The military-run Viettel Group, one of the leading telecom companies in Vietnam, launched on Jan 29 a customer support service using seven ethnic languages, state media reported.The operator will provide frequently asked questions (FAQs) for free and charge money for news of all fields in the languages of Tay, Nung; Thai, Hmong, Dao, Gia Rai, Khmer and Ede. For the first time, 12 million ethnic people in Vietnam now have mobile phones supporting their own languages. Vietnam, whose total population is 89 million, is home to 54 ethnic groups including the most populous group of Kinh or Viet people who account for 85% of the total population.Vietnamese ethnic people who live mostly in mountainous, boundary and remote areas face numerous difficulties on their economic and spiritual lives. (ICTnews.vn Jan 29)
