Since eBay Vietnam is making some headlines these days (1, 2), why not hint to some good Web 2.0 startup infos from a country that is currently experiencing tremendous changes – and not only in the online world (1, 2, 3).
"Just want to give a shoutout to Jason Vu who runs the best blog I have seen so far on the Vietnam Web 2.0 scene. I am guilty of hyperbole here of course since there’s only two English-based blogs i have found.
If you are wondering on whether Vietnam has a Youtube clone, a Secondlife equivalent or local social networking site and are thinking of jumping in to become the next web mogul in this country, think again and read Jason first."
Jason discusses topics like: Why Da Lat could not be a Silicon Valley Clone. Most recently is Vietnam’s Web 2.0 startup blog also a part of the OpenWeb.Asia Workgroup.
As announced last week: eBay (ebay.vn) will close operations after just a year and instead work with a Vietnamese startup:
"In a move to expand its global reach, eBay is inking a partnership with a Vietnamese start-up to cash in on the growing millions of Internet users in the Southeast Asian country.”
A number of interesting background statistics mentioned in the article:
“An estimated 20 million Vietnamese are now online, up from 500,000 eight years ago. IDG Ventures predicts as many as 36 million Vietnamese will be using the Internet in less than two years.
Vietnam's Internet numbers are relatively small compared with those of China. But the young and upwardly mobile Southeast Asian nation of 85 million is an attractive market for numerous Vietnamese-American entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley and, increasingly, big players like eBay. Industry insiders believe Yahoo, which is the country's most popular Web site, is also looking for a deal with a Vietnam start-up.
‘The merchant DNA is more a part of the Vietnamese culture than other parts of the world," Dan Neary, eBay's vice president of emerging markets, said earlier. "We are bullish about our business model there. It's just a question of how quickly it develops.’”
Originally posted in German by Jochen Krisch, translated by Jason Soo.
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