According to http://www.internetworldstats.com, Vietnam now ranks 6th in Asia in the number of Internet users. In South East Asia, it only goes after Malaysia and Singapore for penetration rate.

NET USAGE SOARS, NEARS LOCAL CAPACITY

Growth in Internet usage in Vietnam is soaring, outpacing even the global rate with further expansion limited by IT infrastructure, capital and trained technicians, said industry experts.

The rate of Internet users in Vietnam reached 16% to June of this year, 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 million, nearly 6 million more than the same period last year.

State-run Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), the country's biggest Internet, provider holds a market share of 43.1%, followed by FPT Telecom and Viettel.

Le Truong Tung, chairman of the HCM City Computer Association said that despite the increasing use of the Internet among private citizens. Information Technology (IT) usage indexes among society as a whole have not fared as well compared to global rates. He attributed the lagging IT usage to comparisons made with the global IT explosion over the last 12 months, as well as limited IT infrastructure, lack of capital and skilled computer staff.

US tech giant IDC and the World Times incorporated computer, Internet, telecom, and social infrastructures to calculate the Information Society Index (ISI) for the first half of 2006, ranking Vietnam in 53rd position, dropping one from last year, the association said.

Vietnam's Network Readiness Index (NRI) was 75th, seven lower than last year (68), based on contributions and benefits of a country from the development of the IT industry.

The domestic e-Government Index was 105th, seven positions up from last year (112th), based on the increased application of administrative reforms to help State agencies save time and money in serving the general public.

The IT industry last year earned an export value of US$1.4 billion, up 59% compared with 2004, chiefly from wholly foreign-invested companies.

Last year also saw strong growth in software exports, with an export turnover of $70 million, an increase of 55.5% from 2004./.

thats an impressive news...thats must be at least in Top20 in the world...btw,...
"In 2006 alone, 10mil new mobile subscribers connected to the network, raising the total number of mobile subscribers to 22mil so far, which reflects a very high telecommunications growth rate."

--> http://english.vietnamnet.vn/tech/2006/12/648164/

...hopefully we will be in Top3 in 2010!!!

It ranks 15th in the world, even higher than in Australia.

16 million out of a population of 84 million! That still sucks. It should be at least 30 million, then it would be cool!

It doubled every year since 2001, so maybe in 2009 we will have the stable rate of 60%.

16 million out of a population of 84 million! That still sucks. It should be at least 30 million, then it would be cool!


My hometown only 90 km from Hanoi but there only one cafe internet which 3 km from the village. And the farmer here don't need internet and almost of them don't even know what is Internet! How can U require the number of 30 when near 80% VN population still are farmer! :ohno:

Người sử dụng internet ở Vn bây giờ vẫn chủ yếu với mục đích Thứ nhất game Online thứ 2 là chat chit, những mục đích còn lại là thiểu số! Có chăng chia sẻ dữ liệu như nhạc, phim ảnh và xxx là còn có một chút đóng góp cho sự phát triển của ineternet! Chấm hết

16 million out of a population of 84 million! That still sucks. It should be at least 30 million, then it would be cool!

Hey Siddude,

I just came back from a 4 week trip in VN... the Internet sucks... Internet shops scatter through out the city but mostly used by travelers... As wulizhong mentioned above, most kids spend time playing online game which does NOTHING to proliferate the Internet usage.

Anyway, I met over 100 people along the way... One thing I know for sure now that most of the commie sympathizers on this board is just a bunch of wannabe... NO ONE like the commie machine... they hate commie to their guts... I even met and befriended with a Captain in the navy, let just call him Mr. Five since I promissed not to reveal what we'd frankly discussed. He mentioned that a lot of the people joining the party because of survival... Particularly, the people army is sick to the core with the rampant corruption that's currently run the country by the criminal enterprise aka the communist party. EVERYONE HATES CÔNG AN!!! They all wish the commie party just disappears tomorrow...

Don't take some of these wannabe serious...

I think the youth in the country is the most dynamic and entrepreneurial bunch that I've seen in my life... The hardcore old guards will eventually lose their grip and time will take them off one by one. The intellectual young guys and gals will bring VN out of darkness...

That's what I see with my own eyes.

