Most expensive phone numbers in Vietnam

Vietnamese believe that using good numbers they will be lucky in life and business. Based on this idea, many people pay billions of dong to own special phone numbers to get luck and to show off their “rank”.

A shop sellings SIM in Hanoi.

According to some online forums, a man recently paid $200,000 to buy the cell phone number 0903456789 (of MobiFone network). This number is expensive because 090 is the oldest network code and 3456789 is the best chain of forward numbers among ten-digit phone numbers. It is said that the price for this number is much higher now.

A SIM shop recently offered this number 01666666666 (of Viettel) at 2.5 billion dong ($132,000). This is a special phone number because 16 means luck in business, nine six numbers mean being luck forever.

VinaPhone’s number 0916888888 is fixed at 888 million dong ($46,700). It is explained that 091 is among the oldest network code in Vietnam, 168 means getting rich, and 888888 means good fortune.

People call this phone number as “Dream of Life”. It is forecast that the price of this phone number will exceed over 1 billion dong very soon.

At present, two of seven mobile networks in Vietnam have launched programs to sell “special phone numbers” to customers, Viettel and VinaPhone.

Geomancer Nguyen Tuan Kiet from the Vietnam Geomancy JS Company explained that each chain of numbers has a “soul” like the name of a person. According to geomancy, the names or numbers have influences in terms of Yin and Yang and five basic elements to the owner’s life.

He recommended people choose phone numbers based on geomancy. At present, numbers 8, 9 and 1 are considered good ones and Kiet recommended numbers with 8, 9 and 1 at the bottom.

According to Kiet, numbers that benefit users must be fit the users in terms of five basic elements. For example, if a person was born in 1978, he belongs to element fire so his phone number should not include number 1.

Therefore, good numbers depend on the user’s basic element.

PV

Is Vietnam’s 3G too cheap or too expensive?

3G services have been supplied by Vietnam’s three largest telecom networks for nearly one year, but they don’t meet user expectations.

In the 15-year history of the telecommunication industry, the launching of 3G services is seen as a breakthrough that rubbed out the problems of data transmission speed and distance. 3G services are billed as a launching pad for the development of the telecommunication market or the digital content market for mobile devices.

The presence of 3G services in Vietnam also proves that local telecom firms are catching up with the world technology. However, since 3G services were offered in Vietnam, there’s been debate about the quality and effects of these services, and also the charges.

Experts say that with the average revenue per user (ARPU) of less than $5 a month, it is difficult to popularize 3G services in Vietnam. However, service providers have lowered the charges in order to bring these services to a mass market.

At the beginning, the charges of 3G-based data services in Vietnam were quite cheap. All three service providers – Viettel, VinaPhone and MobiFone – designed service packages without capacity restriction with a fixed monthly charges of around 250,000 dong ($12.50).

Recently, they have adjusted the offer. Unlimited capacity is gone, replaced by a 3 gigabite limit, and fixed charges were dropped to about 200,000 dong ($10) per month.

The sudden increase of telecom charges in Vietnam is an abnormal move. However, Vietnam’s 3G charges are still low compared to other countries. For example, Singaporean 3G users pay SG$20 (around 300,000 dong) to use 1GB data a month.

Though 3G charges in Vietnam are relatively inexpensive, customers have complaints. Many were upset when they were socked with big bills after the 3G providers cancelled their unlimited service packages. They say the cancellation was not properly announced.

Behind this story is a problem of the telecom market. As telecom networks have slashed mobile phone charges massively, users have come to expect telecom charges will go ever downward. When service providers adjust telecom charges to a profitable level, users complain that the services are expensive.

3G services are not for all users. In developed countries, most 3G service users are those who have to move about very often. In Vietnam, this service is used in a different way: customers download movies or music, or use 3G to replace wireless broadband Internet. As a result, service providers have backed away from unlimited capacity packages.

If telecom service providers were to continue to slash charges, Vietnam’s ARPU would approach to the world’s lowest level while users continued to demand the latest mobile technology.

In short, there’s good reason to seek better balance in the market. Charges for telecom services in Vietnam are now very low and if this trend continues, users too will suffer when service providers don’t have money to re-invest in their networks. Predictably, service quality will deteriorate.

Vuong Long