Digital Media in Vietnam
Vietnam, remembered best by the Western world at once as the site of terrible wars and a pleasingly
backward society with 'the hidden charm', is now one of the rapidly emerging economies of Asia. This
significant change was notably brought about by the free market economic reformation in 1986 - known
as Đổi Mới - allowed by the socialist government, the Vietnam Communist Party. As Vietnam's economy
develops, so do the attitudes and mindsets of the people. When global influences enter the country and
commercialism takes a foothold, the population becomes more urbanised, leading to increased use of
digital devices and the Internet. Though Vietnam still digitally lags behind other Asian countries - the
Internet only available from 1997
[1]
- the convenience of modern technology has led to rapid adoption in
the local market, opening up opportunities for companies to reach consumers via the World Wide Web.

Contents
[hide]
 1 Digital Literacy
o 1.1 Internet
o 1.2 Mobile
 2 Digital Media Platforms
o 2.1 Blogs
o 2.2 Microblogging
o 2.3 Social Networking Sites
o 2.4 Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) / Forums
o 2.5 Instant Messaging
o 2.6 Video-Sharing Websites
o 2.7 Search Engines
o 2.8 Others
 3 Traditional Media
o 3.1 Impacts of Digital Media
o 3.2 Business
 3.2.1 Digital Marketing
 3.2.2 Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
o 3.3 Society
 3.3.1 Government
 3.3.2 Economy
 3.3.3 Environment
 3.3.4 Regulations
 4 Controversies
o 4.1 Intellectual Rights Infringement
o 4.2 Government Online Monitoring & Involvement
 5 Recommendations
o 5.1 Future Outlook of Digital Media in Vietnam
o 5.2 5 Strategies for Digital Media Marketing
o 5.3 5 Social Media Blogs To Follow
 6 Hear from the Experts

o 6.1 Miss. Thu An Ha - 360 Digital Influence Strategist - Ogilvy & Mather Group Vietnam
o 6.2 Miss. Binh Nguyen - Blogger of Uselessmarketing.com
o 6.3 Mr. Chandler Nguyen - Digital Marketing Blog (SG&SEA)
o 6.4 Mr. Vuong Quang Khai - Vice-President of VNG Corporation
 7 Case Studies
o 7.1 Valentine of the Century - Closeup (Unilever)
o 7.2 Yo!Party
 8 References
Digital Literacy
Internet
Internet Penetration
Vietnam has 26.8 million internet users within a population of 86.5 million by the end of 2010. It has an
estimated online penetration of 31%, and can be seen as one of the emerging markets in Asia. In the
Vietnam NetCitizens Study 2011 conducted by Cimigo, nearly 56% of its urban population area are
already connected to the internet, with Hanoi leading at 64% internet penetration rate.
[3]
.
Remarkably, this puts Vietnam in an unique position as it has become one of the fastest growing internet
country in the region and in the world. In terms of internet growth rate, Vietnam has has topped the Asia
Pacific region with a staggering 12,035% growth over the past 10 years from 2000-2010. This is followed
by second-placed China with a growth rate of 1767% and India with 1520%
[4]
.

Demographics
Internet users in Vietnam are significantly younger than the internet users from many other countries in
this region. 38% of the internet users aged from 15-24 years old forming the predominant group of
internet users in Vietnam followed by 33% of them from the age group of 25-34 years old. Also it is said
that 95% of the 15-24 years old population in Vietnam are already connected to the internet, hinting a
bright prospects of the future digital media usage in Vietnam.
[6]
.
Usage Frequency and Length

The usage frequency of the internet is very high in Vietnam. Nearly 90% of internet users access the
internet more than once a week, and about 60% use it daily. Only a small minority of internet users (8%)
use the internet less than once a week.
[8]
.
As for length, the Vietnamese spend more time online than most of their Asian peers, averaging 23.2
hours per month as at end of 2010. The average Vietnamese would spend an average of 2 hours and 20
minutes online during the weekdays, and slightly less during the weekends. This is especially prevalent in
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City where nearly 50% of the population spends an average of more than 2hours
online per day.
[9]
.
Places of Online Access
Vietnamese users are online most frequently at home (78%), followed by at work (31%) and at an internet
shop or cyber café (26%). In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, access from home is more common than in
other cities, while internet cafes are more frequently visited by young age groups and lower socio-
economic classes.
[10]
.
Telecommunications Development
As of end 2010, Vietnam has more than 3.6 million fixed broadband subscribers, and this represented a
strong leap of 200% from the number of subscribers in 2007.
[11]
. Although the fixed broadband
penetration rate remained relatively low at about 6% of the population, it is estimated to increase to 16%
by 2015.
[12]
. This may signify potential strong growth in the number of internet users for the coming years.
Quality of internet usage would also improve greatly for the coming years as the Ministry of Information
and Communication has already started to look into the development of 4G.
[13]
.

Online Activities
The list on the left shows the ranking of various internet activities that Vietnamese engaged in. The
Vietnamese use the internet mainly for information gathering so much so that Vietnamese internet users
average about 30million searches per day.
[15]
It is interesting to note that internet users in Vietnam are
perhaps more inclined towards being a spectator than a creator as 46% of them visit forums but only 18%
of them post onto the forum. Likewise, 31% of the internet users visit blogs but only 20% of them write a
blog. Users from the younger age group (15-24 years old) are more active than all other age groups for all
the activities except Use for News, Email, Shopping/Auctions and E-banking.
[16]
.
.
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Mobile
The Vietnam telecommunications in general and its mobile market is one of the most dynamic markets in
the region. The mobile market has experienced an strong growth of 39.8% from 2009 to 2010, whereby

the number of mobile phone suscribers have increased up to 154 million.
[17]
. Amongst all the internet
users, nearly 40% of them have already accessed the internet via their mobile phone or smart phone.
[18]
.
The mobile penetration rate currently stands at 120%
[19]
and it is expected to pass the 200% mark in
2011, with a subscriber base of 184.49 million people.
[20]
.
Vietnam’s mobile market has been experiencing double digit growths due to the marketing efforts of the
country’s mobile operators. Its largest three operators are: Mobifone, Viettel and Vinafone, and their
market share totals over two thirds of the market.
Vietnam is also in the midst of developing its 3G infrastructure as the popularity for smartphones has
been rapidly increasing in the country. Six months after 3G services was first introduced into the market in
2009, only 3% of the mobile users signed up for the services. However, subscription rate jump up to 11%
of mobile users another six months following that. It is also estimated that the number of 3G users would
increase from approximately 8million in 2011 to 16million by 2014. This is in view that 98% of Vietnam
would have 3G coverage by end 2012.
[21]
.
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Digital Media Platforms
To understand the usage of digital media platforms and the behavior of Vietnamese people online, we
must bear in mind that majority of the internet users are very young, as compared to internet users in
other countries. Consequently, the activities they pursue online are reflective of their demographic,
interests and activities they pursue offline as well. According to the Vietnam NetCitizens Report 2011 by
Cimigo
[22]
, these activities are grouped into 5 categories:

