Hanoi Times - As many as 72% of Internet users at cafe and 75% of Internet users at offices in Vietnam are intending to hook up with broadband internet at home, according to a recent survey by Alcatel-Lucent Vietnam.

The survey, made through 305 interviews in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City, also indicated that about 88% of professional Internet users said internet is indispensable in their daily business.

‘We strongly believe that the broadband Internet service in Vietnam will see a boom in development,’ said Valerie Faudon, vice president in charge of marketing programme at Paris-based Alcatel-Lucent Group.

She said the annual growth rate of broadband Internet in Vietnam had already exceeded the government’s forecast as well as service providers’ expectations.

‘The survey will help us to make a concrete business plan to provide the service in Vietnam,’ she said.

According to the survey, about 56% of professional Internet users could afford a US$ 10-20 Internet bill at their home. Their main applications would involve multimedia content such as o­nline music, video, games and downloads.

Meanwhile, about 95% of them have desktop computers at home, and 16% of them are planning to buy laptop computers, the survey reported.

The survey, also made in nine other countries worldwide, showed that Vietnam had a very high rate of voice over Internet usage, just behind Brazil.

According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, there are currently 16.7 million Internet users and 4.8 million Internet subscribers out of population of 85 million.

The government recently announced plans to inject VND 100 trillion (US$ 6.3 billion) to increase the country’s Internet penetration to 35% by 2010. It expected the telecoms sector to generate revenues of up to VND 55 trillion (US$ 3.5 billion) per annum in the same period.