Vietnam Plus (Vietnam+), an e-newspaper of the Vietnam News Agency, officially launched Vietnam’s first ever multi-language telecom service enabling mobile users to read newspapers in various languages in their preferred choice on January 11.

This is a modern solution to deliver the latest news via text in four languages -- Vietnamese, English, French, and Spanish in a fast and reliable manner to millions of mobile subscribers inside and outside the country. It also establishes a move in line with the country’s national roadmap for digital content development.

The service is particularly useful for those living in rural remote areas or borderline and islands where Internet services are not available because of geographical hurdles.

“As an affiliate of the Vietnam News Agency, Vietnam Plus is assigned to carry a political mission that is to ensure the delivery of information to people who have different demands in the fastest and most economical way it can,” Le Quoc Minh, Editor-in-Chief of Vietnam Plus said at the press conference. “Vietnam Plus Mobile offers a solution that can fully meet these requirements.”

As the number of mobile phone subscribers in Vietnam has exceeded 100 million, Vietnam Plus Mobile see promising opportunities for its new service.

What makes Vietnam Plus Mobile different from other similar services is that it can run on most low-priced mobile phones being in use in the country.

Another strong point of the service is that it allows users to read news in Vietnamese with tone marks in unlimited length and images attached.

“SMS or MMS-typed messages seem no longer suitable. Not to mention that texts in Vietnamese language without tone marks can cause confusion for readers. In the meantime, it is imperative for information providers to provide applications that enable the delivery of messages in Vietnamese language with tone marks,” Minh affirmed.

After installation, the application will be displayed as an icon on the screen. Mobile phone users can read all news posted on Vietnam Plus news website by logging in via wi-fi or 2G/3G networks. Each language platform will be displayed in its own color to distinguish itself from the others.

Vietnam Plus is the only multi-language e-newspaper in the country with between 120-150 news articles in Vietnamese language and more than 100 articles in English, French and Spanish updated on a daily basis, tapping into the Vietnam News Agency’s expansive network of 63 local and 27 foreign bureaus.

Vietnam Plus Mobile is also the first application for reading newspaper on mobile phones in Vietnam that delivers image advertisements.

Users can download the application from the Internet at http://vnp.mpod.vn or send a message with VNP content to the number 6789./.