1. Information Gathering
2. Online Entertainment
3. Online Communication
4. Blogging and Social Networks
5. Online Business
Due to the late start in internet penetration in Vietnam, there is still a way to go for social media to be fully
embraced by its Netizens. However, this also indicates a tremendous amount of potential and
opportunities that businesses and individuals can tap into.
Hence, given the remarkable internet growth rate in Vietnam, social media will continue to significantly
expand and provide great prospects for the online industry. However, it is also important to note that
instead of using the more common social media tools like Facbook and Twitter, Vietnam has its own
localized version of social media tools which could be a significant threat to its international counterparts.
More importantly, this would mean that it would be more difficult for marketers to decide on the right
digital channel to market their products in Vietnam as compared to marketing their products in other
countries.
Vietnam Social Media Landscape by Ogilvy 360

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Blogs
Blogging in Vietnam has grown alongside the growth of internet usage in Vietnam. Writing and visiting
blogs constitutes an important part of the internet lives of the Vietnamese, and takes up a substantial part
of their internet usage.
Nearly half of internet users have already visited blogs, forums and social networks, and blogs and
forums are mostly visited on a weekly basis. However, like in many countries, the average user takes a
more passive role in blogging, whereby out of the 30% of internet users who visit blogs, only 20% have a
blog of their own. Hence, blogs can be seen as a source of information for web browsers in Vietnam as
well.
[25]
Blogging is an activity usually associated with the youth in Vietnam. They actively visit and contribute to
blogs, forums and social networks - their usage rate is 50% higher than that of older age groups. They
contribute three times as often in blogs and forums compared to older users, and most of its contents are
reflections of their daily lives, events, gossip and personal thoughts. Differences in gender have also led
to differences in blog usage in Vietnam. Females are more often visiting and writing blogs, while visiting
and posting in forums is more popular with males.
[26]
Yahoo!360∘

The most popular blogging platform until 2009 was Yahoo! 360∘, where users could create blogs,
personal websites, share photos from Yahoo! Photos, create and share a public profile and see which
friends are currently online. At that time, there were more than 2 million Vietnamese who were Yahoo!
360∘users, and its usage topped that of Youtube, Myspace, Facebook etc. However, Yahoo announced
the closure of the Yahoo! 360∘website on 13 July 2009, and this made a big impact in the Vietnam
blogosphere.
[27]
Post Yahoo! 360∘ - Blogging declines
After the closure of Yahoo! 360∘, most bloggers migrated to platforms such as Wordpress, Zing, YuMe,
Clip.vn, Vietspace and even Facebook. While Yahoo reintroduced a new platform, Yahoo! 360∘Plus, it
never picked up on where its predecessor left off, and could not reclaim its dominance online.
Although it remained as the most important website for blogging, the penetration rate has decreased from
53% to 41%. At the same time, Facebook is catching up with Yahoo! 360∘Plus at 35% and with the
addition of a new local blogging website Blog360.vn, it could possibly affect the position of Yahoo!

360∘Plus.
[29]
A significant result of Yahoo! 360∘closure was the decline of blogging in Vietnam in 2009.
From 2007, there was a attributable decrease in the writing of blogs from 27% to 20%.
[30]
Another reason for the decline of blogging in Vietnam could be the government’s crackdown on politically
active blogs which threaten to undermine and discredit the government. In 2008, Hanoi passed a new law
prohibiting bloggers from creating posts the government claim incite violence or crime, undermine
national security, including inaccurate information that could damage the reputation of individuals and
organizations, or disclosure of state secrets.
[31]
The implementation of this law led to the arrests of a few
high profile Vietnamese bloggers due to their political and controversial blog posts.
As such, these events led to a decline in blogging and stagnation in growth of the blogosphere in
Vietnam. This has given rise to more popular online activities, such as social networking, forums and
online gaming.
Blogging Trends
Hot Bloggers
Aside from the myriad of personal blogs online, a new league of bloggers are gaining increased attention
and have turned blogging into a career in their status as a “hot blogger”. These blogs attract thousands of
hits a day, and have turned their owners into overnight stars who dictate greatly the trends and
entertainment news of the country.
Blogger Gao, who rose to fame after blogging about her thoughts about life, family and love, as well as
short stories which captured the interest of many Vietnamese netizens. Her rise to fame allowed her to
publish some of these short stories in a bestseller book, and she is now a PR manager of Vietnam Artist
Agency of famous actress Ngo Thanh Van.
[32]
Her Facebook fanpage shows that she has over 180,000
fans as of October 2011, and the number keeps growing as she continues to post entries on her blog.

Commercialisation of Blogs
As a result of the rise in “hot bloggers” in Vietnam, businesses have started to reach out to these bloggers
because of their strong fan following, high volume of site visits and high readership. As a result, they
become brand ambassadors or endorsers of new products introduced by these businesses, and are paid
to write and promote the brand on their blogs.
Blogger Robbey McNificent became popular after he began posting reviews of music albums and
blogging about the Vietnam Idol competition. His blog has since garnered over 4 million views, and he
now even hosts shows with other celebrities for media events in Vietnam. His readers are mostly young
adults, with 61% of them coming from the age of 18 to 24 years old.
[33]
A part of his job now is to
introduce new products that he likes and uses to his readers so to promote the brand and image of the
businesses behind it. This has proven to be very beneficial to his sponsors, especially for products
catered to the youth, as information about their products spread widely and rapidly to their target
audience.
Forecast
Due to the advent and popularity of social networking and online gaming sites, blogging is slowly losing
its precedence in Vietnamese Internet usage, especially as many web users continue to take a passive
stance in this activity. However, for bloggers who continue to post interesting and unique content on their
blogs, their commitment and creativity do get acknowledged in terms of readership and following. Hence,
the trend of “hot bloggers” and accordingly, advertising in blogs, will likely continue in the coming years -
as long as the audience remains interested instead of turning to other avenues for information and
entertainment.
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Microblogging

Current
Microblogging in Vietnam is still a relatively new concept, as opposed to blogging, visiting forums and
social networking online. Vietnamese people are still more familiar with the concept of updating their
profile status, like on social networking platforms such as ZingMe, rather than uploading small elements
of content on Microblogging platforms such as Twitter. As described by blogger Van Nguyen, the
“Vietnamese mind concept is not to be an individual but to always try to fit in a group or community”. This
is translated to their online behavior as “we love to play games, having fun in a certain community more
than quoting in 140 max characters."
[34]
Although there has been no statistics on the penetration rate and the number of twitter users in Vietnam,
it does not mean that the community is not growing. The top Microblogger in Vietnam Mr. Giải Pháp Số,
tweets about technology and social media related news and currently has more than 53,000 followers
under his Twitter account @giaiphapso. Microblogger Ben Chua, has a following of more than 6000
people on Twitter under the account@TwitVietnam. People follow his Twitter for local news in Vietnam,
as well as to connect with each other, as seen by their Tweet-ups that have taken place over the past few
years.
Twitter “clones” have also been developed in Vietnam to suit the local consumer’s Internet usage
preferences. For example, US-based software company VietTech Corporation has launched a beta

