HANOI, Vietnam — Thousands of cheering Vietnamese students welcomed Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates on Saturday with a raucous adulation normally reserved for rock stars.
The excitement that greeted Gates during his first visit to Vietnam reflects the communist country's eagerness to follow the route of high-tech meccas like India and its belief that he can help pave the way.
During a speech at the close of his whirlwind, daylong tour, Gates said the country has the potential to become one of the Asian "miracle" economies by investing in its young people.
Earlier in the day, thousands of students, some perched in trees and others on balconies, lined up outside the auditorium at the Hanoi University of Technology to catch a glimpse of Gates as he came to speak on the future of technology.
His arrival sparked momentary pandemonium as students swarmed his entourage, pushing against security barricades.
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After a standing ovation, Gates told his audience that with a world connected through the Internet, "someone's opportunity is not determined so much by geography but by the educational investment you make.
His image projected on giant TV screens beside the podium, Gates later took questions from the young audience of about 1,000 inside the auditorium as well as thousands of others watching him on a big screen outside.
Vietnam is keen to jump-start its high-tech sector, which got a big boost earlier this year when the world's largest chipmaker, Intel Corp., announced plans to build a $300 million assembly plant in Ho Chi Minh City.
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