In 2020, smartphone vendors sold about 1.38 billion smartphones worldwide. And the number will continue to increase in 2021 with a predicted number of over 1.53 million units. 10 countries with the most smartphone users (Source: Statista) Survey data by market research firm Statista shows that, as of May 2021, China is still the leading country in terms of smartphone users with nearly 912 million people. Although the number is less than half, but India also ranks second after China with over 439 million units. These two countries will continue to top the rankings by large populations and are considered as markets with strong growth potential given the relatively low smartphone adoption rates, Statista commented. Among Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia and Vietnam are the two markets with the highest number of users. The data shows that Indonesia has up to 160.2 million smartphone users and ranks 4th in the rankings. Vietnam has 61.3 million users, in the top 10 countries with the largest number of smartphone users in the world. The Philippines and Thailand have lower user rates, with 41.3 and 37.8 million users, respectively. The smartphone penetration rate can be used as an indicator to measure how advanced a country’s economy is. The number of smartphone users and smartphone penetration rate are also considered as one of the bases for the development of the digital economy. In 2020, the smartphone penetration rate in Vietnam ranked 9th with an index of 63.1%, higher than Indonesia with a penetration rate of 58.6% and the Philippines at 37.7%. Vietnam is also considered as a potential and high-growth digital economy market in Southeast Asia. According to a report by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company, in 2020 Southeast Asia’s digital economy will see the growth of e-commerce, food delivery and online media amid the pandemic. Accordingly, digital payments will reach 620 billion USD in 2020 and are expected to reach 1.2 trillion USD in 2025. Online media also posted 22% growth, reaching $17 billion in 2020. This was driven by the explosive growth of video streaming service providers (video streaming), the growth rate 12 times in Vietnam and 18 times in Thailand. According to the assessment, Vietnam and Indonesia are two countries that have recorded double-digit growth for the digital economy. In which, Vietnam’s digital economy has a total value of about 14 billion USD and is expected to reach 52 billion by 2025, with an average growth rate of 29% from now until then. In the context of the pandemic, the Internet economy in Vietnam recorded growth in transportation, food, e-commerce and fintech.

