It broadcasts BBC 24-hour news, MTV and Chinese movies. Land-line telephone communication is almost nonexistent. This has stimulated a boom in cellular telephones, especially in Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh. The technology is not dependent on the inefficiencies and inadequacies of telephone lines. It is entirely possible, especially in these two cities, that we will witness a technological leap from no telecommunications to cellular, without an intermediate step in wire-based technology.
International telecommunication exists but is limited.
The US has recently lifted restrictions on direct telecommunications between Vietnam and the States. The fax machine is ubiquitous and reliable, though expensive. The cost is based on transmission time, which is affected by the transmission technology. I noted that the operator made and kept a copy of my fax in Vietnam. Traditional cinema, the responsibility of the culture ministry, no longer exists in these countries.