Viber eyes comeback in Vietnam messaging race

The company sees Vietnam as a potential market and plans to strengthen its long-term presence there, Atanas Raykov, Rakuten Viber vice president of global marketing and growth, said during a visit to the country this month.

Viber was a popular app in Vietnam even 10 years ago until it was overshadowed by the likes of Messenger, Telegram and Zalo.

Last year it was used by 13% of internet users aged 16 to 64 in Vietnam and 12th most popular among social media platforms, with Facebook, Zalo, TikTok, and Messenger claiming the top spots.

Raykov said while Viber is far from reaching the level of popularity enjoyed by local app Zalo, it could still take advantage of the gap in demand that other companies have not prioritized.

People use other apps for general conversation, but look to Viber when they need high security and protection, he said.

"We aim to reach professionals who trust that our technology can protect the most important contents."

These customers are mostly women in the 22-55 age group who use iOS devices.

One of the main differences is that Viber does not store users’ messages on its servers and instead keeps them on their own devices.

While this might occasionally cause trouble with users losing data when their device has problems, Viber believes this method ensures the data is not exploited on its servers.

Alternative cloud services such as iCloud and Google Drive can be used to store Viber messaging data.

Another feature the company focuses on is a filter for spam calls and messages, a major issue for many Vietnamese customers.

Viber is also working to partner with banks in Vietnam to add a feature that allows users to inform each other about a successful bank transfer.

The company also hopes to reach customers in the public sector and major businesses, Raykov added.