- The growth of the community using Internetbased and mobile services has made the competition for providing content apps and online commerce service stiffer. More and more investment funds have announced the plans to pour money into the sector. More money comingJapanese NTT Docomo, when deciding to inject 19 million dollars in VMG, a mobile phone-based app service provider, stated that the affair is a part of the telecom group's plan to expand the Asian market. The investment will help VMG focus on developing the solutions in payment, e-commerce and app services on 3G networks. Docomo has been well known in Vietnam as the telecom network consultant which has been cooperating with VinaPhone for the last many years, helping the telecom network operator develop content services on 3G. Other subsidiaries of NTT group are also owning some companies in Vietnam which operate in the fields of online services and communication. The agreement of the three investment funds IDG Ventures, … [Read more...] about Foreign investments serve as new propulsive force for online commerce
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Money from online games business outflows abroad
In order to escape state management agencies' notice, game publishers tend to set up servers in foreign countries. This means that gamers have to play international games, while the money collected from online games are outflow abroad. Unlicensed games put both distributors and gamers at risks Vietnam has halted licensing online games since July 2010, which has forced game business distributors to "dodge the laws" by set up servers in foreign countries. This proves to be the only resort left for games distributors. Before the decision on halting licensing games was released, Vietnamese enterprises had signed contracts with foreign partners on copyright procurement, employed officers and made technical preparations. Therefore, they could not leave the purchased games idle, and they needed to find out the way to fulfill the commitments with the partners. However, experts say that this is really a risky business. The measure makes it more difficult for state management agencies to … [Read more...] about Money from online games business outflows abroad
What readers think about the Government’s plans to manage online games
In this report, we summarize the opinions of readers writing to online forums about the phenomenon of online games. Kaka Duong : Online games are a creature of the IT age. To suppress their negative side and support theire positive side, we need to learn from other countries. In South Korea, each citizen is granted an ID number. To register for some services, like online games, Koreans must register by their ID numbers. Players of less than 14 must have their parents' permission. Vietnam should set up such a system. Anh USA: Lawmakers should allow people to play games freely from 4 to 5 am, before they go to work, and from 7 to 11pm, after they return home, for up to five hours a day. It is both fun and good for health. If that won't work, it is the best to ban online games and all services which operate after 10pm. RocketVN: This is the opinion of someone who works in the IT industry. Vietnam ought to use electronic IDs to control players. If we rely on electronic IDs, we … [Read more...] about What readers think about the Government’s plans to manage online games
Billionaires in online games
Today, the value of a character in the online game "Vo Lam Truyen Ky" (Swordsman) may reach a billion dong ($55,000). At a recent competition among Vo Lam Truyen Ky players, the bonus for the winner was a virtual "Mystical World" ring, which was priced at 700 million dong of cash ($39,000). According to players of Vo Lam Truyen Ky, a computer game based on Chinese stories about the world of martial arts, anyone who owns this ring will be the champion. The virtual world of Vo Lam Truyen Ky is weird and funny to "pagans," the name given to those who don't play Vo Lam Truyen Ky. This is a story about a 60-year-old gamer. He always wakes early to play Vo Lam Truyen Ky. One day he had to go to the countryside where there is no Internet. The man still woke up early and made a phone call to his son. "Son, help me send Hong That Thu (the name of his character in Vo Lam Truyen Ky) to the Dao Hoa Island," he told his son. "Which Hong That Thu, father?" the son answered. "The … [Read more...] about Billionaires in online games
Getting close to online casinos
Previously, to gamble online, players had to contact agencies in Vietnam and pay fees to “bosses” – but now it is much simpler. “You only need to go online to directly make contact with the bankers through e-transaction, dubbed ‘magic wands’ by gamblers,” said former “boss” LTT, who worked as agency for many gambling websites. However, LTT suggested a site for Tuoi Tre’s reporter to visit. Part I: Online gambling investigation Seeking magic wand According to LTT, this site quickly offers “magic wand” or “e banking card”. With this card, players can gamble easily and don’t have to pay commission to agencies. With only one USD, you can bet against the banker. Following LTT’s guidance, Tuoi Tre’s reporter opened an account with an ATM card at the Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank). Some bankers only accept debit cards from this bank (Visa Debit). After getting … [Read more...] about Getting close to online casinos