The main reason for the delay was that it took a long time for the price to come within the range of the average Vietnamese customer. The technological website www.tinhte.vn explains that the popularity of this kind of technology is the result of aggressive competition between communications giants Apple, Sony, HTC, Nokia, Blackberry, Samsung, which focus on providing hi-tech at the lowest price.

Trade Union University senior lecturer Pham Hong Nhung said that while low-priced smartphones were being sold in Viet Nam, the latest models with more and better functions were still too expensive for the majority of Vietnamese.

"My cell phone, a SamSung E2652, works well," Nhung said. "I was satisfied with the functions but my daily work requires more, like faster internet speed and more storage, which I only can find in modern cell-phones like iPhone

Other factors contributing to the success of lower priced smartphones in Viet Nam were the unique marketing strategies of each corporation. Apple, for instance, did their marketing campaign by intentionally "leaking" a draft version of the iPhone 4 in mid-2010, which was then reviewed on a website and a forum and had a considerable impact on sales.

Blackberry marketed their smartphone series Blackberry Bold Touch 9900 by providing images and impressive technical statistics through websites and forums.

The important role of Vietnamese phone distributors, among them Tran Anh and Viettel, should not be forgotten in the rise of the smartphone in Viet Nam. They keep customers up-to-date with good service and information on any smartphone on the market.

Tran Anh Digital World Co deputy sales manager Pham Van Xuan said the company had experience in IT products which it could focus on the smartphone market. — VNS