One week has elapsed since the day YouTube began offering official YouTube Premium service to Vietnamese users. The move prompted Vietnamese to rush to register for the new digital content service.

Vietnamese can watch YouTube for free. However, if they have a YouTube Premium account, they are not bothered by advertisements. Users can also use YouTube when their smartphones are in the screen-off mode. In other words, they can still hear what is playing though the screen is off.

Before YouTube launched Pay-YouTube service in Vietnam, users had to buy YouTube Premium accounts on the black market for VND30,000-50,000 a month. 

But since the service has been available, the prices in the black market have cooled down.

Users now can buy an account for VND20,000 or VND30,000. Most recently, an account was offered for VND10,000 a month.

Meanwhile, the official price of an authentic YouTube Premium account is VND79,000 a month. The price is VND30,000 if buyers group together to buy a family account plan.

The YouTube Premium account prices on the black market are much cheaper than the official price. Thus, many people are buying it on the black market. 

An online account seller told VietNamNet that in order to be able to sell accounts at low prices, sellers have to use the IPs of other countries that have cheap YouTube Premium prices. 

However, in the countries with the cheapest prices, the cost of a YouTube Premium account is at least VND11,000.

“Therefore, if they sell at VND10,000, they won’t make a profit. I think buyers may become the victims of scammers,” he said.

The price chaos in the black market has disappointed sellers, and many have left the market. 

V.N.A, a YouTube Premium account seller in Hanoi, said if accounts become too cheap, he will give up the market. 

“I can sell accounts not only in Vietnam, but also provide accounts to other markets. Some users in the US, Australia and Singapore still have demand for Pay-YouTube accounts at lower costs than the costs applied in their home countries."

Users are advised to be cautious when buying YouTube Premium accounts in the black market. It may happen that sellers buy one account and sell the account to many buyers, or they only pay for one month, but collect fee for 6-12-month use. 

Van Anh