version of a social networking and Microblogging site, PingGadget.com. PingGadget allows users to
communicate with one another, stay connected to what is going on around them, and build custom
groups specific to their location and interests. It features jobs, classifieds, events, nightlife, music and
volunteering opportunities at various locations as well. It also has image and video uploading capacities,
but it does not provide a platform to support blogs.
[36]
Other Twitter "clones"
include Linkhay, Mimo and Ola Me.
Forecast
According to blogger TaiTran, there are ways to bring Twitter, or Twitter clones into the Vietnam market.
In his visual step-by-step guide
[37]
, Tai highlights that developers can learn lessons from the use of
Yahoo!360 Blast, and apply them to their own sites. It is important to educate Vietnamese netizens of
what microblogging is, before they can associate it as a concept different from online social networking,
and start adopting it in their online routine.
Future developers should also customize their services to the local market in, and incorporate familiar
features in their sites, so that there can be an easier transition from the idea of profile updates to
microblogging. For example, services such as instant messaging and profile pages can be included in
their sites, so that people can access and communicate with people using more functions at the same
place.
As such, while the trend of microblogging has yet to be picked up fully in Vietnam, there is a growing
potential in users here if people become more aware and educated about its concept and use. At the
same time they are should also be allowed to conduct their usual online activities on this platform, so that
it makes adopting the service into their online lifestyle easier.
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Social Networking Sites

Involvement
Although Vietnam has shown the highest growth in reach of 35% from 2009 to 2010, the penetration rate
of social network remains low at just 66%. This has also led to a 73% increased in the number of
Vietnamese sharing photos on social networking sites in the same years as they began to embrace the
sharing of photos with friends as part of the social networking experience.
[39]
]
In addition, the social networking scene in Vietnam is primarily occupied by the younger generation, who
are both more familiar with the Internet and open to new web developments - most local social networking
users are from 15 to 29 years old.
[40]
Overall, 72% of the population between 18 to 30 and 43% of older
population use social networking to interact with friends and family.
[41]
Though Vietnamese mobile use is
far lower than computer use, 48% of the population access social networking via computers, while 33%
access it via mobile.
[42]
The top three social networking platforms in Vietnam as of 2011 are the international Facebook,
Vietnamese ZingMe, and Go.vn. The three service sites are evaluated below:

Facebook ZingMe
Go.vn
Provider Facebook VNG Corporation
Vietnam Multimedia
Corporation
Main
Features
Status updates, comments,
notes, sharing
Similar to Facebook
Focus on social games and
integrated services[43]
Focus on education with
English Olympic Contest on
the Internet(IOE)from Ministry
of Education[44]
Perceived
Audience
83% from 18 to 34 years
old
24% from 13 to 15 years old,
39% from 18 to 24 years old
Younger students involved in
IEO contest
Language English Vietnamese Vietnamese
Comparative
advantage
Worldwide platform
Local presence.
Other integrated activities
(ZingMP3, ZingPlay and
leveraging on
the Vinagame gamers community.
First Vietnam-based platform with
open API[45]
Promoted by government
within National Development
Strategies for Information
Technology Communication
framework 2010-2020[46]
Disadvantage
Reported to having been
blocked intermittently in
Vietnam since 2009[47]
Perceived to have cluttered
interface and game-focused.[48]
Only access with full name
and ID numbers for IEO
contest.[49]
No open API platform.
Other
Influences
No local company presence
yet.
Application writing contest in
2010.[50]
Organising soft skills workshops
and other community
initiatives.[51]
IOE contest, which generated
1.5 million registered
accounts. [52]
Size (Feb
2011)
2.6 million users[53]
5 million users[54] 3 millions registered
accounts[55]
Forecast
According to Mr Bui Quang Minh (VCCorp), the social networking landscape in Vietnam in 2011 will be
the battle between Facebook, ZingMe and a few potential players like Go.vn, Kunkun.
[56]
However,

according to Google Double Click Ad Planner, there were 340 million visits to Facebook in January 2011,
a 70% decrease compared to December 2010.
[57]
This may be due to the fact that government's banned
on Facebook has caused it to be inaccessible 70% of the time. Although the data above has shown that
ZingMe is the most popular social network in Vietnam, there are other research which places Facebook
firmly at the top with apparently 70% of those social network users using Facebook. However, it remain
ambiguous as to how active these users are on Facebook.
[58]
]
But considering Facebook’s recent move to hire Mr. Huynh Kim Tuoc (former Google advisor for Vietnam
market) as Growth Manager for Vietnam market (Jan 2011),
[60][61]
the tables may be turned in its favor
again. Furthermore, FPT Vietnam's telecom giant recent partnership with Facebook in April 2011 may
indicate a positive direction for Facebook to be unblocked in the near future. The partnership allows FPT
to help promote and sell ads for Facebook with the possibility of even developing a Facebook application
for the Vietnam market.
[62]
This would mean that more companies would seek to gain an online presence
as well as connect to their customers via Facebook as even without an easy access to Facebook,
Vietnamese companies have already started to use it as a marketing tool.
[63]
.
Other trends will include the blossoming of social applications, especially game – related applications.
The list provided Other services on social networks will be an advantage for Vietnamese platforms that
have already had online payment channels like ZingXu (VNG – ZingMe) and vCoint(VTC- Go.vn)
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Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) / Forums
Snapshot
Forums were first created in Vietnam in the early 1990s. Forum participants are mostly from a very young
group (15-29 years old).
[64]
In fact, 20% of online users go to forums.
[65]
The oldest and biggest community
is TTVNOL which dates back to 1990s. Some of the biggest communities
are TTVNOL, Dienanh.net, DDTH, 5giay, Webtretho, truongton, Yeuamnhac.

Other noticeable issues about forum community in 2009-2010 include various reports of flaming.
Prominent cases include the scandal surrounding Mrs. Vietnam Contest. One of the contestant claimed
that there had been numerous degrading forum posts about her on Webtretho. The situation received
wide press coverage, and relevant authority was notified. However, no legal outcome was ruled on the
contestant’s behalf. In 2009, two members of TTVNOL forums were fined for flaming VNDirect, a stock
company, in the stocks discussion board of TTVNOL and the OTC Stocks forum. One of them was
identified as being from a competitor company.
[66]
Thus, forums have many implications for both the
corporate community and general society in Vietnam.
Corporate Utilization
Corporations have paid more attention to what is being said about them on community forums as word of
mouth generation from forum discussions is huge. For Webtretho, the most popular brand comparison
discussions are for milk and diary products, international schools and cosmetics, while it's IT products on
DDTH and other IT forums, and movies on Dienanh.net. The shift from white-collared experts to user
experts can be seen clearly. Opinion leaders are sought after because what they write matter to the
community and thus, their influence may spill over offline and affect consumers’ purchase decisions.
Many corporations have latched onto this trend and work in closer collaboration with forum moderators.
For example, Dienanh.net, a popular movie forum, has a section for promoting Lotte Cinema, a movie
theater chain. Webtretho has a roundtable section sponsored by brands like P/S (Unilever) and Dutch
Lady with regular contests, deals, and product counseling for the community members. Some websites
have organized offline events sponsored by firms in their respective fields - for example, Dienanh.net
members regularly receive coupons and invitations to movie screenings.
Comparison of Biggest Influencer Communities
Yeuamnhac
Dienanh.net
Webtretho DDTH
Focus Music Movies and actors
Household problems,
product recommendations
Techology software and
products
Target
audience
Music-loving
young generation
Movie addicts aged
from 15 to 25
Mothers and women
Students and IT-savvy
people
Industry
influenced
Entertainment Entertainment Consumer goods
IT, software, mobile
devices
Influence
medium
Online discussion,
forum's own YOA
music award
Online discussion,
onsite promotion for
movie chain, forum's
own DMA Movie
Online discussion including
brand comparisons and
product recommendations
Online discussion including
brand comparison