A series of countries that were once the hottest epidemic centers in the world have now reopened thanks to an effective mass vaccination strategy, lighting up the hope of soon stabilizing people’s lives and recovering the economy. “Now everyone is experiencing the real New York and it suddenly dawned on me, we’re almost over the real pandemic,” Michelle Khoury said with joy evident on her face. That mood is not only of Michelle, but of many people in New York (USA) when the state fully reopens on May 19, restoring all activities. Those who have been vaccinated are no longer required to wear masks or practice social distancing when going out. They only have to wear masks at nursing homes, hospitals or on public transport. 2/ Our World in Data’s chart of the number of people vaccinated against Covid-19 in New York as of May 19. Light blue represents the number of people who injected at least 1 dose, dark green represents full dose. In a statement announcing the important decision, Governor Andrew Cuomo said that from now on, all shops, restaurants, entertainment centers, theaters and museums will no longer have to limit the number of visitors to a low level. , and New York’s subway system, which is the largest in the United States, is also officially open 24/24 as before the pandemic. The government plans to soon organize famous traditional events such as professional volleyball tournaments, marathons and performances at the Radio City Music Hall variety stage as soon as this year. According to official data, the number of new infections and deaths in New York is now hitting its lowest level since the pandemic broke out more than a year ago. After the first case of death from the new strain of corona virus was recorded on March 14, 2020, the state lost more than 30,000 people within just one year. ABC News points out that this number is 10 times more than the number of Americans who died in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. America is slowly returning to normal New York is one of many typical states of the United States, including New Jersey and Connecticut, that have reversed the pandemic to return to normal life. After more than a year of struggling against the terrible infection of the virus with more than 33.8 million positive cases and nearly 602,000 deaths, the US is gradually reviving thanks to the world’s fastest vaccination campaign. CDC data shows that, by the end of May 18, New York reached about 52% of the population receiving at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine and 43% receiving a full dose. In New Jersey, the numbers were 56.9% and 45.2%, respectively, while in Connecticut it reached 59.9% and 49.3%. Our World in Data’s chart of the number of people vaccinated against Covid-19 in the US as of May 18. Light blue represents the number of people who injected at least 1 dose, dark green represents full dose. Many other places in the US are also gradually returning to normal. Las Vegas casinos are reopening at 100% capacity with no social distancing requirements. Disneyland in California also reopened late last month after shutting down for 400 days. Massachusetts also announced that all restrictions related to Covid-19 will end by the weekend of Memorial Day (May 31). The momentum to escape the Covid-19 pandemic in the US is not outside the judgment of experts and forecasts of global financial institutions. White House senior adviser on Covid-19 Andy Slavitt pointed out that, for the first time in the pandemic, the number of infections last week decreased in all 50 US states. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, on May 18, said the average number of infections and deaths from Covid-19 in the last 7 days in the US has dropped to the lowest since the pandemic began. About 60% of Americans 18 years of age and older have had at least one dose of the vaccine, and this is a good sign that the US will easily reach the goal set by President Joe Biden, of 70% of the population getting less vaccination at least one dose of vaccine by July 4. However, she cautioned that recent numbers suggest “we should be cautiously optimistic”. Europe opens at the same time From the beginning of this week, European countries simultaneously eased restrictive measures, allowing most economic sectors to return to normal activities. The EU is speeding up Covid-19 vaccination campaigns for its people. Photo: Reuters Once one of the hottest epidemic centers in Europe in particular and globally in general, the UK officially reopened from May 17, after a long time of implementing strict blockade measures. People can move freely, hug each other or drink beer in public, have dinner at restaurants or watch movies in theaters. Students are no longer required to wear masks at school. On the same day, the first flights to Portugal and the countries that allow visitors from the UK to enter took off. He also got this spectacular step thanks to a successful vaccination campaign. The country’s daily number of new infections and deaths are both low as more than 20 million British adults have been vaccinated with both vaccines, accounting for over 30% of the country’s population. In addition, more than 36 million other people have also received the first dose of the vaccine, accounting for nearly 70% of the population. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government decided to reopen in phases, with the goal of returning to normal by next June. He warned the public to be cautious, because while Britain “has reached an important milestone in the road out of the blockade, we still have to take this next step with extreme caution”. Statista’s graph shows the number of people who received 1 or 2 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in France from December 27, 2020 to May 15, 2021. In France, starting May 19, restaurants began serving outdoor guests after more than 6 months of having to close. Theaters, cinemas, museums and the Eiffel Tower are also open to a certain number of visitors. On the same day, Portugal officially opened its doors to all European visitors to the country without having to quarantine, provided that they present a negative test for Covid-19 within 72 hours. The Netherlands also reopened amusement parks and zoos, and allowed restaurants and outdoor bars to close 2 hours later than before. In Italy, the curfew time was also lowered to 9pm, compared to 10pm before. Beaches have been reopened to normal since the weekend. For the first time in six months, Austria allowed restaurants, theaters and cinemas to reopen. The government of this country announced that, from May 19, visitors from some countries with low infection rates will not need to be isolated, although they still need to provide negative test results and vaccination cards. two in November 2020, after recording a record high number of daily infections.

