HCM CITY — The availability of a series of new foreign domain names in the Vietnamese market is offering more choices to local companies and opening up new opportunities for domain name registrars.

Six years after the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, approved a plan to increase the number of Internet domain name endings from those that includes such familiar domains as .com, .org and .net, many new domain name endings have been created such as such as .ONLINE, .XYZ, .CLUB and, recently, .TOP, .SITE, .LTD, .LOAN, and .WIN.

The new domain name endings have to compete not only with traditional ones, but also with each other to find a foothold in the market, according to experts.

They said many new domain names have been launched in foreign markets since 2012, but have only been promoted in the Vietnamese market in recent years.

Vietnamese enterprises are keen on using new domain name endings, especially in the context of an increase in number of enterprises and shortage of traditional domain endings, they said.

Foreign domain registrars have sought to collaborate with local domain name suppliers to expand their presence and improve their competitive edge.

Huỳnh Ngọc Duy, CEO of Mắt Bão Corporation, the official domain name registrar of ICANN and VNNIC (Việt Nam Internet Network Information Centre), said: "Many new domain name providers have contacted Mắt Bão to bring their new domain names into Việt Nam.

“In order to meet the diverse demands of enterprises, Mắt Bão has actively contacted many registrars to bring unique domain names to Việt Nam."

Foreign domain name registrars have also collaborated with other reputed domain name providers in the country to enhance links with Vietnamese users.

Vietnamese companies do not need to contact foreign registrars if they want to use the new domain names, according to a representative of a local domain name supplier.

By using the services of local registrars, they can get full support in Vietnamese.

If issues emerge such as domain name disputes, usurped domain names, stolen and illegally transferred domain names, the Vietnamese providers would take responsibility to settle them and enterprises do not have to contact foreign registrars.

To promote their new domain names and boost the number of registrations, suppliers offer them at attractive prices or even through flash sales in which lucky applicants can get them almost for free.

Besides competing on prices, foreign domain registrars and domestic domain name providers also join hands to promote their brands and improve Vietnamese businesses’ awareness of the importance and benefits of using new domain names.

"The domain name market has become more exciting than ever," the representative added. — VNS