The Internet has overtaken radio and newspaper to become Vietnam’s second-largest medium after television, a study commissioned by Yahoo! on internet trends has found.
Net Index 2011, released on Wednesday by market research company Kantar Media, polled 1,500 internet users aged between 15 and 54 in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Can Tho between May and July.
It found that 42 percent use the Internet while the numbers for newspapers and radio were 40 percent and 23 percent.
TV is way in front at 98 percent.
Of those going online, 60 percent and 73 percent use email and instant messaging, while 97 percent read news.
The number of users joining social networks has risen to 55 percent from 41 percent last year.
Reasonable internet charges and enhanced 3G infrastructure have boosted mobile internet access to 30 percent from 19 percent last year.
Internet usage at home climbed to 88 percent of all users from 75 percent, while access from internet cafés declined to 36 percent from 42 percent.
Yahoo!Inc said the research offered strategic insights for industry decision makers and tapped into the massive Internet opportunities available throughout Vietnam and Southeast Asia.