Notably, despite the expensive price, items such as instant noodles with 100,000 VND/pack, millions of fish sauce bottles, and instant pepper cost up to tens of millions of VND per kilogram… are still expensive at home and abroad. Pepper is fertilized with self-composted organic fertilizer from eggs, milk, crab and moringa leaves Eating pepper like candy costs 22 million VND/kg While the price of dried pepper sold on the market today only fluctuates around 65,000-70,000 VND/kg, pepper products with Bau May brand have the lowest selling price of 1-2 million VND/kg. There are even seedless pepper products with prices up to 22 million VND/kg. Why is this product so expensive? Mr. Lam Ngoc Nham, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bau May Agriculture, Trade and Tourism Joint Stock Company (Ba Ria-Vung Tau), said: Instead of pepper being sold as a common spice, his company has produce premium pepper products that can be eaten directly. This means that this product can be used as a functional food with good health and high economic value. Not stopping there, Mr. Nham has created many direct consumption products that bring great export value, such as milk pepper that can be used for children from two years old or more than 2 million VND/day. kg. In particular, the crunchy dry seedless pepper that can be eaten like candy or fruit costs up to 22 million VND/kg, which is favored by fastidious markets such as Japan, France, Dubai, and Australia. “My company’s Tieu Bau May is fertilized with self-composted organic fertilizer from eggs, milk, crab and moringa leaves. These are all foods with many nutrients that are good for human health. When pepper plants are “eaten well”, they will produce delicious, aromatic peppers and many good nutrients for humans”, Mr. Nham shared. Thanks to this special “fertilizer” created by Mr. Nham himself, it helps to improve the pepper content. Accordingly, the percentage of kernels is absent, the percentage of rice is increased, the shell is thicker and especially, a unique seedless pepper variety is created. In addition, to meet strict export standards, Nham said that the company’s pepper growing areas all meet GlobalG.AP standards, an ISO certified food safety management system. Another special thing is that Bau May Company consumes products with stable prices 3-5 times higher than the market price. For example, at present, the average pepper price is at 65,000-70,000 VND/kg, sometimes the price drops below 50,000 VND/kg, causing many local farmers to cut pepper to grow other agricultural products. However, Bau May is still buying pepper from farmers for more than 150,000 VND/kg. “I provide seeds and technical guidance to each farmer household, convincing them to comply with the organic standards that I set to obtain quality products,” said Mr. Nham. Pepper, fish sauce … super expensive produced by Vietnamese enterprises. Photo: P.MINH – Q.HUY Mantis shrimp fish sauce is as luxurious as wine Living in the sea of ​​Phan Thiet (Binh Thuan), once enjoying the quintessence of fish sauce in a craft village, Mr. Bui Duc Hao, owner of Sen fish sauce company, always cherishes the idea of ​​raising Vietnamese fish sauce to a higher level. . “Although traditional fish sauce is being fiercely competed by industrial fish sauce, there are still many people who want to find delicious bottles of fish sauce with bold Vietnamese taste for family meals. In fact, good fish sauce is very rare on the market, it only stops at craft villages for the people who make fish sauce to enjoy “- Mr. Hao shared. Once Mr. Hao talked and shared the story of fish sauce with a friend who is a culinary expert, the two shared the same opinion that they must preserve the unique beauty of traditional fish sauce. Therefore, Mr. Hao decided to create a delicious fish sauce and of course not cheap. “If making popular fish sauce will easily drown with other brands, not to mention traditional fish sauce is being fiercely competitive with industrial fish sauce,” said Mr. Hao. As an architect, once designed for the rich, the owner of Sen fish sauce knows that in the market there are many people with money and they are willing to spend tens to hundreds of millions of dong for delicious and expensive food. Therefore, he decided to make a high-class fish sauce aimed at the segment of people with money. However, unlike the usual way of making fish sauce, Mr. Hao and his friend do not use fish to make fish sauce, but use mantis shrimp ingredients. Choosing mantis shrimp as a fish sauce ingredient is also a feat. Mantis shrimp only buy the kind that is caught in the spring, because this is the season that according to fishermen, seafood is delicious. Mantis shrimp are selected according to a standard size, not big ones, small ones and must be alive. After that, these shrimp are brought to Tam Giang lagoon to raise fat and reduce salinity. When the shrimp reaches the required standard, it is brought to make fish sauce according to its own recipe. The salt to marinate chuop to make fish sauce must be Sa Huynh salt. Super expensive fish sauce produced by Vietnamese enterprises. Photo: P.MINH – Q.HUY “Fish sauce made from mantis shrimp does not have a high protein content like fish, but it produces a round, aromatic and sweet fish sauce,” said Mr. Hao. Delicious and unique fish sauce needs to go hand in hand with the design. Mr. Hao was originally not interested in fish sauce bottles in plastic bottles because, according to him, doing so “only lowers the value of Vietnam’s famous sauce”. Under the professional eyes of the architect, Mr. Hao decided to change the shape of the fish sauce bottle. It must be luxurious and sophisticated to attract customers at first sight. The exterior is designed as luxuriously as Western wine bottles, inside which he thoughtfully comes with a pouring spout like in high-class restaurants used to pour wine. Mr. Hao is selling a bottle of fish sauce for 2 million VND. Putting this number next to the usual bottles of fish sauce is a difference in price difference. “Many people spend tens of millions of dong to buy a bottle of wine and drink it all at the party, but the bottle of fish sauce can be used for a whole year” – Mr. Hao explains why the company’s fish sauce is so expensive. Another interesting thing, when users feel good, they tend to return to buy regularly, so the company can’t keep up with orders. “This is not only about winning the business problem, but it is important that traditional fish sauce is still in the minds of many people if they know how to do it and meet the right needs,” said Mr. Hao. Unique snack, honey thing Mr. Nguyen Duc Thanh, General Director of Tanimex Long An Company, said that many cashew processing companies have gradually invested in deep processing product lines instead of exporting raw products as before. Deeply processed products with high added value such as salted roasted cashews, snack cashews, honey cashews, wasabi cashews… have been sold in the domestic market and exported more and more. In particular, these products are increasingly popular in the markets of Thailand, Hong Kong and the Middle East. Not only that, Vietnamese companies have the ability to create safe, clean and unique products. In particular, some companies grow cashews organically, so they can expand both domestic and international markets and reach a group of customers with money and high income. Super expensive pepper produced by Vietnamese enterprises. Photo: P.MINH – Q.HUY The demand for luxury goods will continue to increase sharply Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the purchasing power of the middle and wealthy classes in Vietnam is still quite high, especially for valuable and branded items. The proof is that more and more famous brands are present in Vietnam. Market research firm Statista said that despite the pandemic, the revenue of the luxury goods market in Vietnam is expected to reach 1.14 billion USD in 2021. In general, in the period of 2021-2025, the Vietnamese luxury goods market South will grow by an average of 7.2%. Many experts predict that the consumption of luxury goods will increase sharply in the coming years, including food and technology. It is inevitable when the income of many people increases. Grasping this trend, many Vietnamese companies have launched many high-quality high-end products in the domestic market.

