Visit the online soccer game company in Vietnam

Sin Chao, this is Ｋen.

In Hanoi, we visited Vietnam state-run media conglomerate company "VTC”, the online gaming company.

My former boss, who has various businesses in Hanoi introduced the president (Mr Phan Sao Nam) of above mentioned company to Assissi and me.

We asked company profile, the market potential of online gaming, and their description of the software.

Mr. Phan Sao Nam, who has responded to our interview very politely.

Although it’s impossible to list the whole interview, here are some of the interesting points we heard.

· VTC had a right to broadcast World Cup 2006 in Vietnam. Maybe next year's competition in South Africa as well.

- Services Division, including sales of games has been doubled from three years of service in 2006 with the target in this season is about 160 billion yen

- With its on-line game user is one quarter of the Vietnamese population (no exaggeration to say that almost all young people are the users.)

- The most profit-making games is called "Audition" which is dance game.

- Billing System (ESS) was built in-house, outside sales are also in sight (this area is undeveloped areas in Vietnam, so I think there is a potential.)

- 70% of users are accessing from outside their home such as Internet cafes.

- Thus, the peak time are 10:00 - 11:00, 14:00 - 15:00 and are different to Japanese situation.

· EA's "FIFA Online2" is the third most popular game. Of course, the most popular football game in first place by far.


Incidentally, FIFA Online2 number of users is 200 million in total, with approximately 40,000 simultaneous users.

Naturally, the popularity of the Vietnam national football team in Vietnam is high; however this is the fact that FIFA Online2 does not contain a representative of Vietnam.


The most popular teams are Brazil and England, followed by Argentina and Spain.

Incidentally, I asked popularity of Japanese team.

"Unfortunately, not very popular," said Mr Phan Sao Nam

Whoops…

Japan is not an Asian stars anymore I suspect…

For the club team, the Manchester United is overwhelmingly popular.

Merry Christmas in August??? Why???

The company is not only operating an online gaming business, but also trying wide-spread sports culture in Vietnam through TV and other media, and sponsoring a football tournament, investing into sporting industry, so to speak.

In addition, in the name of "eSports”, according to them, it is as an authentic sport, uses the body and brain”, they encourage to spread of the “game (online game) through sponsoring tournaments and other international competitions of egames.

Finally, we were able to get a message to Japan.


"It seems that presence of Japanese companies is completely gone in Vietnam compared to a decade ago. Years ago, made in Japan regarded to as high quality “The absolute power of brands”, however, Korean companies recently entered Vietnam and especially their image has improved among the young people. A lot would say Hyundai is better than Toyota and Honda. So please, Japanese companies, focus on more Vietnamese market, as we do hope to revive your brand image. "

Mr Phan Sao Nam said.

Mr Lee, Korean man, who has been a member since founded (left)

Of course, the company has a vision to enter the Japanese market, and collaborating with Japanese software companies to continually win in the Vietnamese market. (In fact, they already have strong relationships with Korean companies.)


If you are interested in Vietnam's online game industry by all mean, please let us know.

You never know what would happen.

Why I came to Vietnam

Shinchao! It’s Yomoken.

※ = Shinchao, in this case it’s not “new bridge” in Chinese, but “Hello!" in Vietnamese.


Yesterday, we came to the city of Hanoi in Vietnam, all the way from Dalian in northeast of China.

Incidentally, we flew on China Southern Airlines from Dalian to Hanoi, stopped over Beijing and Guangzhou. 

It took 11 long hours to get to Hanoi and checked into the hotel after we left Guangzhou around noon.

They are a member of Sky Team.・ ・ ・ quality is so so.

Eventually, I was to leave China from Guangzhou, and during the passage of immigration there, a woman officer, flipping through my passport, was frozen at the page of Mongolia visa.

And she whispered to the officer nearby.

Then sadly I was restrained Σ (゚ ゚ д;)

and I was taken to the airport police.

It was nothing happened after about 15 minutes of checkups through my luggage, but I was truly wimped out when looked at jail like bars at the police station….


After leaving Guangzhou in China, our flight went quite smoothly to Hanoi which took about 2.5 hours.

We were so hungry after checked in at the hotel, although it was after midnight we immediately went to look for “Pho” noodle.

This rather fancy restaurant, the noodle cost 25000 Don (150 yen), which is higher than average.

The main purpose of this visit to Vietnam is to meet up with my former boss in the past I worked for.

Like me in a way, this guy has retired from a consulting firm in Japan, then came all the way to Vietnam, determine to run the businesses.

I wanted to see such “live images of succession” with my own eyes.


In fact, the hotel, where I stayed, is a part of his businesses.

Two-shot with the Japanese hotel manager

This is Little Hanoi, a mini-hotel. There are five hotels in this hotel chain, including "Little Hanoi DX" where I stayed.

“DX” in particular, their services included Japanese speaking reception, a 24 hours help desk and Japanese language PC. 

It’s the hotel’s unique selling point and for any Japanese people not fluent in English that they can stay here safe and inexpensively.


Apart from hotel operation they also have restaurant business to support. They offered to take me to restaurants.

The first shot was in this restaurant, the famous Vietnamese cuisine.


This is the owner’s suggestion, “soft crab”. The crab is so soft you can eat it just like that.

The best garlic seasoning

After that, we headed to the currency exchange.

A jeweler is doing exchanging business!

 I suspect they make more money than as a jeweler.

This is me, exchanging from China Yuan to Vietnamese Dong.

 Who do you think I am??


And again at dinner time, I was taken to a recently opened sushi bar called “SAKURA”.

It opened on August 1. A real bar atmosphere there is.

It reminded me that there were plenty of restaurants called SAKURA in Mongolia and China. Fine, "Sakura" is synonymous with Japan, I think, and the wording is kept a good brand image of Japan in overseas.

Here is the link to their website. Click. 

Menus are with French twist for some reason – Yummy.

Whoops, we haven’t been to sightseeing yet, other than seeing restaurants.

Oh well, this is my 3rd visit in Hanoi after all. I guess the last time was at Asian Cup in 2007.

Talking and listening to local people and local businesses people in the world is by far more interesting than usual sightseeing I suppose.

After we returned to the hotel and took a shower, I wrote this. Outside is a collaboration of torrential rain and violent thunder storm.


In a clear sunny day, you feel like being in the sauna after 30seconds walk here in Hanoi, I still hope for a clear sunny sky tomorrow. Good night.