Vietnam sets scorching pace in Internet use
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While the Internet usage rate in Vietnam is almost the same as other Southeast Asian countries, it has seen a more rapid increase in the number of Internet users – nearly 10.9 percent over the past ten years.
Cimigo, an independent marketing and brand research organization focusing on the Asia Pacifi region, quoted official sources, including statistics from the website
www.internetworld-stats.com, as saying other emerging markets like China and Indonesia had only seen growth rates of 1.5 and 1.15 percent respectively.
Around 26 percent of the Vietnam’s 85 million strong population had access to the Internet, which was the same as those of the Philippines and Thailand, according to Cimigo.
One-third of the Internet users were students, while white-collar workers accounted for 40 percent, it added.
Cimigo’s survey of nearly 3,000 Internet users from six cities and provinces like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi showed that two-thirds accessed the net every day for around two hours and 20 minutes on weekdays, and a little less time during the weekends.
Most of the surveyed people said they surfed the net for reading news, searching for information, listening to music, for their jobs and study, and chatting and checking e-mails.
Not many people engaged in online shopping and auction sites in Vietnam. However online shopping has seen a strong increase over the past few years, Cimigo noted.
The organization’s survey of weblogs and social networks, meanwhile, showed that females read and wrote blogs more frequently than males, while the latter attended more forums than the former.
Facebook was the most favorite social network, while Yahoo 360 Plus topped the favorite blogs list, Cimigo said.
Reported by T.Phuoc