Attractive virtual money market

After many sessions close to the old peak, Bitcoin has penetrated the threshold of 62,000 USD and then 63,000 USD / Bitcoin on the evening of April 13. Currently, Bitcoin price is fluctuating around 63,500 USD / Bitcoin, sometimes close to 64,000 USD / Bitcoin. Thus, in the past 1 year, the price of Bitcoin has increased about 9 times, a level of return far exceeding all traditional investment channels such as stocks or gold.

As Wall Street becomes more and more open to cryptocurrencies, Coinbase’s direct listing is attracting great investor interest, according to financial experts. Especially on April 14, Coinbase officially became a public company on the Nasdaq. This is the first major crypto company to list, considered a major turning point for the digital market as well as a test of the level of investor interest in startups. (startup) differs in this area.

Not only Bitcoin, but also many cryptocurrencies issued by exchanges also increased in price ahead of the Coinbase listing. Typically, Binance Coin increased 23% in the first day of the week; Houbi Token and KuCoin Token both went up.

Before the excitement of virtual money, the virtual money market, also known as electronic money in Vietnam, became active again when investors realized that this currency had promising potential. As can be seen, the appearance of Pi, a new cryptocurrency and other virtual currency units in early 2021 has attracted a large number of new investors to join.

In Vietnam, virtual money in general and currencies like Bitcoin, Litecoin … in particular are still not recognized and are not legal means of payment. The issuance, supply and use of virtual currency are prohibited acts and will be sanctioned according to the Government’s Decree No. 96/2014 / ND-CP on sanctioning of administrative violations in the monetary and banking sector. Criminal Code 2015 (amended and supplemented). Previously, the State Bank of Vietnam had warned many times that investing in virtual money caused great risks to investors.

Unpredictable risks

According to market research Statista, Vietnam has the 2nd highest cryptocurrency usage rate in the world, after Nigeria. With millions of dollars traded every month, crypto exchanges are a good prey for cybercriminals.

The technology security companies said that fraudulent acts on electronic transactions are very diverse and sophisticated, such as collecting information from developers and investors; attack with malware, phishing, malicious code, fake notification, navigate to fake website, DDoS … and steal electronic wallet security key.

The famous criminal group in the world that focuses on cryptocurrencies today, such as Lazarus, BlueNoroff (a member of the Lazarus family that specializes in attacking the financial sector) is also said to be carrying out related attacks. to cryptocurrencies in Southeast Asia under the name SnatchCrypto.

The vibrant virtual money market attracts many Vietnamese investors to rejoin (illustrations).

Not only that, the risk of losing money also comes from virtual currency exchanges and can be collapsed at any time. Commenting on this type of investment, Lawyer Pham Duy Khuong, CEO of ASL Law Firm, said that although he is always warned about potential risks, what makes virtual money still attractive to investors. it is too big a profit. But the downside of the coin’s development has actually created a series of risks of “junk” virtual money investment channels appearing more and more.

Worryingly, virtual money “trash” tends to increase sharply and is “sucking blood” of investors. Specifically, with an attractive offer of great profits from virtual currency exchanges, investors massively poured money into “junk” virtual currency floors and then after a short time, the floor suddenly collapsed, when Then new investors fall back to be deceived. More sophisticated, when many cryptocurrency exchanges have “lured” investors to buy real virtual money, then use these virtual currencies to buy back virtual money “trash” “In order to make high profits and then the investors lose all their investment money.

