Vietnam developed Asia's first microcomputer in 1976

In late 1976, researchers at the Institute of Computing and Control (now the Institute of Information Technology under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology) successfully developed the FT8080, also known as the VT80. This microcomputer was the third of its kind in the world and the first in Asia.

Developed under difficult conditions characterized by resource shortages and embargoes, the team used manual assembly and limited components to create the compact desktop machine, which served as a precursor to modern personal computers. This achievement followed the era of massive mainframe systems in Vietnam, such as the Soviet-aided Minsk-22 and the Polish-made ODRA-1304, which operated out of a specialized computer bunker in Hanoi.