Zalo attracts 2 million Myanmar users after four months of operation (Photo: MediaOnline Magazine)
HCM City (VNA)🌞 - Vietnamese OTT application for mobile devices Zalo has reached initial success in Myanmar with 2 million users only after four months of operation.
This is the first time a Vietnamese OTT application has expanded its market internationally.
To start business in Myanmar, an emerging market with 52 million residents, Zalo engineers had to travel very often between Vietnam and Myanmar to find out local consumer habits as well as invest in infrastructure.
In Myanmar, technology has been developing but infrastructure has not been able to meet demand because of poor internet coverage and cheap, weak smartphones.
To cope with the situation, Zalo has located its servers in Myanmar and maximised its product so that it can run well in popular mobile devices.
Zalo has started to become popular thanks to its quick connection, stability and local language support.
“We are not sure about our success in one new international market because it has been such a short time but based on our success in Vietnam, we will try our best,” Vuong Quang Khai, VNG deputy director who founded Zalo, was quoted as saying in the Dau Tu (Investment Review) newspaper.
Khai revealed four factors that are Zalo’s advantages to survive and develop strong international technology. They are: good human resources; Vietnamese intelligence to reach a world-class level; the internet has continuously changed and Zalo staff have refreshed themselves very often with new ideas and must be ready to learn different aspects; and most of Zalo staff are young people, a strength to develop in the internet market.
Zalo was unveiled in late 2012 as an OTT application on mobile devices and by September 2016, it has had 60 million users with 32 million of them frequent users. It has changed from an OTT application for connection through internet to services.
At present, Zalo is assessed by financial experts to be worth 900 million USD.-VNA
Viber's announcement that it will close down its representative office in Vietnam next month has raised the question of the competitive capacity of foreign and domestic over-the-top (OTT) services in the country.
Low-cost carrier Vietjet Air has recently added a programme to keep passengers informed of their flight schedules through messages from the Zalo application along with usual SMS messages.
The number of users on Zalo, the mobile-based free texting and calling app, is now equal to half of Vietnam's population and matches the number of subscribers of the country's biggest mobile carrier.
Developed with state-of-the-art infrastructure, the Da Nang FTZ is designed to become a leading regional economic centre and a strategic growth pole in Vietnam’s new development landscape.
The Binh Duong Association of Supporting Industries (BASI) is expected to promote the usage of domestically manufactured components while supporting businesses in accessing international markets, strengthening linkages, and promoting deeper integration into global supply chains.
PwC Vietnam forecasts a vibrant M&A market in Vietnam’s healthcare sector in 2025, driven by rising demand for high-quality medical services and a growing middle class. Pharmaceutical companies, private hospitals, and specialised medical facilities, particularly in ophthalmology and oncology, are predicted to be key targets for M&A.
The central province of Quang Nam is set to become a hub for the medicinal plant industry, with Ngoc Linh ginseng designated as the core crop, under the Prime Minister's decision issued earlier this year.
The North-South Expressway project is scheduled for completion by 2030, aiming to establish the groundwork for Vietnam’s modern railway industry and stimulate regional economic development, positioning the country for a significant economic leap in the era of national rise.
The probe, initiated on June 11 following a petition by the US Coalition for Fair Trade in Hardwood Plywood, targets products classified under HS Code 4412 and 9403 imported from China, Indonesia and Vietnam.
Sun PhuQuoc Airways was born as a perfect piece in Sun Group’s strategic vision to build a premium ecosystem of tourism, entertainment, real estate, and aviation. With a pioneering ambition, Sun PhuQuoc Airways is not just an airline, but a symbol of connection – bringing the world to Phu Quoc and taking Phu Quoc to the world.
A key change in the draft decree is a provision requiring bank transfers for gold transactions valued at 20 million VND (765 USD) and above, to enhance transparency and verify customer identities.
In the first four months of 2025, trade turnover between Vietnam and Cambodia surpassed 3 billion USD, marking a 7% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
On June 19 alone, a total of 2,005 trucks completed customs clearance at Lang Son’s border gates — the highest single-day figure ever recorded in the province. Of these, 634 carried exports and 1,371 imports.
The OECD Economic Surveys: Vietnam 2025 report focuses on analysing the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals, the impact of international integration on attracting foreign investment and trade, and the country’s prospects for developing a low-carbon economy.
Antoine Colin, Senior Vice President for Global Supply Chain Digital Transformation & Resilience at HP Inc., affirmed HP’s strategic commitment to building a supply chain and ecosystem in Vietnam and the region.
Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)’s Trade Promotion Agency Bui Quang Hung emphasised that logistics has evolved from a technical function into a core capability for Vietnamese exporters to maintain their competitive advantage in the US market.
A trade official has suggested companies work closely with shipping lines, airlines, and freight forwarders to monitor routes, transit times, and potential surcharges while exploring broader cargo insurance to cover risks like war and terrorism.
In addition to institutional reform, the agency is also rolling out key solution groups to combat counterfeit goods, imitations, and intellectual property infringements in the digital environment.
The event, co-organised by the Vietnam Trade Office in the UK and TT Meridian, a local importer of Vietnamese fresh produce, aims to build a national lychee brand and encourage broader recognition of Vietnamese fruits in a competitive, high-end market.
The industry's performance has been powered by bold investments in modern production lines, enabling Vietnamese firms to produce complicated products which were exclusive to advanced economies.
Zalo attracts 2 million Myanmar users after four months of operation (Photo: MediaOnline Magazine)