awards
Implications and Forecast
With the rise of social networking sites, will forums take a step back? A forum’s biggest drawback is lack
of real time updates - a question posed on forums may not get replies as fast as when it is posted on
social networking sites. However, forums are still an important part of online community and activity in
Vietnam, due to its information sharing on common interests across wider audiences, and easy
translation to offline relationships, which we don’t see happening on Facebook pages community yet.
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Instant Messaging
Current
Communication is one of the main online activities that Vietnamese people conduct on the internet. The
main types of communicating online in Vietnam are through chatting, emailing, and sending SMSes
online. Instant messaging as become so popular as a chatting platform that it has nearly 72% reach in
Vietnam, way above the global average of 35%.
[67]
Currently, Yahoo! Messenger is the most popular Instant Messaging service in Vietnam. Yahoo!
Messenger has 17 million users in Vietnam. Yahoo! plans to increase the usage of its Messenger service
by partnering with Vietnam’s largest telecom operator, Viettel, and mobile social networking company
Miyowa, by bringing Yahoo! Messenger to mobile phone users in Vietnam. This way, mobile phone users
with a 3G network can now choose to communicate with each other through Instant Messaging on their
phones, thus saving costs on texting and calls.
[68]
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Video-Sharing Websites

Currently, YouTube, Clip.vn and Dailymotion are the most popular video-sharing sites in Vietnam and are
ranked 2nd, 9th, and 10th respectively on Vietnam's Top Entertainment Sites.
[69]
. Clip.Vn, the localized
version of Youtube still pale in comparison with its international counterpart. The popularity of Youtube
stems from its faster speed, greater navigation and usability, a reasonable amount of advertising and a
large online community which leads to a significantly large database of user-generated content.
[70]
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Search Engines
At the moment, Google is the most popular search engine in Vietnam with nearly 90% of internet users
use it as their preferred search site and 50% of them use it for school or work research. However,
Vnexpress.net top the search engines for news as Vietnamese still prefer to read from localized news
portals.
[72]
For a search engine catered to local sites, VietGATE is the host to the VietSearch engine, one of the
most powerful search engines used to find Vietnamese content sites all over the web. It has links to over
100,000 Vietnamese pages in its database, making it a gateway to the online Vietnamese community.
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Others
Mobile Applications

As of 2010, Vietnam has 156.1 million phone subscribers, 90.32% of which are mobile phones. Vietnam
has also been listed among the markets with the highest growth rates in the world.
[73]
The mobile phone application market is considered to be a “gold mine” as Vietnam is trying to develop 3G
technology, and as the number of people using smartphones rapidly increase. One of the popular mobile
applications available in the Vietnam market is TWO.VN, a location-based mobile application service
similar to Foursquare.
[74]
Targeting young, urban and savvy users, Two.vn has close to 170,000 users. On
top of simply checking in and communicating your whereabouts or recommending location tips, it is linked
with the most popular local music site and local music TV channel, Yan TV, and also provides news,
updates and maps to create a combined lifestyle package.
This market has a great potential to grow as the 3G technology has yet to be fully exploited. There is a
great opportunity for local businesses in Vietnam, as well as foreign companies with more experience in
developing mobile applications, to develop the service here and allow the market to grow.
E-Commerce
Online shopping is fast growing popularity in Vietnam. With an expanding economy and a large
demographic of computer-savvy youngsters keen on displaying their newfound wealth, local businesses
and retail firms around the globe have been vying for a share of this emerging market.
One of the top three online shopping sites is 123mua.com.vn (123-buy).
[75]
It has over 15,000 e-stores on
its site, with each store selling more than 100 different types of products. So far, most of these sites are

Vietnamese-language only. But after foreign ownership restrictions on the retail market were lifted earlier
this year, the virtual marketplace is expected to diversify.
[76]
This has led to foreign companies such as eBay, Yahoo and Google, to enter the Vietnam market and try
to tap into the local customer base. Alibaba.com, which claims to be the world’s online business to
business marketplace, has also teamed up with Vinalink to expand into the Vietnamese market. This is a
good indication that online shopping in Vietnam will continue to grow, and provide additional avenues for
brands to interact and sell to their customers.
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Traditional Media
In order to understand the importance and effects of digital media arising in Vietnam, we should look back
to the country's traditional media and analyse them. In all fields, traditional media in Vietnam is monitored
and governed by the state.
Television
All Vietnamese families now own television sets, and 86% of families own DVD/VCD/VCR players. The
television is the most dominant device in terms of usage.
[77]
The major TV station is Vietnam Television, the only nation-wide network in Vietnam. It has five channels:
news and current affairs, science, technology and education, sports, and entertainment. Since 1991,
Vietnamese public places are permitted under license to install and operate satellite dises. Satellite
networks from other countries like Hong Kong’s Star TV, and Thailand’s UBC can also be seen in
Vietnam.
[78]
In 2001, two new home-grown multi-channel cable TV networks were launched - Vietnam Cable
Television (Hãng Truyền hình Cáp Việt Nam, VCTV) in Hanoi and Saigon Tourist Cable Television (Hãng
Truyền hình Cáp Saigon Tourist, SCTV) in Ho Chi Minh City. Both offer an international bouquet ranging
from CNN, BBC World, TV5, ESPN and Discovery Channel to MTV Asia, Star Movies, Star World, HBO,

Cinemax, Cartoon Network and TCM. In 2008, two southern television stations - Ho Chi Minh City
Television Station (HTV) and Bình Dương Radio and Television Station - were experimenting with digital
broadcast technology.
Radio
Ownership of radio is decreasing: in 2006, 63% of the population owned radios, which decreased to 34%
in 2008.
[79]
There are 3 radio stations and 60 other radio channels that belong to TV stations. In Vietnam, where
radio listeners are mainly students, FM channels are most preferred. Radio programmes in general are
government controlled and information oriented, with very low consumer-interest. However, exposure is
strong in rural areas such as the Mekong Delta, where people have little access to media of higher cost
and technology. The forerunner of today’s national radio station Voice of Vietnam (Đại tiếng nói Việt Nam,
VOV) was established in Hanoi just a week after the Declaration of Independence. In 2004 it was
reported that VOV’s programmes had reached more than 90 per cent of all households throughout the
country.
Print Publications
Coupled with the adoption of the Vietnam national official language: quốc ngữ , the rapid growth of
publishing from the late 19th century onwards contributed to the rapid spread of literacy in Vietnam.

