KakaoTalk Has 1 Million Users In Vietnam (Yes, Just Like Line App)

Yesterday I wrote about Line app and its one million users in Vietnam and stated that rival messaging app KakaoTalk was playing catch-up. But then the KakaoTalk team in Vietnam contacted me and told me that KakaoTalk has also hit one million users in the country this month. Things are getting interesting.

The big number, they tell us, is due to the company’s latest TV advertising and local events, and puts them on the map as a very strong competitor in Vietnam’s messaging app fight.

For a refresher, here are the latest confirmed numbers in Vietnam: KakaoTalk is at one million, Line’s at one million, Zalo is at 700,000, and Whatsapp, WeChat and Viber, who are all strong contenders, have not confirmed any numbers.

All in all, this makes for a particularly intense battle. At last count, Vietnam’s smartphone users make up about one-third of the mobile phone population – so that’s over 30 million smartphone users. I’d estimate that the six chat apps mentioned only account for less than ten million of that 30 million. There’s still much more growth to be had, and still a market leader to be decided.