• Source: Zalo

Zalo is an instant messaging multi-platform service developed by VNG in Vietnam. Outside of Vietnam, Zalo is also used in other countries, such as the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Germany, Myanmar and Singapore.
As of late September 2024, Zalo has approximately 77.6 million active monthly users with nearly 1.97 billion messages sent each day. Zalo is currently available in all 63 provinces of Vietnam, including islands, remote areas, and is accessible in more than 23 countries worldwide.




History






= Launch

=
The name for Zalo is a blend of Zing (an online website managed by VNG) and alo (a standard phrase used to answer a call in Vietnam).
Zalo was co-created by Vương Quang Khải, the executive Vice President of VNG. After studying in the United States, he returned to Vietnam in 2007. Recently, he began to work primarily on Artificial Intelligence technology, developing Kiki, an AI based virtual assistant.
The first software test version of Zalo was released in August 2012, eight months after development began in late 2011. By September 2012, Zalo had released new versions on iOS, Android and the Nokia S40. However, Zalo received little recognition due to various user issues, such as having to use Zing ID for login and utilizing web platforms for the mobile application.
In December 2012, the official version for Zalo was released to the public. On 8 January 2013, Zalo reached the top spot on the App Store in Vietnam, passing their main competitor, WeChat.
In March 2013, Zalo reached the million-user milestone and continued to grow quickly, having over 2 million users only two months later, surpassing all international competitors, including Viber and Line.




= Rise in popularity

=
In March 2014, Zalo reached 10 million users with 120 million messages sent per day, dominating 50% of the smartphone market in Vietnam.
In February 2016, Zalo fastly grew with 45 million users, having a total of 1 million new users per month.
In February 2017, Zalo reached 70 million users, approximately 75% of the population of Vietnam.
In mid-2020, Zalo became the top messaging and communication software in Vietnam in terms of both usage and popularity.
Since 2021, Zalo has consistently updated its software, introducing features such as Short videos, enhanced security features, including end-to-end encryption and self-deleting messages and other improvements.
In 2021, Zalo launched the Zalo Connect feature, helping citizens in COVID-19-affected areas connect to and support each other.
Since 2022, Zalo introduced a series of artificial intelligence features, including eKYC in 2022; text to speech, voice to text, Zalo AI Avatar in 2023; speech recognition and zSticker AI in 2024.




Features


Free text messaging with emojis, images, videos and voicemail.
Free phone calls (including video calls).
Creating and replying to status messages.
File sharing.
Creating reminders.
Adding friends (directly by phone number, finding people by phonebook or by scanning QR codes).
Mobile payment by credit card via ZaloPay.
Zalo is accessible by web browser and by opening an application on supported devices.




Records


In February 2013, Zalo was regarded as one of the "most creative mobile applications" by international technology news website Tech in Asia.
In April 2013, Zalo won the 2013 Sao Khue Award – an award presented by the Vietnam Software Association (VINASA) to recognize outstanding technological and scientific achievements of Vietnam.
In January 2019, at an event hosted by the Ministry of Information and Communications, former Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc emphasized the neccessity of Zalo in the lives of Vietnamese people, stating that "Where there are Vietnamese people, there is Zalo".
In March 2022, Global Brand Magazine awarded Zalo the Global Brand Award, rating it as the most used messaging app in Vietnam, above WeChat and WhatsApp.
According to research by Decision Lab in the last quarter of 2021, up to 48% of people asked uses Zalo to communicate with friends and family, while Facebook and Messenger's percentages were both 27% and 20% respectively.




Controversies






= Operating without a license

=
In July 2019, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Information and Communications issued a document demanding parties who are responsible for registering and managing domain names revoke Zalo.vn and Zalo.me, owned by VNG Corporation, due to them running social networks without permission. Previously, Zalo operating social networks without a license were discovered in 2018, resulting in a punishment. However, the Department allowed the domains to remain active, giving VNG time to complete licensing documents.
On 11 November 2019, the Zalo.vn domain was suspended for 45 days to allow authorities to investigate potential violations, despite VNG submitting an application for license renewal. According to sources, the application did not meet the criteria for approval, resulting in a temporary domain suspension, allowing Zalo to complete the filing process.
On 24 November 2019, Zalo was officially granted a social network license.




= Exposing private user information

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To use the Find nearby feature, users must enable location mode, allowing Zalo to scan for nearby users within a radius of several kilometers. However, the mobile app has this feature enabled by default, resulting in a situation where anyone can have their location exposed when location services are turned on.
In May 2022, mobile versions of Zalo received end-to-end encryption to protect private conversations, while the Zalo PC and web versions were updated to enhance user information security.




= Paywalls

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On 1 August, 2022, Zalo began charging users, resulting in restricted access to certain features for those with free accounts. Immediately after, Zalo saw an increase in 1-star ratings on the App Store and Google Play, along with boycotts and multiple threats to delete the application.




See also


VNG Corporation




References

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