To look back to the Vietnam publishing sector, the milestone was reached in 1952, when President Hồ
Chí Minh signed Order 122/SL which established a National Printing House (Nhà In quốc gia) with
responsibility for the state management of the three industries of publishing, printing and book
distribution.
Then, due to the effect of Reunification in 1975, the industry in North Vietnam got the assistance from the
Soviet Union, China and some East European countries. Publishing, printing, and distribution staff were
sent overseas for training. The other impact of the west came out in the 1990s. The open door policy
makes the publishing officials to study contemporary printing technology in the west.
[80]
Today, there are 18000 new book titles each year by the country’s 47 publishing houses, and 700
newspapers and periodicals published by around 450 press organizations.
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Impacts of Digital Media
Business
Digital Marketing
In 2009, 60% of the 88 million populace were under 30
[81]
with an ever-increasing number of web-savvy
working adults with a positive economical outlook. Each younger generation of Vietnamese become more
intimate with the Internet, thus creating a sustainable customer base for companies to market to on the
Internet.
As such, the rate of Vietnamese embracing technology has increased emphasis on digital marketing,
especially since traditional media, like papers and magazines, are heavily monitored by the
government.
[82]
The populace are also used to advertisements in traditional media, and companies have
to search for more novel ways to reach their customers - an aim more achievable digitally - and there is
"increasing demand for creative, nontraditional touch points".
[83]
Social Networking

ZingMe look likely to win in the social networking market, but despite Facebook’s uncertain status and its
reducing market share in recent months, marketing services related to this platform are still developing.
Price per click for advertisement (CPC) on Facebook is at 0.25USD, nearly doubling its 0.13USD late
2010. Price for 1000 impressions (CPM) ads placed in Facebook has reached 0.12USD, doubling this
rate 3 months ago. Ads on Facebook flourish, suggesting investors are increasingly interested in forms of
online advertising on this social network. Marketing to fans for brand promotion is not cooling off any time
soon.
[84]
According to Mr.Cuong (CEO of Click Media), “Facebook is still the most effective despite its
being blocked, both in term of interaction and conversion rate”. Compared to Facebook, ZingMe is judged
as being limited in commercial use due to its heavy focus on games.
[85]
Forums
As consumers gain access to overall aggregations of opinion online and start treating advertisements and
paid endorsements with some cynicism, businesses are under more pressure than ever to maintain their
corporate reputation and be aware of forum opinions. Given the public, open nature of forums, not only
are the members of the forums influencing and being influenced by each other across the country, so are
non-members who search for information on the Internet. Though social networking sites are rising in
prominance, forums' environment of networks - mostly amongst already established relationships of
friends and family, and rarely distant peoples connected by common interest - is still a crucial vehicle of
public opinion.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

The Vietnamese web populace heavily use search sites, with a reported 91% using search
engines.
[86]
Google's dominance is especially important knowledge for companies, since the company -
unlike its counterparts - asserts that all search results listings are organic. Google's paid customers
benefit from Google ads and advice on search engine optimisation to appear early in relevant
searches.
[87]
Evidently, search engine optimisation (SEO) is increasingly important for companies
appealing to the Vietnamese, and Vietnamese webcompanies are already offering SEO services along
with webpage design.
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Society
Vietnamese society, even with its shifting, Westernised youth, is generally classified as collectivistic -
especially due to prominant Buddhist and Confuciust influence
[88]
- with feminine characteristics like
relationship-focused and nurturing, with a relatively high power distance.
[89]
These aspects have been
seen in how the Vietnamese approach the web and build their online presence, valuing large-community
building and expressing a reverence for figures they deem a presentable and superior source of
information and opinion, such as hot bloggers. The use of anonymity in online life also reflects societal
worries - whether it be possible detection by the state regarding taboo issues like politics, or whether
higher authorities, whether their bosses, parents or teachers. In essence, Vietnam's society structure has
partially transposed onto the Internet, though the older generation are less prominent than they are in real
life.
The Internet in turn impacts Vietnam by giving the population vehicles of communication, to strengthen
the ties between geographically separate - to a certain extent, as digital penetration is much higher in
urbanised areas - peoples and connect them via common interests. The greater feeling off community
leads to the incredible impact of advertising, as seen in the case studies below. However, the web also
presents opportunities for communications between those with political interests, resulting in the power
struggle over opinion and information between the government and political dissidents. Just as the
Internet has done worldwide, Vietnamese society is now increasingly empowered to spread information
and connect.
Government

The state had maintained control over information access via traditional media, but has found it
increasingly difficult to moderate content over digital channels. Undesirable content on Vietnamese
Internet consists of pornography and content in Government Decree No. 97: anything that "opposes the
state ...undermines national security, social order or safety, causes conflict or discloses national security,
military or economic secrets."
[90]
Most filtered websites seem to be political dissidance and religious freedom content in Vietnamese.
Perhaps due to lower foreign language literacy in Vietnam, such websites in other languages like English
and French are not as thoroughly blocked as the aforementioned content.
[91]
Otherwise, commercial
content is generally unaffected, except in the cases where certain web-communication channels are
closed off due to its propensity to connect insurgents. Please see Controversies - Government Online
Monitoring & Involvement.
Economy
Ever since the implementation of the Internet during 1997, Vietnam has been vascillating between a lofty
vision of significant digital and technological development and a general lack of willingness, ability and
resources to achieve such a goal. The potential is great - the economy is growing, Vietnam suffers from
no lack of independent entrepreneurs hawking their specialised goods, and the population is massive.
However, e-commerce is simply not on the radar of Vietnamese businesses.
[92]
It is possible the
prevalence of Internet cafes over computers at home, an urban-rural divide in connectivity, a young and
weaker IT industry, low online security as well as a nebulous set of regulations in a channel that the
government similarly is unsure about has caused e-commerce to be seen as unviable by companies. It
was anticipated in 2006 that the passing of regulations such as the Law on Electronic
Transactions
[93]
would lead to a higher willingness to participate in e-commerce. Unfortunately, Vietnam's
e-commerce segment is still struggling: the government's Overall Plan on Developing E-commerce has
been raised at various points, from 2001-2005
[94]
, 2006-2010
[95][96]
and 2011-2015
[97]
, all with similar
goals of developing IT infrastructure, e-commerce regulations and laws and increased security of
transactions. Though the state has evidently been continously attempting to improve e-commerce, it is

still not seen as a substantial business force in Vietnam, with companies calling for more
improvements.
[98][99]
Vietnam's economic development in the digital sector, though currently not at its full potential, may yet
grow bigger faster in the new decade - the country's digital content industry - consisting of IT and
telecommunications - turnover reached USD1 billion in 2010, possibly indicating that the necessary
quality infrastructure for e-commerce will be established soon.
[100]
Environment
Increased use of digital media is a cause for worry in regards to energy consumption and electronic waste
(e-waste).
[101]
As Vietnam's society develops, digital media and electronic gadgets become more
prevalent, and increasing affluence often leads to higher consumerism and goods turnover. E-waste and
energy consumption, in light of the large Vietnamese population, is a danger already manifesting: higher
living standards, decreasing cost and technological development speed, according to Tran Quang Hung,
General Secretary of the Vietnam Electronic Industries Association, have caused the population to
replace their appliances faster, resulting in a far higher level of e-waste being generated than before.
Electronics also contain toxic material such as lead and mercury, which leads to pollution as they are
thrown away.
[102]
As the economy developed, the state passed the Law on Environmental Protection in
2005 which held not only corporations, but households and individuals responsible for their wastage and
environmental pollution as well.
[103]
However, the problems of e-wastage, stemming from the root
problems of an emerging economy, still loom large - a recent attempt by a US company to export e-waste
from America to Vietnam highlights a continuing need for attention in this aspect.
[104]
Regulations
Vietnam's digital regulations have mostly been established after the fact, since the nation is inexperienced
with the Web, of which activity can be unpredictable. As the government takes active interest in Vietnam's
digital access and media, regulations have been mentioned in various sections of the page.
Internet Content - Government Decree No. 97, same as 2008 Law on Inciting violence or crime,
undermining national security, reputation-damage and state secrets.
IXP and ISP Law regarding Internet access.
E-Commerce Plans from 2001 to 2011
Law on Environmetal Protection, including e-waste, in 2005
Recording Industry Association of Vietnam (RIAV), in 2003

