September 07, 2007	Friday	Sha'aban 24, 1428

HANOI: Pop stars are doing it, so are millions of teenagers and even Communist Party politicians — blogging has taken Vietnam by storm and spawned an alternative communications universe to dusty state media.

In an online phenomenon that has exploded in a little over a year in this youthful and booming nation, millions of net surfers now reveal all as they share daily gossip and thoughts on their fast-changing society.

Vietnam may be a one-party state that censors its official media and the internet, but this hasn’t stopped millions of young people embracing a world of carefree online chatting their parents could only have dreamed off.

“Blogs were nothing two years ago and suddenly everybody’s got one,” said 28-year-old Canadian expatriate Joe Ruelle, a celebrity in the local blogosphere.

“The number of people who have blogs is baffling,” he said. “It’s kind of like the Wild West right now. People write everything.” When Hollywood star Angelina Jolie came to adopt a child here in March, in a visit celebrated by state media, bloggers hotly debated the merits of her trip — and whether she really is the world’s most beautiful woman.

When Vietnam hosted world leaders for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit last year, student volunteers and state-paid staff provided behind-the-scenes looks at the event.

Bloggers have fought wars over the cultural divide between Vietnam’s north and south, but they have also raised funds for the needy, arranged organ donations and given support to people suffering deadly diseases.

Blogger Cuoi HK, aka Tuyen, a Vietnam Airlines employee, touched thousands as he chronicled his fight against cancer on a blog, and supporters held real-life “offline parties” for him before he died earlier this year.

“I read your blog to learn how to live and fight,” wrote blogger Phuong Thanh. “Thanks for your smile. I know you will be with us forever.”

National assembly deputy Duong Trung Quoc, a prominent historian, recently became the legislature’s first blogger, posting an assembly diary as well as historical tit-bits about the 1,000-year-old capital city.

Even Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has shared details of his personal life in a one-off online chat to reach out to young and tech-savvy citizens.

The number of internet connections has mushroomed to 16.7 million in the country of 84 million people, with cybercafes and wi-fi spots widespread.

“In Vietnam, once something comes along in the way of technology or information, people take to it really very quickly,” said Ruelle.—AFP