Zalo is a Vietnamese instant messaging multi-platform service developed by VNG Corporation. Zalo is also used in other countries outside of Vietnam, including the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Germany, Myanmar and Singapore.[1]
As of late September 2024, Zalo has approximately 77.6 million active monthly users with nearly 1.97 billion messages sent each day.[2] Zalo is currently available in all 63 provinces of Vietnam, including islands, remote areas, and is accessible in more than 23 countries worldwide.
The name for Zalo is a blend of Zing (an online website managed by VNG) and alo (a standard phrase used to answer a call in Vietnam).[3]
Zalo was created by Vương Quang Khải, the executive Vice President of VNG.[4] After studying in the United States, he returned to Vietnam in 2007.[5] Recently, he began to work primarily on Artificial Intelligence technology, developing Kiki, an AI based virtual assistant.
The first software test version of Zalo was released in August 2012, eight months after development began in late 2011. By September 2012, Zalo had released new versions on iOS, Android and the Nokia S40.[6] However, Zalo received little recognition due to various user issues, including having to use Zing ID for login and utilizing web platforms for the mobile application.[3][7]
In December 2012, the official version for Zalo was released to the public. On 8 January 2013, Zalo reached the top spot on the App Store in Vietnam, passing their main competitor, WeChat.[8]
In March 2013, Zalo reached the million-user milestone and continued to grow quickly, having over 2 million users only two months later, surpassing all international competitors, including Viber and Line.[9]
Zalo has continuously been adding new features, such as Short videos, enhanced privacy features[10] and other improvements to the software.
In 2021, Zalo launched the Zalo Connect feature to help citizens in COVID-19-affected areas connect together and support each other.[11]
In May 2022, Zalo added experimental E2EE that utilizes the Signal protocol.[12][13] As of version 25.01.01, this feature is no longer available.[citation needed]
Since 2022, Zalo began to introduce a series of artificial intelligence features, including eKYC in 2022; text-to-speech, voice-to-text, Zalo AI Avatar in 2023; voice dictation and zSticker AI in 2024.[14][15]
- Free text messaging with emojis, images, videos and voicemail.
- Free phone calls (including video calls).
- Creating and replying to status messages.
- File sharing.
- Creating reminders.
- Adding friends (directly by phone number, finding people by phonebook or by scanning QR codes).
- Mobile payment by credit card via ZaloPay.
- Zalo is accessible by web browser and by opening an application on supported devices.
- In February 2013, Zalo was regarded as "one of the most innovative mobile applications" by international technology news website Tech in Asia.[16]
- In April 2013, Zalo won the 2013 Sao Khue Award - an award presented by the Vietnam Software Association (VINASA) to recognize outstanding technological and scientific advancements of Vietnam.[17]
- In March 2014, Zalo reached 10 million users with 120 million messages sent per day, dominating 50% of the smartphone market in Vietnam.[18]
- In February 2016, Zalo grew fastly with 45 million users, having a total of 1 million new users per month.[19]
- In February 2017, Zalo reached 70 million users, approximately 75% of the population of Vietnam.[20]
- In January 2019, at an event hosted by the Ministry of Information and Communications, former Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc asserted the neccessity of Zalo in the lives of Vietnamese people, stating "Where there are Vietnamese people, there is Zalo".[21]
- In mid-2020, Zalo became the top messaging and communication software in Vietnam in terms of both usage and popularity.[22]
- In 2021, the Zalo Connect feature was titled as a "Creative Vietnamese Technological Solution" at Tech Summit 2021, hosted by VnExpress.[23]
- In March 2022, Global Brand Magazine awarded Zalo the Global Brand Award, rating it as the most used messaging app in Vietnam, above WeChat and WhatsApp.[24][25]
- According to research by the Decision Lab in the fourth quarter of 2021, up to 48% of people surveyed used Zalo to communicate with friends and family, while Facebook and Messenger's statistics were 27% and 20% respectively.[26][27]
In 2018, Zalo was found operating social media without a license, which resulted in a punishment. However, the authorities allowed the domains to remain active, giving VNG time to complete licensing documents, which they failed to do.[37]
In July 2019, the Ho Chi Minh City branch of the Ministry of Information and Communications issued a document demanding parties responsible for registering and managing domain names revoke Zalo.vn and Zalo.me by the 19th.[37] The domains continued to function beyond that date. Afterwards, the Ministry of Information and Communications extended the submission deadline.[38]
On 11 November 2019, the Zalo.vn domain was suspended for 45 days to allow authorities to investigate potential violations. Prior, VNG submitted an application for the license that did not meet the criteria for approval, resulting in the temporary suspension.[38]
On 24 December 2019, Zalo was officially granted a social network license.[39]
The Find Nearby feature of the Zalo mobile app allows users to scan for nearby individuals.[40] This feature was enabled by default, leading to strangers messaging users when location services are enabled, raising privacy concerns.[41]
On 1 August 2022, Zalo began charging users, resulting in restricted access to certain features for those with free accounts.[42] Immediately after, Zalo saw an increase in 1-star ratings on the App Store and Google Play, along with boycotts and multiple threats to delete the application.[43]
- VNG Corporation