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Controversies
Intellectual Rights Infringement
Many Vietnamese music-sharing sites operate as search and link collectors for licensed music tracks
uploaded on the Web privately, instead of paid-for streaming and downloads like their Western
counterparts Lastfm and the iTunes store. Only a minority of sites, for example Zing.vn, pay royalties to
music artistes.
In 1999, part of Vietnam's trade agreements with the US is legislation on the eradication of Vietnamese-
US music piracy: American companies and individuals were allowed to take action against copyright
abuse in Vietnamese courts, and the upholding of such rights were left to Vietnam's Ministry of Culture
and Information.
[105]
Yet still, piracy still evidently exists and its state has exacerbated by the advent of
the Internet, even if shops selling hordes of copies CDs are shut down.
The issue of piracy in a burgeoning economy like Vietnam's may stem from the fact that popular music
and Westernisation are greatly desired, but the population at large are unable to buy imported CDs at the
prices mandated by the industry.
[106]
With easy alternatives on the web, and the perennial problem of
wanting to acquire simply one track, the Vietnamese are then more inclined to download a desired track
illegally. As the youth are most familiar with the Internet, it is no surprise that youths download illegal
music most.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs established the Recording Industry Association of Vietnam (RIAV) in 2003
to address piracy and other music-related legal issues in Vietnam. Other than providing information and
advice in legal affairs and to the people, RIAV also set up a membership system, pledging to protect the
rights of those who voluntarily join the Association while acquiring advice and support from
members.
[107]
RIAV actions since include appealing to the government for simplified licensing
procedures
[108]
, and attempts to sue companies operating in Vietnam allowing consumers infringe
copyright.
[109]
Government Online Monitoring & Involvement

Internet access, like most key aspects of the country, is subject to the scrunity of the government.
Vietnamese web access is through Internet Exchange Points (IXP) which are under the control of the
state, and all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) mandatorily connect to the Internet via IXP.
[110] [111]
Governing Vietnamese Internet access and use is Government Decree No. 97: anything that "opposes
the state ...undermines national security, social order or safety, causes conflict or discloses national
security, military or economic secrets."
[112]
Such a definition allows to varying reasons for content control.
The history of insurgents using innocuous Internet communication networks, such as chatrooms and
emails, has resulted in the state being wary of Vietnamese political comments and content online, and the
social web vehicles that can be used to connect dissenters and distribute their opinion. It is widely
assumed that the state is responsible for Facebook's inaccessibility, which if true, reflects the VCP's
concerns about possible uses of convenient, widespread social networking.
[113]
The state also attempts to involve themselves in the population's Internet use, as seen above in the
creation of the government-owned social networking site, Go.vn. The Vietnam Internet Network
Information Center (VNNIC), connected to the Ministry of Information and Communication, also allocates
national ".vn" domain names and addresses.
[114]
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Recommendations
Future Outlook of Digital Media in Vietnam
1. More active participation on digital media as broadband and mobile penetration is set to increased.
2. Majority of the active participants come from the Young generation (15-24 years old).
3. Vietnamese youths are excited and open to branding and entertainment content and are adaptive to
new trends.
4. Vietnamese clones are forces to be reckoned with. Would Facebook be unblock? Should the
company go local or global?
5. Electronic Commerce is set to rise but would face challenges with security issues.

5 Strategies for Digital Media Marketing
1. Use viral videos for personal branding (Don Nguyen, Uyen Linh Vietnam Idol 2010)
2. Pay attention to forums. If your audience is discussing about your products there, you’d better be
engaged and answering their enquiries.
3. Understand how the localized social media clones work before deciding which social media platform
to use.
4. Ease of usage and accessibility of the campaign is crucial in attracting users at the start.
5. Consider Events and Parties, as need for connection and self-expression is evident in Vietnamese
youths.
5 Social Media Blogs To Follow
1. Tài Trần
2. Chandler Nguyen
3. Huyen Chip
4. T&A Ogilvy
5. Binh Nguyen
Back to top ↑
Hear from the Experts
Miss. Thu An Ha - 360 Digital Influence Strategist - Ogilvy & Mather
Group Vietnam

Thu An is the Practice Head for the 360 Digital Influence unit in Ogilvy & Mather Group Vietnam
and has been a social media champion for the office since late 2009. Having taken up traditional
PR work in the form of strategic planning and day-to-day account management in the past for
clients such as American Express, UPS, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Porsche Prestige
Sports Cars, and Kimberley Clarks; Thu An has since then ventured into managing social media
projects for clients such as Unilever, Tiger Beer, Business Events Australia, and Ford.
Currently Thu An is also a food & cuisine columnist for lifestyle magazines in conjunction with her
personal food blog.
CLICK HERE to listen to our podcast interview on Posterous!
MISS. THU AN HA FROM T&A OGILVY - INTERVIEW ON DIGITAL BEHAVIOUR & SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS
Miss. Binh Nguyen - Blogger of Uselessmarketing.com
Miss Binh Nguyen is a marketer who has spent the last decade helping internationals run effective
traditional and digital media campaigns in Vietnam. Using her blog, Uselessmarketing.com, Binh

