultural tourism, and ecotourism—backed by digital transformation.  

Viet Nam has around 365 rural tourism spots and more than 2,000 traditional craft villages with potential for development under rural tourism.  


ADB-supported Event Promotes Cross-border Trade between India and GMS Countries

Trade promotion agencies of Cambodia, India, Thailand, and Viet Nam held an event promoting cross-border trade connectivity between India and countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) on 19 August. Representatives from each country gave briefings on their business environment and exchanged experiences in facilitating trade and investment cooperation. Noting challenges caused by COVID-19, they urged governments to take measures to help their small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) move beyond national borders and expand markets.


Meeting photo via Viet Nam Plus

Second Mekong-U.S. Partnership Ministerial Meeting Underscores U.S. Commitment to the Subregion

The second Mekong-U.S. Partnership Ministerial Meeting held on 2 August 2021 unveiled four flagship projects under the Mekong-U.S. Partnership, and noted the 8.5 million vaccine doses and over $58 million in U.S. COVID-19 assistance to the Mekong subregion countries.


Parks and scenic areas in Beijing, PRC, have taken measures to control the number of visitors and limit them to 40% of the same period of previous years. Photo by ADB.

Fourth Meeting of the GMS Urban Development Working Group

The Fourth Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Urban Development Working Group (UDWG-4) was held via web-based conferencing on 17 December 2020. Mr. Xu Jianping, Director General, Department of Regional Opening-up, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), chaired the meeting with Mr.


Southeast Asia Development Symposium (SEADS) 2021: Innovation through Collaboration: Planning for Inclusive Post-COVID-19 Recovery

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and its partners will collectively zero in on strategies and policy responses that countries can adopt to lay the groundwork for post-COVID-19 recovery at the upcoming Southeast Asia Development Symposium (SEADS) Innovation through Collaboration: Planning for Inclusive Post-COVID-19 Recovery


A garment industry worker at a regional training center in the Siem Reap city, Siem Reap province.

Industry 4.0 Could Have Transformational Impact on Skills and Jobs in Cambodia — ADB Study

Cambodia should consider developing industry transformation maps in key sectors to enable the transition to the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) with adequate investment in skills development for new and repositioned jobs, according to a new study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).