Vietnam's electronics market predicted to surge in 2006

Vietnam's retail market for electronics and hi-tech products is estimated to increase 26.1 percent to over 2.3 billion U.S. dollars this year, local newspaper Vietnam Economic Times Thursday quoted estimation of a market research firm as reporting.

Of the figure, 876.5 million dollars come from mobile phones, up 40.3 percent against 2005; some 636.4 million dollars from fridges, washing machines, microwave ovens and some other kinds of home appliances, up 20.1 percent; 400.7 million dollars from hi- tech goods, up 33.2 percent; and 429.2 million dollars from color TV sets, cassette players and VCD or DVD players, up 6.8 percent, according to the estimation of market research company GfK Asia in Vietnam.

Vietnam is expected to have 36 million mobile phone subscribers by 2010, up from some 17 million currently, according to the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunication Group. The country with a population of 83.1 million has set targets of having 32-42 fixed and mobile phones, 10 personal computers, and 8-12 Internet subscribers for every 100 residents by 2010.

Source: Xinhua