showcases the state of digital marketing in Vietnam by sharing her opinions and reviews on
various real life digital marketing case studies.
To find out more, you can visit her blog
BINH NGUYEN 2011 INTERVIEW ON STATE OF DIGITAL MARKETING IN VIETNAM
1. What is your name? What do you do and how are you involved with digital marketing/ social
media in Vietnam?
My name is Binh Nguyen and I have been working in Vietnam as a marketer for the past decade. I write
www.uselessmarketing.com as a resource for digital marketers in Vietnam, a forum for people to learn,
argue, and grow beyond what is supposed to be "good enough" in marketing.
2. How do you see Vietnam’s digital marketing/ social media landscape?
I find a common issue is that marketers assume the default is good enough. By default, I mean that
marketers are content to do what everyone else is doing, in assumption that this is the "safest" and most
correct way. Companies reserve most of their marketing budget for traditional media even though internet
usage is tremendously disproportionate to the current share of online spend. Even when companies do
spend for online, a common practice is having banners linking to landing pages without a thought of what
the landing page should do. Often, these pages are just boring text pages which lead to user simply
clicking "close" on their browsers without taking a second glance at the content, basically losing all the
momentum of the original ad. Even large multinationals are guilty of this, strangely, which means that less
experienced, local firms follow the same route. In Vietnam, you could say that online marketing here in
2011 is similar to that in the US and Europe in 2001. Beyond the lack of understanding what digital
marketing can be, there seems to be reluctance to admit that one should want to know what it can be.
3. How receptive are the Vietnamese netizens when it comes to participating in digital marketing/
social media campaigns?
Vietnamese are very receptive to advertising that's done well. They "like" things, they participate in
microsites. Vietnamese will participate in things that are personally relevant and provide some kind of
value to them, whether that be enjoyment or an incentive, such as a prize.
4. What are some of the unique characteristics of Vietnamese netizens?
I think Vietnamese people as a whole are not so different from those in other countries. Older (40+)
Vietnamese tend be less tech savvy, usually only familiar with computer technology if they work in an
office. The younger generations tend be heavy consumers, playing games, watching videos, chatting, and

listening to music. For those growing up today in the cities, the internet is a firm part of youth culture. The
biggest difference between more developed nations and Vietnam is the use of the mobile phone. Mobile
phone is by far the most dominant piece of technology in the country. There are over 120 million mobile
numbers in use and over 80 million people with mobile phones. Contrast this with just 30 million people
using the Internet in a country with about 90 million people. Culturally, there are a few services that seem
to be more unique to Vietnam such as karaoke recording for sharing with the public, but overall, what is
popular in other countries is also popular here.
5. Which are the more popular digital platforms used by companies for their digital marketing
campaigns today? How effective are these platforms in Vietnam’s context?
Advertisers tend to go with Zing / Zing Me, Facebook, or microsites as the only marketing platforms. I
would argue while there is nothing wrong with the platforms, I believe the reasons for using them are off-
base. For example, Zing and Facebook are popular because of their number of users, but even
combined, barely make up a third of the internet users here. What's particularly difficult is that people who
are not already members of these two communities have a difficult time joining an activity on them.
Companies here are able to get 15,000 people to like your page, but they are unable to achieve much
else, such as drives sales conversion or driving their fans to create buzz for them. The way most
companies are using social media sites is a simple web page on a social network, with not much actual
"social" action being created from the users. Microsites follow the same attributes in that they are
described as social media sites, but very little sharing occurs. What's worse is that I've heard that many
companies don't end up doing anything with the registered users that they spend so much money to
obtain. They simply save them to a hard drive and store them on a server. There is no follow-up or
conversion to a future campaign - each microsite simply starts over from scratch.
6. What are the common methods that companies used to engage the audience on social media?
I would say Fan Pages and simple Flash games on microsites are the most common ways to engage
users online today in advertisement campaigns. I wouldn't say that either is particularly social as they're
not being used in a social-optimized manner. Examples of real world cases are linked below.
7. What are some of the common pitfalls that companies face when conducting digital marketing/
social media campaigns? How should they avoid them?
I would consider the following critical to digital marketing campaigns, with some of my articles highlighting
specific case studies from Vietnamese campaigns:
1. Enabling the "Social" in "Social Media" Enabling Social Media For Your Campaign Vietnam Airlines’
Failure with Social Media, Part 2

2. Understanding Conversion - How to do you maximize conversion as participation in your campaign?
How To Maximize Your Conversion Rate (Part 3) Microsites
How To Maximize Your Conversion Rate (Part 2) Mimo and Mobile Conversion
How To Maximize Your Conversion Rate (Part 1)Facebook and Zing Me
3. The Reality of what "Viral" means: Why Don’t People Share My Social Media Campaign? Turn on Viral!
Mr. Chandler Nguyen - Digital Marketing Blog (SG&SEA)
Mr. Chandler Nguyen is a Vietnamese professional who specializes in Digital Marketing and
Search Engine Optimization. His experience includes working for seven and a half years in
Singapore, for companies such as Pay Per Click and DGM Singapore. He has since returned to
Vietnam to head a local team specializing in Social Media, Search Engine Marketing and Web Analytics.
To find out more, you can visit his blog, or visit his LinkedIn profile
CHANDLER NGUYEN 2011 INTERVIEW ON DIGITAL MEDIA MARKETING AND SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION
(SEO)
1. What is your name, what do you do and how are you involved with social media in Asia and
Vietnam?
This is Chandler Nguyen. I have been working in online industry since late 2005. For my work profile,
please refer to linkedin. Right now I am managing a team of 20 specialists, providing online marketing
(including SEO, PPC, social media) for clients in Vietnam.
2. As a professional in the digital marketing industry, is the trend of SEO growing in Vietnam? Are

companies there aware of it and is the pick up rate increasing?
Yes SEO is definitely growing in Vietnam. However, the growth rate is not as expected. The level of
understanding about SEO in the marketplace is still extremely limited. Myths and misconceptions are
common. Pick up rate is increasing fast in the last 2 years or so.
3. How important are digital marketing and SEO to companies in Vietnam today?
Most companies want to be involved in digital marketing in general. However, they don't know how.
FMCGs (fast moving consumer goods) so far are the most active in digital marketing. SEO is just one part
of the whole digital marketing picture and companies often consider it that way. They will invest
holistically in digital, including SEO, not just SEO alone.
4. Is there a rising trend of e-commerce in Vietnam? How has this affected the traditional business
there?
Yes there is. More and more e-commerce B2C sites are available in Vietnam. However, online payment is
still the bottleneck together with security issues and personal preference. I don't think traditional business
cares that much about e-commerce yet in Vietnam.
5. With regards to social media platforms, we have noticed that Vietnamese people tend to use
their local versions of social networking sites such as ZingMe. Is there a reason why such
websites are preferred to their western counterparts ie. Facebook? Has this also affected how
digital marketing is used in Vietnam?
Well, Facebook is actually the favorite social networking site for Vietnamese, especially Vietnamese office
workers. However, local forums are commonly visited as well. ZingMe is used mostly by youngsters in
Vietnam and people go there mostly to play games.
6. Lastly, in your opinion what is the outlook for the digital marketing industry for Vietnam in the
next few years?
Digital marketing will grow at the rate of at least 60% per year in Vietnam. This is because of the low
starting benchmark and the increased attention to digital media as a new platform to reach the targeted
audience.
Back to top ↑
Mr. Vuong Quang Khai - Vice-President of VNG Corporation

