Hanoi Times - Global provider of market research IDC believes that the Vietnamese personal computer (PC) market will jump about 29% in 2008 thanks to the country’s solid economic foundation and a growing awareness and interest in information technology (IT) among both private and public sectors.
“IDC is positive about the growth of the Vietnam PC market due to strong investments from the government and other commercial entities, as well as traditional consumer purchasing power,” says IDC market research analyst Pham Viet Tien.
He also stressed that projects from the Treasury and local health care centres in southern provinces will push up demand from the government sector.
“In addition, lower PC prices and diverse product offerings will draw more consumers, who are looking for different product functions and eye-catching designs,” Tien added.
However, many economic and social issues may pose challenges to the PC market.
While GDP growth is high, drastic changes in the local stock markets, or even inflation, might hurt the PC market. The government has become ever more cautious about its IT upgrading plans after the 112 Project fiasco and may tighten its investments in PCs.
Meanwhile, laptops are considered as another potential market.
“Portable computers have a lot of promise, as they more and more take up a bigger chunk of the overall PC market,” Nguyen Lam, country director of IDC Vietnam said.
“They will become the choice of customers, especially white collar workers, as we approach the year-end period, typified by higher spending activity,” he added.
PC vendors made colossal market gains in terms of both market share and unit shipments during the first three quarters of 2007.
HP continued to lead the 2007 market, thanks to several projects won from the government sector and a competitive strategy to target both the desktop and laptop markets in Vietnam .
Looking ahead, Pham Viet Tien concludes, “Price will be the key purchasing decision factor in the coming quarters. Consumers are going to buy a lower-priced computer when comparing products with the same specifications.”
IDC’s ongoing quarterly tracking of the PC market in Vietnam recently concluded that the market grew 43% in the first three quarters of 2007, compared to the same period last year.
