Vietnamese browsers evince keen interest in communication apps, US election, Covid-19

Three of top 10 trending searches by Vietnamese this year have been of online learning and video conference app Zoom, online math learning app Olm and school management app Smas. This happened after the Covid-19 pandemic ushered in big changes about the way Vietnamese students access education.

Many schools across Vietnam adopted online learning earlier this year and students began using online learning apps to connect with their teachers after the first Covid-19 outbreak forced thousands of students to stay home for months after the last Lunar New Year break.

Many people also had to work from home for weeks following a national social distancing order in April.

The U.S. presidential election between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden was the fifth Google trending search term in Vietnam.

Topping the most-searched news list this year was the U.S. presidential election. Donald Trump topped the list of people most searched for during the year, followed by Joe Biden.

Covid-19 was the second most searched news topic even as Vietnam won the admiration of the world for tackling the pandemic effectively.

Vietnamese browsers have also showed their interest in criminal cases, which account for five of 10 most searched news topics. This includes the case of former Hanoi chairman Nguyen Duc Chung who was arrested last August and charged with "appropriation of classified documents" involving a giant tech company.

Storm Molave, one of the most powerful ones to hit Vietnam, was the ninth most searched news topic this year. Molave inflicted economic damage estimated at around VND10 trillion ($430.16 million) on central Vietnam.

Asian pop culture continued to be among Vietnamese's top interests, with three of 10 trending searches in this category relating to Chinese and South Korean movies. Two South Korean artists – Hyun Bin and Park Seo Joon – appeared on the list of most searched people of the year.

Google Search trends act as a cultural barometer, revealing what news, sports and other events captured the nation's interest over the past year.

Around 64 million users, or over half the country's population, are online.

Global Google's top search trends for 2020 included the novel coronavirus, election results, American professional basketball player Kobe Bryant who died in January due to traffic accident, and Zoom.