This is in a country with a population of 77 million. Vietnam had only 85,000 Internet service provider subscribers. October 1999 figures showed about 40,000 users. VNPT's Internet unit, Vietnam Data Communications Co., predicts Internet usage will reach 250,000 next year and 450,000 by 2002. Vietnam didn't even have Internet connectivity before 1997, and since then Internet use has been mainly from business customers, employees of foreign companies and government workers.
Internet users have to register with the government to obtain Internet access.
But the new Domestic VNN Dial-Up service will limit subscribers to Vietnamese Web sites only.