Zalo

Zalo

Original author(s)	Vương Quang Khải
Developer(s)	Zalo Group VNG Corporation
Initial release	August 1, 2012;12 years ago (2012-08-01)
Operating system	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, web application
Available in	3 languages
List of languages Vietnamese, English, Burmese
Type	VoIP and instant messaging application software
Website	zalo.me

Zalo is a Vietnamese instant messaging multi-platform service developed by VNG Corporation. Zalo is also used in other countries outside of Vietnam, including the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Germany, Myanmar and Singapore. ^[1]

As of late September 2024, Zalo has approximately 77.6 million active monthly users with nearly 1.97 billion messages sent each day. ^[2] 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). ^[3]

Zalo was co-created by Vương Quang Khải, the executive Vice President of VNG. ^[4] After studying in the United States, he returned to Vietnam in 2007. ^[5] 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. ^[6] However, Zalo received little recognition due to various user issues, including having to use Zing ID for login and utilizing web platforms for the mobile application. ^{[3] [7]}

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. ^[8]

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 . ^[9]

Usage

Zalo has continuously been adding new features, such as Short videos , enhanced privacy features ^[10] and other improvements to the software.

In 2021, Zalo launched the Zalo Connect feature to help citizens in COVID-19-affected areas connect together and support each other. ^[11]

In May 2022, Zalo added experimental E2EE that utilizes the Signal protocol. ^{[12] [13]} As of version 25.01.01, this feature is no longer available.^{[ citation needed ]}

Since 2022, Zalo began to introduce a series of artificial intelligence features, including eKYC in 2022; text-to-speech, voice-to-text, Zalo AI Avatar in 2023; voice dictation and zSticker AI in 2024. ^{[14] [15]}

Main 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. ^[16]
• 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. ^[17]
• In March 2014, Zalo reached 10 million users with 120 million messages sent per day, dominating 50% of the smartphone market in Vietnam. ^[18]
• In February 2016, Zalo fastly grew with 45 million users, having a total of 1 million new users per month. ^[19]
• In February 2017, Zalo reached 70 million users, approximately 75% of the population of Vietnam. ^[20]
• In January 2019, at an event hosted by the Ministry of Information and Communications, former Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc asserting the neccessity of Zalo in the lives of Vietnamese people, stating "Where there are Vietnamese people, there is Zalo". ^[21]
• In mid-2020, Zalo became the top messaging and communication software in Vietnam in terms of both usage and popularity. ^[22]
• In 2021, the Zalo Connect feature was titled as a "Creative Vietnamese Technological Solution" at Tech Summit 2021, hosted by VnExpress. ^[23]
• 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. ^{[24] [25]}
• 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. ^{[26] [27]}

Date	Achievement
3/2014	Reached 10 million users [28]
11/2014	Reached 20 million users [29]
5/2015	Reached 30 million users [30]
4/2016	Reached 50 million users [31]
9/2016	Reached 60 million users [32]
8/2017	Reached 70 million users [33]
21/05/2018	Reached 100 million users [34] [35] [36]

Controversies

Operating without a license

In July 2019, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Information and Communications issued a document demanding parties responsible for registering and managing domain names revoke Zalo.vn and Zalo.me, owned by VNG Corporation, due to them operating social networks without permission. Previously, Zalo was found operating social networks without a license in 2018, which resulted in a punishment. However, the Department allowed the domains to remain active, giving VNG time to complete licensing documents. ^[37]

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. ^[38]

On 24 November 2019, Zalo was officially granted a social network license. ^[39]

Concerns regarding the Find Nearby feature

The Find Nearby feature of the Zalo mobile app allows users to scan for nearby individuals. ^[40] This feature was enabled by default, leading to strangers messaging users when location services are enabled, raising privacy concerns. ^[41]

Paywalls

On 1 August 2022, Zalo began charging users, resulting in restricted access to certain features for those with free accounts. ^[42] 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. ^[43]

See also

• VNG Corporation

References

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2. "Zalo là nền tảng nhắn tin phổ biến nhất Việt Nam". Znews.vn (in Vietnamese). 2024-11-05. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
3. P.K.D (2013-10-01). ""Cổ tích công nghệ" Việt mang tên Zalo". Tuổi Trẻ (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2022-06-29.
4. "Vương Quang Khải Zalo và bí quyết 'leo núi AI' của 'chàng Don Quixote'". VCCorp.vn (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2024-11-08.
5. Nguyên Long (2013-07-04). "Ba vận may của chàng "Đông-Ki-Sốt" công nghệ". vneconmy.vn (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2024-11-08.
6. ""Trận chiến" Zalo của VNG". VietNamNet (in Vietnamese). 2013-02-07. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
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8. P.K.D (2013-10-02). "Lời "tuyên thệ" từ chức đồng loạt và bước ngoặt quyết định". Tuổi Trẻ (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2022-06-29.
9. "Cuộc chiến OTT: Zalo đối đầu Viber và Line". VietNamNet (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2024-11-07.
10. "Một số mẹo giúp bảo vệ quyền riêng tư trên Zalo" [Some tips to help protect your privacy in Zalo]. Báo Nhân Dân điện tử (in Vietnamese). 2023-05-21. Archived from the original on 2024-12-09. Retrieved 2025-01-25.{{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
11. Giang Lê (2021-08-12). "Zalo Connect giúp người dân vùng dịch tìm sự hỗ trợ khẩn cấp". Forbes Vietnam (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2024-11-08.
12. Lê, Huyền Vân (2022-05-28). "Chia sẻ và hướng dẫn kích hoạt tính năng mã hoá đầu cuối (E2EE) trên Zalo" [How to enable end-to-end encryption (E2EE) in Zalo]. Tinh tế (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2025-01-25.
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23. "12 sản phẩm công nghệ sáng tạo tại Tech Awards 2021". Báo Quảng Ninh điện tử (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2024-11-08.
24. Hùng Anh (2022-03-28). "Global Brand Awards đánh giá Zalo là ứng dụng nhắn tin hàng đầu Việt Nam". Nhân Dân (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2022-06-29.
25. Mai Lan (2022-03-28). "Zalo được vinh danh là app nhắn tin hàng đầu Việt Nam tại giải thưởng quốc tế". Thanh Niên (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2022-06-29.
26. Thach Huynh (2022). "Move over—here comes Zalo!". Decision Lab. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
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40. Zalo Help (2025-01-25). "Hướng dẫn tính năng "Tìm quanh đây" trên Zalo" [Instructions for the "Find nearby" feature on Zalo]. Zalo Help (in Vietnamese, English, Chinese, French, Korean, Japanese, and Burmese). Archived from the original on 2024-03-06. Retrieved 2025-01-25.
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