--Capee

^^ No one? You've been in Vietnam for how many weeks? some people here live there and others have lived their live significantly. And of course, people are mistrust of cong an. They're the most corrupted people in Vietnam, but the thing is so are most Americans who are hating on cops. Cong an is not a representative of the government, but just a police branch of the government. I highly doubt that a lot of young people you met want to topple the current government. Most don't, they just dislike the fact that the government is still very corrupted.

Now if you visit Vietnam during football games or something, you'll see most teens are proudly sporting vietnamese flags. They just want to live and thrive, the last thing they want to do is topple the government and create chaos.

The funny thing is the people who hold the most grudges is the Vietnamese refugees, and it's understandable. However, when you talk to people in Vietnam, you should realize that to understand them is TO BECOME THEM. After all, you're just another viet kieu. If you haven't realized this, but the young entrepeneurs had moved on from the war and from the fact that their nation's idealistic ideology is communist. For them , for us, and for me Vietnam is Vietnam. Nothing more, nothing less.

^^ ...I highly doubted that a lot of young people you met want to topple the current government. Most don't, they just dislike the fact that the government is still very corrupted.

wantuhoa,

Where did I say the youngs want to topple the government? Let me spell it out for you, They W I S H.. Please read and understand what I wrote.

As I said the wannabe on this board will defend at all cost to anyone criticize the communist party...

--Capee

^^ that means there are not just one view of every situation. For someone who loves democracy and freedom so much, why are you shunning other people's perspective?

Maybe because you barely live in Vietnam, selectively met with people who also happen to live in the same geographic area, that doesn't mean you have the right to represent the view of vietnamese youth. In fact your argument is fallacious because of the hasty generalization. The fact is you're trying to speak up for a whole group of people (Vietnamese youth) , but you just met up and conversed with some of them for how long?

For example, there are a lot of people who love Viet kieu and some girls who just want to marry one so they can come to America, but there are a bunch more of people who dislike Viet kieu because they're too arrogant, but that doesn't mean that the Vietnamese youth totally despise Viet Kieu and vice versa.

wantuhoa,

I'm glad that you're just a perfect example what I mentioned about this board. I just proved my point. For that, I THANK YOU...

--Capee

^ IT's ok. I represent the fact that Vietnamese youth are diverse and polarized people who have different views, and the fact that We have no grudges with others, and we don't overtly despise others. I like the fact that I don't label others just because I have different views. I like the fact that for a "commie wannabe", I actually represent "freedom" and "democracy", while people who love "freedom" and "democracy" so much can have such a dictating authoriative tone.

Capee you should meet and talk with those young people from Hanoi who don't hesitate calling themselves a communist. You won't find it much harder ending up in a decent talk like the one we have here. "No one like the commie machine" is a biggest assumption here, and i'm sad to tell you that it's terribly Wrong. Say, if no one like it anymore, i bet you it will disintegrate tomorrow you can watch it on the news. Well maybe you shouldn't meet them at all coz it will make you (and them) to hold more grudge towards each other.

I understand that VN is still predominantly rural and agriculture therefore it has low internet penetration. I was just making an observation nothing more. I just wish it was higher like in 30 million range. We are witnessing the Information Revolution right now just as the Industrial Revolution transformed the world.

BTW, Japan and South Korea are, in some aspects, so much more advance in their infrastructure and their use of IT than the US or the rest of the world. Broadband penetration in ROK is phenomenal.

capee
let me reasure you this.......vietnamese kids growing up in America either they hate communism to the guts or they simply don't care...they don't care about politics,

but the ones who times and times again supporting and acknowledging the communist and Vn governement. I tell ya..... I have serious doubts like Nguyend's suspected...must be VC students study oversea.

because we all know what the majority think and who they are,,,, us....we are showing our face to the public, not just "talk" over the internet like this.
Take Tran van truong for example....the dude actually had the gut to stand up but got disowned by his family and created a mass protest in California. the people who argue with us like this, they don't show their faces and supporting the government infront of the crowd. they don't...they supporting the government on skyscrapercity.com and they're telling us they're from america

n/a

"they want your money"... i'm not trying to tlk down about them...just keep your mind open about it

btw: i'm nuetral about all type of gov...and every system has its own good and bad sides

skidlin,

You assumed... and I don't have to tell ya what assumed meant, do I? The people that I met included several bus drivers and their assistants which I paid a whopping 4000VND for most trips... Mr. Fifth, who was a Commander in the VN Navy, they got NOTHING from me...

