VietNamNet Bridge - Recent reports about the popularity of Facebook in Vietnam have given sociologists a start. Watchdog agencies have been urged to apply technological measures to reduce the time people spend on the social network.

A report released days ago by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) and Gallup Institute showed that Vietnamese youth do not watch TV for information but instead get updated information through online channels. Facebook is one of the three most popular sources of information.

Facebook’s business report shows there are 20 million people using Facebook in Vietnam each day and 30 million a month. 

The figures are described as ‘surprisingly high’ as it is equal to 33.3 percent of the Vietnamese population. The majority of surveyed Facebookers are aged 18 to 34.

The chair of the Vietnam Internet Association, Vu Hoang Lien, commented that Facebook’s calculation method is unclear. 

“How did Facebook conclude that every person in Vietnam spends 2.5 hours a day on Facebook?” Lien said. 

He believes the figure should not be based on the number of log-ins. 

“I know many people just log in to Facebook and then stay on the page all day, but the number of active users is moderate,” Lien noted.

He went on to say that the Internet Association is also considering conducting a survey on the number of Facebook users in Vietnam.

An economist said no matter which method Facebook used, the figures still show that Vietnamese spend too much time on Facebook every day, which will have negative impact on socio-economic activities.

China has prevented its citizens from accessing Facebook.

In Japan, though Facebook is not blocked, the social network is not the most favorite network for Japanese, who save time by using Twitter with fewer characters allowed within a message.

“Japanese are too busy to use Facebook,” the economist explained, adding that Vietnamese should learn to save time like Japanese.

Facebook is also restricted in the US at work. Hai Thuy, a Viet Kieu (overseas Vietnamese) in the US, who works for Flextronics Company in California, said the company’s workers are prohibited to use Facebook during working time.

However, Lien, when asked if Vietnam should block Facebook, said the suggested method is ‘a little bit extreme’.

Dr. Le Dang Doanh, a renowned economist, noted that there is no report about the relation between the popularity of Facebook and economic indexes. However, it would be better for State agencies to release documents prohibiting their workers to access Facebook during working time.

Can Ban