Vietnam’s Mobile Revolution Catapults Millions Into the Digital Age

To get an idea of how the mobile Web is catapulting millions of people into the digital age by skipping landline connections, have a look at Vietnam. Internet penetration has grown to 44% of the communist state’s 90 million people from 12% a decade ago. Much of that is driven by smartphones, which are used by more than a third of the population. This mobile-first expansion is powering a range of online services, many of which are showing their first signs of serious growth, such as mobile e-commerce. A Vietnamese government agency forecasts the market for e-commerce will generate revenue of $4 billion this year compared with $700 million in 2012.