Routledge Companion to Global Cyber-Security Strategy

25CYBERSECURITY IN A ONE-PARTY STATE

Policies and implications for Vietnam’s economy and online freedom

Phan Le

Introduction

In recent years Vietnam has emerged as one of the most promising and dynamic markets globally for information and communications technology (ICT) services. The number of Internet users grew 28 per cent in 2017 to reach 64 million, including 55 million users of social media (Kemp, 2018). Ninety-one per cent of the population use smartphones with an average Internet access of 25 hours per week (Export, 2018). There are currently 23 million people in the country who frequently use online shopping and this number will only continue to rise as more people are becoming familiar with e-commerce platforms such as Lazada, Tiki, ...