Greater efforts needed to lure more local users to domestic social networks

Why is the number of Vietnamese people using cross-border social networks continuing to rise and what can be done by Vietnamese social networks to attract users?

In the current context, distinctive identity, tapping into niche markets, and sustainable development probably represent a more suitable direction for Vietnamese social networks.

Currently two thirds of the local population use the Internet. By the end of last year, social networks such as youtube.com and facebook.com ranked fourth and sixth among internet users within the country out of the 20 most visited websites.

Among the top 10 most used social networks in the nation, the only locally-produced app was Zalo, which had roughly 60 million users. Indeed, there are plenty of reasons why local people mainly use foreign social media outlets.

Statistics indicate that the number of people accessing Vietnamese social networks remains high, with Zalo having approximately 60 million members by the end of last year. In addition, Mocha boasts 12 million members, Gapo seven million, whilst Lotus has 2.5 million.

Along with social networks developed through phone applications, there are also social networks which operate on websites, such as forums tinhte.vn, voz.vn, webtretho.com, and otofun.net, with the number of visitors to their pages being closely monitored. For example, tinhte.vn typically receives 16 million visits per month, whilst voz.vn enjoys 12 million, webtretho.com has seven million, and otofun.net has four million.

These figures indicate that the number of people using social media as forums is quite frequent. In particular, domestic social networks often come under the management of State agencies, therefore they contain a limited amount of bad information, with personal information of users kept confidential and even used to provide information regarding the direction and administration of the Government to the people.

Between 2014 and the end of 2020, among the list of more than 750 social networks licensed and granted an extended operation period by the Ministry of Information and Communications, only 10 Vietnamese social networks were notable for being popular. Therefore, ways in which to attract more domestic users can always be judged as the first question of the founders of social networks for local people.

According to industry experts, Vietnamese social networks must pay closer attention when connecting with reputable and trusted people, thereby making it possible to post contents that are both accurate and attractive to users.

This is in line with the view of Hoang Viet Tien, deputy general secretary of the Vietnam Internet Association, who says, "I think to attract social network users, it is essential to not only provide a platform with quick access but also offer useful contents.”

“The trend of social media in 2021 also need to be updated by social networks in the country, such as increasing convenience services, linking entertainment to commerce or linking commerce and the need for discovery,” he adds.