Mr. Vuong Quang Khai is the Vice President - Web Business for VNG Corporation - a Vietnam-based
internet giant whose portfolio includes social networking site ZingMe, music sharing site Zing MP3,
various online games, and other famous brands.To find out more, you can visit his blog.
MR.VUONG QUANG KHAI 2011 INTERVIEW ON SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES AND ZING ME
1. We know that advertising on Facebook is all the rage these days. What do you think about an
equal segment in ZingMe? How do corporations and enterprises use ZingMe, in relation to
Facebook and Social Networking Sites (SNS)?
Zing Me currently doesn’t provide advertising services. Fanpage function has not been promoted yet. It
now mainly serves celebrities and has few enterprise profiles. Overall, so far, the Vietnam Social
networking is not paying attention to business services. This will be Zing Me’s direction in the future.
2. What is Zing Me’s direction for the upcoming period?
In the period 2009-2010, Zing Me focuses on building features for end users (connection and
entertainment). In 2011, Zing Me will switch to platform building strategy (opening Zing Me platform so
that partners can easily build applications on Zing Me, or use the functionality available to do business).
Three main benefit groups we will be focusing our resources on are: Business (and Marketing Agencies),
celebrities (singers, actors, etc), and the user community (student groups, hobby clubs, etc).
4. In your opinion, what is the future for marketing via SNS? Are there differences in how large
enterprises and small and medium enterprises in Vietnam use SNS today?
Yes SNS will become a major channel of communication to connect enterprise with customers and
potential customers. However, approaching customers through SNS needs more optimization of

maximum viral mechanisms and crowd power, not merely just building brand name awareness. Large
enterprises in Vietnam mainly implement social media proposed by the agencies, or copy the campaigns
that are being carried out by parent companies overseas. Small businesses have a more dynamic
approach, but theirs are still quite primitive.
5. In your opinion, what are the strengths of ZingMe compared with Facebook and other SNS
products of Vietnam?
Compared to Facebook, the biggest strength of Zing Me is that it is a product built by a team of
Vietnamese, and focus on customer service in Vietnam. Therefore, we can create a product with localized
features that best suits the needs and interests of Vietnamese people. Compared to other SNSs from
Vietnam, Zing Me has the first mover advantage. We officially launched Zing users from 2009, two years
earlier than other companies, and have gained a large number of users since then.
Back to top ↑
Case Studies
Valentine of the Century - Closeup (Unilever)
Around 14 Feb 2011, there was a craze called Valentine of the Century (Valentine thế kỉ) that caused
Vietnamese youths in Ho Chi Minh city to search for Closeup toothpaste everywhere. The innovative and
integrated Digital campaign lasted for 1.5 months from beginning January to 13 Feb 2011, ending with
Valentine Couples night (The Crescent bridge Phu My Hung, Ho Chi Minh City) organized by Closeup for
100 couples.

With the theme “Get Fresh, Get Charming”, 100 free tickets would be given away to 100 couples with the
highest Fresh Coins. One could earn Freshcoins in many ways. On each tube of Closeup there was a
Fresh code for Fresh Coins (hence the craze for Closeup toothpastes). With a Fresh code, participants
could log onto the website to play 3D Games Fresh City (Thanh pho thom mat) to earn more fresh coins,
or they could send their long-distance love story with supporting photos and videos to Fresh Love
Marathon (Tinh yeu thom mat). This love story contest which created a craze on popular social network
sites Facebook and ZingMe. Freshcoins could be earned as the results of “likes” for a love story, 3-D
game wins, or Closeup purchases.
[115]
Apart from its interactive official website, the campaign created word-of-mouth via popular bloggers’
endorsement on their blog (Robbey’s andMeo Ac’s), and a series of viral Youtube videos. The Fresh Love
Marathon contest also created buzz on Facebook and ZingMe.
Success
The campaign achieved extensive press coverage pre, during, and post-event. Its viral clip on Youtube
got more than 80,000 views and sales of Closeup increased dramatically during the weeks of the event.
Reports stated there could be up to 10 tubes per purchase.

Implications
Realizing opportunity in the festive mood of Valentine, the campaign leveraged on youth’s thirst for a
place and ambience to celebrate V-Day, and created a romantic and innovative concept (with an element
of dreams coming true by promising to reunite long-distance couples) with attractive prizes and therefore,
was warmly welcomed by Vietnamese youths.
Back to top ↑
Yo!Party
Yo!Party was a publicity event sponsored by Dutch Lady to promote their YoMost brand. From the first
round 05/11/2011 to the party on 12/02/2011, the event caught the attention of the online community in
the biggest forums in Vietnam.
Concept
Dutch Lady urged Vietnamese youths to create parties using 3-D virtual platform and promised 2 billion
VND to make the best-styled party a reality and a prize of 200 million VND for the winner. There were 4
party themes: beach party, snow party, cruise party, or rooftop party.
To start styling, participants needed a YoMost string with a scratch card attached to a unique code. With
the unique code, they could go to the official websitewww.phongcachyo.com to start styling by purchasing
various design items. They needed to invite their friends with unique codes for more points. The 10 best
designs with the most points were chosen by the organizer after the first round. After the best party was
determined by vote (via website or sms) in the second round, the fan-favourite was realized as a Dream
Party.
[116]
Consumers had to exchange 1 block of YoMost for a ticket to the party.

Buzz Channels
All its publicity efforts featured Vincent – a guy coined 'Party God'. After a launch party with celebrity
endorsements , the campaign generated substantial press coverage. Itsofficial website featured blogs,
video blogs (with a viral Youtube video) and 3-D design platforms for styling of parties. The campaign
also maintained a Facebook Fanpage.
At the same time, the Yo!Party contest created a lot of buzz on YAN, one of the biggest Vietnam forums
on music and entertainment, due to a partnership between them. The forum had a whole new section
dedicated to discussion and updates on Yo!Party, generating nearly 10,000 posts and comments in total.
Results
Yo!Party ended its second round with more than 20,000 fans on Facebook and more than 20000 views
for its viral Youtube video. The contest itself also received 300,000 participants and 400,000
votes.
[117]
Fan-voted Snow Heaven party was held on 19/2/2011 at Hoa Lu stadium, which had more than
10,000 dancers, 10 DJs who danced for 21000 seconds non-stop, and many famous Vietnamese
entertainers, like Ho Ngoc Ha and Noo Phuoc Thinh, performing.
[118]

Implications
The success of this integrated campaign can be attributed to its innovative concept, which attracts
Vietnamese youths, who are in need of a playground for creativity, festivity and connection. It was also
able to create buzz around the event by extensive media coverage and by utilizing the popular social
media platform, YAN forum, for word-of-mouth.
Back to top ↑
https://wiki.smu.edu.sg/digitalmediaasia/Digital_Media_in_Vietnam
References
1. ↑ Vietnam Internet Usage Statistics and Telecommunications, Miniwatts Marketing Group, 24 Jun
2010. Retrieved 2 Mar 2011.
2. ↑ Vietnam NetCitizens Report - Internet Users Growth in Vietnam Cimigo Vietnam (Apr 2011).
Accessed Oct 8 2011.
3. ↑ Vietnam NetCitizens Report - Internet Usage and Development in Vietnam Cimigo Vietnam (Apr
2011). Accessed Oct 8 2011.
4. ↑ - Asia Pacific Internet User Growth Burson Marsteller (Aug 2011). Accessed Oct 8 2011.
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8. ↑ Vietnam NetCitizens Report - Internet Usage and Development in Vietnam Cimigo Vietnam
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14. ↑ - What Vietnamese Internet Users Did Online in 2010 Asia Digital Marketing Association
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29. ↑ Vietnam NetCitizens Report - Websites Used for Blogging and Social Networking Cimigo
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40. ↑ Yahoo! - TNS Net Index 2010
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