However, according to the experts, it is very difficult to sanction fraud on these type of exchange owners. Because, if investors contribute with real money to the property, it can also be sanctioned, but if you contribute virtual money – a currency that is not an asset or a means of payment, there is no legal status, so it is not. there are grounds for punishment

Chris Connell, Managing Director of Kaspersky Asia Pacific said: “The development of cryptocurrencies is an integral part of digital transformation in the region and in Vietnam. Therefore, we encourage individuals accessing these financial technologies to have a basic knowledge of security measures to keep their cryptocurrencies safe.

Specifically, before investing, learn about cryptocurrency exchanges. These platforms provide the means for buying and selling virtual currency units as there are more than 500 exchanges. Do research, read feedback and talk to experienced investors before going any further.

After buying cryptocurrencies, investors need to know how to choose a digital wallet to keep. Because there are different types of wallets, each has different benefits, technical requirements and security. Therefore, players should research hosting options before investing.

However, according to the warning of financial expert – securities Phan Dung Khanh, Investment Advisory Director of Maybank Kim Eng Securities, do not put all your capital in Bitcoin just because it is the only name you know. There are thousands of options and it’s best to divide your investments by a few different units of money. Even so, cryptocurrencies are a volatile market, so if their investment ability or mental health cannot withstand the volatility, cryptocurrencies may not be a wise investment.

In particular, always uphold security when trading virtual money. Ideally, home trading is safer than using a public network, but you need proper security. For starters, it’s a good idea to change your router’s default password because the root password is usually the same for all routers of the same model, making your Wi-fi vulnerable to attack. In any case, it is best to do all electronic transactions over an encrypted VPN channel, which will add an extra layer of security.

A global customer survey conducted by Statista shows that Vietnam has the second highest cryptocurrency usage rate in the world, after Nigeria.

With millions of dollars traded every month, cryptocurrency exchanges are a good prey for cybercriminals. Fraudulent acts on electronic transactions include developer and investor information collection; attack with malware, phishing, malicious code, fake notification, navigate to fake website, DDoS … and steal electronic wallet security key.

A notorious cybercrime gang that targets cryptocurrencies is Lazarus and its members. Since 2019, Kaspersky researchers’ investigations show that Lazarus is behind the recent attacks in Singapore.

BlueNoroff, “family member” Lazarus specializing in the financial attack, is also said to be carrying out cryptocurrency-related attacks in Southeast Asia under the name SnatchCrypto.

The gang targeted banks, and was also accused of being involved in the theft of $ 81 million by Bangladeshi banks. Kaspersky researchers have been tracking SnatchCrypto since the end of 2019 and found that the guys behind the campaign have resumed operations with a similar strategy.

Chris Connell, Managing Director of Kaspersky Asia Pacific said: “In the near future there will be more new crypto investors across Southeast Asia as the bargains from different cryptocurrencies are undeniable, and Vietnam is one of the countries that are at the forefront of this transformation.

The development of cryptocurrencies is an integral part of digital transformation in the region and in Vietnam, so we encourage individuals who access these financial technologies to have a basic knowledge of security measures to keep our cryptocurrency safe ”.

Experts at Kaspersky share some basic ways to protect yourself against cybercriminals on cryptocurrency exchanges:

– Transaction research: Before investing, learn about cryptocurrency exchanges. These platforms provide the means for buying and selling virtual currency units, but there are over 500 transactions to choose from. Do research, read feedback and talk to experienced investors before going any further.

– Know how to keep your virtual currency: After purchasing cryptocurrency, you need to keep it. There are different types of wallets, each with different benefits, technical requirements and security. When trading, you should research your storage options before you invest.

– Diversification of investment: Diversification is the key to any smart investing strategy, and so is when you invest in cryptocurrencies. Don’t put all your capital into Bitcoin just because it’s the only name you know. There are thousands of options, and it’s best to divide your investments by a few different currencies.

– Prepare for instability: Cryptocurrency is a volatile market, be prepared for volatility. You will see amazing fluctuations in prices. If your investment ability or mental health cannot tolerate volatility, then cryptocurrencies may not be a wise investment.

Cryptocurrency is booming, but it’s still in its infancy. Investing in something new always presents challenges, so be prepared. If you are planning to invest, do your research carefully and invest carefully.

– Always give security: Transacting using your home network is safer than using a public network, but you need the right security. For starters, it’s a good idea to change the default router password because the root password is usually the same for all routers of the same model, making your WiFi vulnerable to attack.

In any case, it is best to do all electronic transactions over an encrypted VPN channel, which will add an extra layer of security.

When choosing a VPN service, pay attention to the connection speed (depending on the number and quality of the server group of the provider).