Vietnam: Buying Apple Computer in Vietnam
Written byPreetam Rai
The strong economic growth in Vietnam is attracting foreign brands. The Unofficial Apple Weblog posts pictures of the latest Apple authorized store in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).
Written byPreetam Rai
36 comments
I’m a student in Vietnam, and there’s only one thing I’d like to say about Apple: They are not being supported in VN, not until the people here change.
I don’t have the money (and most others don’t as well) so I had to install a pirated version of OS X to my PC. It’s perfect, fast, I love it.
But I talked to about 10 people, from students to grown-ups. A half of them don’t know what the heck is Mac (they do know Apple from the “Chinese” iPods). The other half told me that Macs are just pretty, with sweet interface and animations, and Windows is so much better, because many use it.
In VN, virtually anybody uses Windows, and they think Windows is the best. Linux sucks, what the hell is Mac OS X anyway?
See, that’s why Apple haven’t planned to open a Store in VN. I wish there is a miracle of some sort…
I’ve just stumbled upon this thread while doing a Google search.
I’m a long-time Mac user, living in HCMC. I see MacBooks all the time, being used both by ex-pats and Vietnamese (plus of course lots of “jail-broken” iPhones).
According to Apple, there are 14 Authorized Resellers in HCMC, two of which to my knowledge, are dedicated “Mac-only” stores.
See http://store.apple.com.au/asia/FMPro
Simon
That ‘link,’ http://store.apple.com.au/asia/FMPro doesn’t lead to anything using Firefox and Safari in Mac OS X.
Hij, I am travelling in September/October through Cambodia and Vietnam. Does anyone know how much a new macbook will cost with DVD-R 160 Gb for explample? Thanks gert
Gert,
Future World has just opened up (last week) as the only Apple Premium Reseller in HCMC. I visited both stores and was quite impressed with the setup and the level of knowledge of the sales staff. http://www.futureworld.com.vn
I inquired about prices and was told they are the US online Apple Store prices plus VAT (tax) of 10%
Simon
Hi Khai Vuong Dinh,
My sister is going to Vietnam in August. I was wondering if you could give me some sites where local laptops (Vietnam made and Brand) could be found. I want to compare prices and might ask her to buy a laptop from me there in Vietnam if the price is okay. Hopefully, cheaper.
Thanks in advance!
Hi, I was looking to find out how much computers cost in vietnam and where to get them. I’m looking to get a few pc’s to start a little internet cafe, so they don’t have to be top of the line. And also how much does high speed internet run in vietnam? If anyone can help it would be much appreciated.
I have lived in Hue for 18 months and must say my experiences with my iBook have been unfortunate. Disc jammed in drive for last 10 months and unable to eject, now four top left letter keys are not working. No service agent here but am hoping to get to one in Hanoi in 5 weeks. Would be pleased and grateful if anyone can give me name and address of Apple repairers in Hanoi. In meantime will buy external keyboard to use as cannot go on individually copying and pasting w, e and r. Certainly would not bring another Mac to use if living here in future as brand is almost unknown here. PCs are readily available and prices vary
i have read all your messages. i’ve been working here since august. saw and went to futureworld. so far they are the cheapest reseller for mac laptops/notebooks that i know of. and yes – they speak english.
i would like to ask which is better? mac or pc? am still deciding what to buy. i’ve looked and read other websites. but i still want to know the opinions of others.
Thanks Cynthia. I love my Mac laptop and much prefer it to PCs I owned previously as there are far fewer problems with spam and with viruses with a Mac. However that was in Australia. Here in Viet Nam there are other problems, the main one being lack of easily available service. I have been using an external USB connected keyboard for a month now as the letters q,w,e and r on my iBook will not work. Plus there is the matter of the disc jammed in the drive. There are no Apple sales or service outlets in central Viet Nam which is where I live. I did not anticipate these problems before I left home. I am off to Hanoi in a fortnight and hope to be able to get some service there but am not confident. If you are going to be living here long I would opt for a PC – my colleague did and he has no problems. Using a laptop with an external keyboard is very awkward.