Vietnam - Internet to 2009

Synopsis

The Vietnamese government had for a long time been very cautious about allowing free access to online information, considering it ‘a potential source of harm to the political, social and cultural integrity of the country’. As a result, Vietnam came late to Internet, the first service being offered in 1997. The high cost of access and slow connections subsequently kept the country’s total Internet subscriber-base low for some time. The number of Internet users grew from about 10,000 in 1998 to an estimated 21 million by early 2009, almost 25% of the population, as the market continued to grow strongly. The government said in 2008 that it would inject US$6.3 billion over a two year period to lift user Internet penetration in country to 35%. This report looks at the development and regulation of Internet in Vietnam.

Note: This is an archived report and has not been updated since the start of 2010.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
• 2. Internet market
  • 2.1 Overview
    • 2.1.1 Internet subscriber projections and targets
    • 2.1.2 International bandwidth
    • 2.2 Regulatory environment
      • 2.2.1 Government control
      • 2.2.2 Proposed Cyber Law
    • 2.3 Vietnam Internet Network Information Center (VNNIC)
      • 2.3.1 Domain name system
    • 2.4 Internet cafés
    • 2.5 ISP market
      • 2.5.1 NetNam
      • 2.5.2 Online service providers
      • 2.5.3 Electricity of Vietnam (EVN)
      • 2.5.4 International leasing charges for IXPs
    • 2.6 Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
    • 2.7 Satellite Internet
    • 2.8 Emerging IT industry
  • 3. Related reports
  • Table 1 – Internet users and penetration – 1998 - 2011
  • Table 2 – Internet subscribers – 1998 - 2011
  • Table 3 – Total international Internet bandwidth – 2003 - 2010
  • Table 4 – Registered domain names – August 2007
  • Table 5 – ISP market share (by subscribers) – February 2009