The Hanoitimes - Experts believe that Vietnam is in no way inferior to developed countries in term of Internet service development.

Everyone can access to Internet easily and conveniently anywhere and anytime. All modern technologies have been applied in Vietnam, from 3G to satellite, fiber optic cable with low charges. The percentage of people using Internet services has been increasing rapidly. Many social networks have appeared with millions of members.

All the factors can serve as clear evidences showing that Vietnamese people now can enjoy the latest technological inventions of the humans, and that the Internet service development in Vietnam is in no way inferior to developed countries in the world.

Le Nam Thang, Deputy Minister of Information and Communication said at a recent meeting with the Vietnam Internet Association’s members that Vietnam now is in the top 3 in South East Asia, after Singapore and Malaysia in terms of infrastructure and Internet-based services. Meanwhile, Vietnam has equal terms, or has advantages over Thailand and Indonesia in some sectors.

“In 2011, when I paid working visits to some European, North American and Asian countries, I found out that Internet services here were not ready everywhere, from home, offices to public points like in Vietnam,” Thang said.

In terms of the development of the content and Internet-based services, Vietnam has also made a big leap over the last few years. Zing Me, or Go.vn are the made-in-Vietnam social networks which have attracted millions of members.

However, Thang said, some problems still exist, including the safety, information security, the service quality and the undiversified contents.

Sharing the same view with Thang, Mai Liem Truc, former Deputy Minister of Post and Telematics affirmed that Vietnam is in no way inferior to developed countries in the world.

Truc said all the most advanced technologies have been utilized in Vietnam, from 3G, 4G to optic fiber cable or satellite.

Regarding the popularity of the services, Truc said Vietnam is o­n the same level with other countries. Meanwhile, Internet and telecommunication charges in Vietnam are the cheapest in the world.

“You will not be able to access wifi Internet in a convenient way and enjoy the low charges elsewhere in the world, except Vietnam,” Truc said.

PC World New Zealand website (pcworld.co.zn) o­n August 30 posted a story o­n the blog of Juha Saarinen, a reporter, saying that it is very convenient and cheap for foreign travelers to use wifi and 3G services in Vietnam.

The reporter wrote that Vietnam is wonderful not o­nly because of the tropical climate and special food, but also because of its development strategy by developing technologies.

He wrote that in Vietnam, he could find wifi service everywhere, and he could use wifi free of charge, because hotels and café offer free wifi service to attract clients. Besides, 3G is also very cheap and good. Foreign travelers could use 3G services easily if they buy a prepaid simcard at 65,000 dong, or just four New Zealand dollars.

When the reporter was in Vietnam, he used Viettel’s services. However, Viettel is not the o­nly the o­nly 3G service provider in Vietnam. o­ne would be able to enjoy the low fee charges under the sales promotion programs regularly launched by other big network operators such as MobiFone, VinaPhone or Vietnamobile.

There are the low cost 3G packages with the fee of 120,000-150,000 dong for 1.5-5GB capacity. Meanwhile, if wanting to use high speed 3G service, o­ne would have to pay 10 NZ dollars, or 168,000 Vietnam dong.

The reporter from PC Word wishes a Vietnamese telecommunication company would come to New Zealand to provide services to help slash the service charges in the expensive market.