Yeah, I gave my childhood body money but I do know him quite well, thank you...

You said you're neutral... You don't have to worry, the readers on this board will judge you!!!

--Capee

I agree with wulizhong on his comment regarding internet use in Vietnam. I think a lot of them are there for chat or games, unfortunately. Come to think of it, most teenagers here in the U.S. are probably doing the same thing (and Vietnamese internet users are mostly young and are still in their teens).

Surfing the net requires understanding of English and if that is the only thing the internet users in Vietnam get to pick up, I guess that is still a good thing then!

Welcome back, Capee! Hope your trip was an enjoyable one? (didn't seem like one from the sound of it!)

I think the "100 people" you talked to are those in the South, right?! It would be no surprises because southerners, especially those who had lived under the VNCH regime, are still resisting the current regime to some degree. SaiGoNeseKiD is correct when he mentioned about Hanoi (or northern) people. Communist is the only government they have known. Some like it and some don't, depending where they are in society. The poor people wish to be better regardless of what kind of government they will have. If their lives were going to be better with a change of government, they wouldn't think twice about throwing out the current system. But to say that they hate communism "to their guts" (like you and Mr. Bang stated) is perhaps overly exxagerated!

Joining the communist party has its own priviledges. I have relatives who are party members who joined just to get those priviledges and no more than that. They care more about making money in the new economy than politics, even if they are communist party members. I think this is true for most young Vietnamese in VN. They couldn't care less about politics or one form of government or another. One thing they appreciate is the peace that they are enjoying in a country that was constantly at one war after another throughout Vietnam's modern history. This reflects in a survey done recently on how Vietnamese people are so optimistic about their future as compared to all nations of the world. Hating the communist government -- their own government -- "to the guts" would have resulted in a lower level of optimism, don't you think? (Unless they see the collapse of that government around the corner and they are betting on a better future when they are doing the survey!)

I share that optimism with the Vietnamese people, perhaps even more than many of them. I see changes for the better and that IS good! The young generation will control the fate of the nation while the old dies off. The young generation has no baggage to hold them back (in contrast to the one from Canada who is ...bedridden with hatred :-) ) and this generation will choose whatever form of government it wishes to maintain. If the communist party can keep changing to provide better leadership, it will have its shining place in the history of Vietnam. And I think for its survival, it has no choice but to do better. Let's hope so!

yeah cappe can you tell a certain someone from california with many kids that his diamond crown and sceptor will arrive to him very shortly.

and the way he ended his speech is so weak and frighten for Vietnam "lets hope so"

because with me someone cool from canada....usually I end my speech with something very firm like we will be a super power and will lead asia, and that's a promise

Welcome back, Capee! Hope your trip was an enjoyable one? (didn't seem like one from the sound of it!)



Hi famster,

Yes, I had such a nice trip. No, it's really wonderful... I wouldn't hesitate doing it again. Anyway, I met people across the spectrum. They're all over the country, North and South both... They took me in open arm that made me feel absolutely "home" again. Something I wouldn't expect!!!

I know that most of you here believe in the communist party feel offended... so be it. That's NOT what I've got from knowing the poor guys on the street to the riches...

Anyway, some of the most obnoxious people are the commie party offsprings... I met a bunch of these elitists in Hanoi night clubs... Their behaviors tell me that they're deep in DRUG culture... ver sad. At the same time, their parents demand a drug free society!!!

As I said, I have more respect now and I'm very hopeful for the future of Vietnam with the young people that I met along the way...

--Capee

yeah cappe can you tell a certain someone from california with many kids that his diamond crown and sceptor will arrive to him very shortly.

and the way he ended his speech is so weak and frighten for Vietnam "lets hope so"

because with me someone cool from canada....usually I end my speech with something very firm like we will be a super power and will lead asia, and that's a promise

Hey bang,

I'm with ya... Vietnam will rise from the ash again... I believe more in the Vietnamese in VN than anybody on this board. I couldn't careless if anyone offended...

--Capee

Hey Capee and Bang! Feel free to say anything you want on here. If people cannot tolerate a divergent view different from one's own view, then all I can say is that they are insecure about criticism and insecure about the validity or virtue of that view. In order for a person to be able to learn is to first have an open mind.

^^ Mind you, Capee is the one who shuns other people's view.