It’s always been a dream of Mark Zuckerburg and other Internet leaders for every nation to have online access. One nation in the Far East makes that dream a reality.
That nation is Vietnam. Internet use, whether it be mobile or home driven, has more than tripled from where it was a decade ago. One and three Vietnamese own a smartphone. The e-commerce industry in Vietnam is expected to make $4 billion this year. In 2012, it was just $700 million. Thanks to websites like Lazada.com and Hotdeal.vn, you’ll see delivery men process these online orders all day every day. And thanks to Vietnamese telecommunication services, data prices are one of the lowest in the world, at only $3 a gigabyte. People on social media grew by 41% since January 2014. That’s more than in BRICS nations Brazil, China and India. For example, since 2012, the number of Vietnamese Facebook users went from 8 million to 30 million. These changes have cultural, social and economic ramifications. Their Yan.vn music entity has gotten so popular that got popular pop artist Demi Lovato to headline a concert in Ho Chi Min city. They’ve even launched a TV soap opera on You Tube. Even Vietnam’s state owned newspapers are coming up with more controversial and racier stories to complete for mouse clicks.
I don’t have the number of Vietnamese jobs this online boom is creating. But you know it’s a lot. We here at Computer Geeks don’t know how many people are being led out of poverty thanks to this online boom. But you know it’s many. I wonder how many people are just now getting in touch with the outside world thanks to this online revolution. And I’m sure American and other major international conglomerates are taking notice. It’s my only hope this rising nation can use their new Internet power for good, and not for crime, malice or abuse. What other nations are having online revolutions?