Lotus: Vietnam's Social Net Work focuses on content.
2019/09/05
Lotus is believed to be a direct rival to Facebook in Vietnam, but it is still too early to say if it can defeat the giant.
On August 20, VCCorp announced the investment in and development of Lotus, a social network described as ‘going a different way’ with focus on content. The beta version of the social network is scheduled to be launched on September 16.
Minister of Information and Communication Nguyen Manh Hung
Unlike other social networks, Lotus focuses on content, creating a platform that helps content producers and individuals create high-quality content.
Lotus users will be able to have new experiences, receive tokens and them in useful ways, implement missions, take challenges and receive gifts.
They will also be able to relate their stories in a more beautiful and lively way. Instead of reading, they will ‘listen’ to stories with images.
Lotus is designed by a team of user experts and developed by a team of 200 technology engineers in mobility, AI, Big Data and Cloud Computing. The content can be personalized in accordance with the behavior and habit of user. The context of Lotus is also customized according to users’ behaviors such as news reading, entertainment and photo viewing.
As for content contributors, their content, names and numbers of fans will be protected. Lotus has a dedicated CMS system for content developers. People can make money through more ways than Facebook.
Developing a made-in-Vietnam social network has been mentioned by PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc many times. Minister of Information and Communication Nguyen Manh Hung also emphasized the need for Vietnam to have social networks of its own.
“Why don’t we think of developing a social network to replace Facebook, if Facebook’s philosophy is no longer suitable for the world?” Mr Hung said. “Why don’t we generate a social network from which users can set the rules of the game, the value to be created can be shared, and the social network will observe the laws of the countries where it reaches because it is tailored to fit local laws”
However, he warned that if Vietnamese developers just ‘copy’ the Facebook's idea, they won’t have any opportunity to defeat the biggest giant: Facebook.
