VietNamNet Bridge – Smart phone shipments to Viet Nam reached an all-time high in third quarter of this year, with local vendors grabbing a significant amount of market share, according to the latest IDC Asia/Pacific Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.

People register to buy iphone 5 which went on sale officially on Friday, Dec 21, in Ha Noi.

Units of smart phones shipped to Viet Nam rose 83 per cent year-over-year (YoY), a growth made all the more significant because total mobile phone shipments declined by 9 per cent YoY.

"It should be noted that smart phone shipments to Viet Nam are now double that of PC shipments," said Daniel Pang, ASEAN Research Manager for Client Devices at IDC Asia/Pacific.

Androids continued to dominate the Viet Nam smart phone market, posting strong growth on the back of its large library of mobile applications and growing base of local developers.

The anticipated launch of new iOS for Apple and Windows Phone 8 handsets in fourth quarter is expected to keep the market in an active and competitive state, the report said.

"Android will keep going strong as more local vendors will follow MobiiStar and Q-Mobile's footsteps and launch affordable smart phones," said Vu Le Tam Thanh, senior market analyst for Client Devices at IDC Viet Nam.

"However, Microsoft has spent heavily on marketing and attracting local developers which will help boost Windows Phone 8's fortunes, while the iPhone is always a desired handset amongst the Vietnamese. Things will get interesting as competition heats up," Thanh said.

Samsung is still the runaway leader in the smart phone segment, and its success has inspired a number of local vendors to attempt to break into the market.

HTC climbed to second position with the Desire and One series selling consistently well, while LG has placed greater emphasis on the smart phone segment as its feature phone line-up struggled to compete.

Nokia's market share has declined due to low demand for its older Lumia series, severely impacted by its lack of upgradeability to Windows Phone 8.

Meanwhile, Q-Mobile has introduced Q-Smart, a new brand of smart phone, with the aim of distinguishing itself in the fast-growing smart phone space.

Source: VNS