Overview of Internet in Vietnam:
The Vietnamese
government has announced plans to increase the country’s
Internet penetration to 35% by 2010, according to a report by
news agency AFP dated February 20, 2006. The country, which
currently has around ten million internet users, equating to a
penetration rate of 12%, will inject VND100.5 trillion (USD6.3
billion) into the internet market by 2010 in order to meet its
target. It expects the telecoms sector to generate revenues of up
to VND55 trillion (USD3.5 billion) per annum in the same
period.
The Vietnam Internet Network Information Center (VNNIC) is a
not-for-profit affiliation to the Ministry of Posts & Telematics
(MPT), established on February 28th, 2000 to carry out the functions
of managing, allocating, supervising and promoting the use of Internet
domain names, addresses, and autonomous system number (ASN) in Vietnam;
providing Internet-related guidance, statistics; and joining international
activities on Internet.
The Internet Penetration Rate in Vietnam reached 16% as of June 2006,
higher than the average global usage rate (15.7%), reported the HCM City’s
Computer Association. High demand is driving the development of the Internet,
with the number of subscribers and users increasing 86% and 80% respectively
over last year. Now fully halfway through 2006, the number of Internet users
hit 13,000,000; nearly 6,000,000 more than the same period of last year.
A recent report by market research company TNS has identified the
10 top consumer trends in the last decade and their impact on the country.
The report says the Vietnamese are spending far more than ever before on
entertainment, high-tech consumer goods, and health and beauty products.
These trends, among others, follow the major societal and economic transformations
that have taken place in Vietnam in the last 10 years. Among the Top 10 trends,
TNS found the following:
1 - Health and Well-being: Vietnamese have a holistic notion of health, seeing it
as an essential feature of their lives. The desire to provide more comfort and
quality for one's family has driven the trend toward a healthier diet and new product choices.
2 - Fashion and Beauty: Ten years ago, fewer than 10 per cent of Vietnamese women
wore make-up regularly, but today nearly 80 per cent do so.
3 - Personal hygiene and care has become one of the largest industries in and
continues to expand.
4 - Growth is being driven heavily by females who have healthy incomes, more help
with family responsibilities, and newfound personal and professional freedom.
5 - Many women are in the forefront of decision-making and are having a huge impact
on society - as providers at home, as leaders in the boardroom, and as reformers in
the stateroom.
Source: Vietnam Net Bridge.
Internet News from Vietnam:
HA NOI January, 2007 – The Viet Nam Data
Comunication Company (VDC) reported 140,061 new subscribers to its MegaVNN
Internet services last year, 200 per cent over its target. The new subscribers
increased VDC's market share in broadband internet market to 46 per cent.
HCM City January, 2007 – The US software giant Microsoft will establish its
first information technology training center at the Post and Telecommunication
Technologies Institute in Ha Noi. Under a recent five-year Memorandum of
Understanding, the center will train students from the Institute to use
Microsoft's certificate system while fostering lecturers and students IT skills.
The center comes as part of Microsoft's commitment to help develop
Viet Nam's post and telematics sector.
HCM City January, 2007 – "Computer doctors" can now attend "medical school"
at Nguyen Hoang Informatics newly opened iSPACE training centre for computer
technicians. The iSPACE center, which receives technical support from the
University of Information Technology, opened its doors this month. Participants
can pay VND3.6 million (US$225) for a 6-month hardware course and VND6.9 million
($430) for an 8-month course in network security.
Source: Info Bytes - Vietnam News.
Vietnam Internet and Telecommunications
Reports
Vietnam - Mobile, Broadband and Digital Media,
Analysis and Statistics Report
The Vietnamese government is finally addressing
the restructure of the state-owned telecom conglomerate VNPT. After numerous false starts
and a variety of proposals, it finally decided to hive off MobiFone from the state-owned
parent and eventually sell shares via an IPO. The process is now irreversible. Read the report
summary.
Vietnam Mobile Infrastructure, Operators,
Statistics and Analysis Vietnam’s mobile market has grown strongly
over the last decade, evidence that the competition model the government has put in place,
although with some limitations, has been working. At the same time, demand for new mobile
services appeared to have dropped and growth had generally slowed. There has been a gradual
shift to value added services, with the arrival of 3G and 3G+ and ahead of the launch of 4G.
Read the report
summary.
Vietnam Fixed Broadband,
Digital Economy and Digital Media, Statistics and Analysis
Having come late to the internet, Vietnam has only recently
been exploring the options to be found in higher access speeds. The initial roll-out of fixed
broadband services was followed by a strong surge in growth; however, broadband remained
a small but expanding market segment. Read the report
summary.