Thousands of Vietnamese students climbed trees or pushed against barricades to give Microsoft founder Bill Gates a pop star's welcome in Hanoi on Saturday.
The world's richest man spent the day in the impoverished Southeast Asian country, which has the highest rate of fake software sold in the world, according to trade groups.
He signed an agreement with the Ministry of Finance to make it the first arm of the government to use licensed software in its systems. Vietnam wants to join the World Trade Organisation and will have to abide by intellectual property agreements.
"That licence is concrete proof of government commitment to strengthen the awareness and the activities around intellectual property," Gates said as his first trip to Vietnam ended with a visit to a rural village in Bac Ninh province 30 km east of the capital, Hanoi.
Thousands of residents of Tam Son commune of 11,000 people lined the dirt road in front of the community building that also houses a new post office. They clambered on walls and roofs to watch the Gates, dressed in a suit and tie, stroll in.
With annual per capita income of $640, few Vietnamese can afford software packages and pirated versions sell for a dollar.
In Tam Son commune, Microsoft, Vietnam Ministry of Post and Telematics and two of its sister companies announced a pay-by-instalment package costing $200 over 24 months to own a PC, software and Internet connection. A Microsoft spokeswoman said the packages were introduced to encourage the use of licensed software instead of copies.
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