By logging on to elangviet.com, agricultural workers will be able to get information on, for example, plant diseases or the best way to build a house, in a simple question-and-answer format.

"I want to launch a user-friendly website for farmers, who might not be particularly computer savvy, that will allow them to access information easily through the internet," said Vo Tong Xuan, rector of An Giang University in the southern province of An Giang.

Furthermore, even if farmers are not hooked up to the internet, half the post offices in the country provide public access to computers.

"Once farmers realise the usefulness of the internet they will try to use it as much as possible," said Xuan.

He added that the State should encourage farmers to use the internet more so that they can compete more effectively internationally following the country’s entry into the Word Trade Organisation.

The university plans to launch the website in September.