Apple is increasingly interested in the Vietnamese market.

After opening an online store in Vietnam to serve customers, Apple continues to show its interest in the Vietnamese market by collecting data to update Apple map services in many provinces and cities.

In May 2023, the Apple Store online was officially opened in Vietnam, allowing domestic customers to freely shop online for all products from iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Mac, Apple Watches directly from Apple. Vietnam is the 6th country where Apple Store Online is operating in Southeast Asia, after Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia. By August 2023, there was information that Apple was considering upgrading the Vietnamese market from 3rd - 4th to 2nd. Accordingly, if it is considered a 2nd-tier market, customers in the Vietnamese market will receive more direct benefits from the company. Although there has been no official announcement about Apple's market ranking, in 2023, Apple has made certain changes in the Vietnamese market. Accordingly, just over 2 weeks since its launch, the iPhone 15 series has been available in the Vietnamese market. This period is only half the time that Vietnamese customers had to wait when the company launched the iPhone 14 product line. Not only changing the way it provides hardware products, Apple also invests in improving the quality of service in Vietnam. Also in August 2023, the Apple Pay payment service was opened in Vietnam, allowing customers to easily pay with iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch. Recently, Apple announced a plan to collect map data in Hanoi and some neighboring areas through the deployment of photo-taking vehicles in the area. Areas with map scanning vehicles include Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai, Ho Chi Minh City and many other provinces and cities. In particular, from March 8 to July 30, the vehicles will focus on collecting data in the Red River Delta region, including the capital Hanoi and neighboring provinces. With the investment and change efforts in the Vietnamese market, domestic customers can expect to soon be able to use famous services that Apple is not yet available in Vietnam.

In a related development, Apple recently announced plans to collect map data in Hanoi and some areas in Vietnam through the deployment of photo-taking vehicles in the area.

Areas in Vietnam will be updated on Apple Maps — Apple's mapping car on the streets of the US. Photo: Apple Insider

According to Apple, the project began on February 16 and is expected to last until October 24, including many different phases and areas across the country. Specifically, from February 16 to July 24, the vehicles will operate in the areas of Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai, Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Ninh. Then, from March 5 to August 30, the vehicles will travel to provinces and cities such as Binh Dinh, Binh Thuan, Da Nang, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Phu Yen, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai. In particular, from March 8 to July 30, the vehicles will focus on collecting data in the Red River Delta, including the capital Hanoi and neighboring provinces. The goal of this project is to improve the accuracy of Apple's mapping service, especially the "Look Around" feature, which allows users to preview real-time images of locations on the map without having to go there. To do this, the cars are equipped with light sensors (LiDAR) and cameras on the outside, along with a computer system serving the driver inside. In addition to using the cars to collect data, Apple will also deploy body-worn scanning devices to collect data in areas where the cars cannot move, such as pedestrian streets. Apple employees will also collect information from the community to improve Apple Maps services. However, collecting map data has inevitably raised some concerns about people's privacy. Therefore, Apple has committed to complying with its privacy rules and will carefully censor data before putting it on the system. At the same time, users also have the right to request the processing of personal data by contacting Apple directly via email: [email protected]. Apple's map data collection project in Hanoi and surrounding areas promises to help improve the user experience globally and at the same time contribute to the development of Vietnam's information technology ecosystem./.

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