Email distribution was initially carried out by… bicycle. This means emails were sent via modem from Australia to Hanoi and then delivered to the recipients by… bicycle.
Today, the Internet has become widespread in all fields in Vietnam with nearly 8 million users, but few know that it was first used in our country over 10 years ago.
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A Brief Overview of Professor Rob Hurle Born in 1940, after graduating from university, Rob became a biology teacher at high schools in Victoria (Australia) for four years. He then developed an interest in computers and joined CSIRO, considered Australia’s National Centre for Scientific Research. In 1987, when he became a professor at the Australian National University (ANU), Rob was not only an expert in information technology but also researched social sciences and humanities. Professor Rob has conducted research on literature and the languages of Indonesia and Malaysia. Currently, Professor Rob is deeply researching Vietnamese history. His wife, Clare, also has strong ties to Vietnam. |
Reporter Tien Phong spoke with Professor Rob Hurle – 65 years old, from the Asia Research Department (Australian National University – ANU), who is regarded as one of the pioneers of the Internet in Vietnam.
The Initial Idea
What prompted you to start connecting the Internet in Vietnam?
In the late 1980s, at ANU, while working with some Vietnamese students, I was saddened that upon returning to their country, they would not have the opportunity to use large-capacity computers like those in Australia.
I thought of an interesting way to help them access the computer system in Australia by using a modem.
I heard that you brought a modem to Vietnam?
This story is quite amusing. In 1991, my wife and I traveled to Vietnam, the only Southeast Asian country we had not visited. Hoping to resolve the computer difficulties for my Vietnamese friends, I brought along a modem.
I shared my idea with former Australian students working in Hanoi about accessing the computer system in Australia via phone. The ridiculous part was that the phone call costs from Vietnam to Australia were too high, so my idea failed.
Did you abandon the idea?
The special impression of my Vietnamese friends during that trip made me determined not to give up. Later, the computers at ANU were replaced with smaller, higher configuration ones with a UNIX system.
I contacted many people in Australia, the USA, and especially Mr. Tran Ba Thai at the Information Technology Institute in Hanoi (IOIT) to discuss my idea.
We decided to conduct a communication experiment with Vietnam. I had to write some software for the UNIX system to use the modem for communication to Vietnam and then inform people there on how to access our UNIX system and the Internet.
The experiment was successful. In 1992, the Information Technology Institute in Hanoi had its own email box to exchange emails with me. And perhaps that was the first time someone in Vietnam sent an email abroad. However, whenever we connected, we often had to make phone calls from Australia.
Receiving Emails by… Bicycle
Can you share the developments after the experiment?
Our experiment caught the attention of Telstra Telecommunications Company. I, along with a colleague from the University of Tasmania, was sent to Hanoi by this company to attend a conference in September 1993.
There, we met with experts at IOIT and discussed plans to develop the Internet network in Vietnam. Recognizing the demand for email exchange abroad, especially essential for researchers, IOIT established a separate system to distribute emails to government agencies, universities, or individuals in need.
Email distribution was initially carried out by… bicycle. This meant that emails were sent via modem from Australia to Hanoi and then delivered to the recipients by… bicycle.
When did the “bicycle email” era end?
We received some funding support from the Australian government to cover daily phone costs and equipment to begin building the Internet network in Hanoi.
Initially, IOIT connected with the University of Hanoi and later with other government agencies such as the Archaeological Institute, the Environmental Research Center, the National Library, and more.
Setting Up an Email for Former Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet
Was the early Internet in Vietnam different from that in Australia?
In the beginning, the Internet in Vietnam only served government agencies, universities, and was not intended for commercial purposes. The public could not widely use it due to high costs and limited availability. This was similar to the Internet in Australia during its early days in the 1980s.
Were Vietnamese officials interested in the Internet?
We received a lot of support. In 1994, we even went to the office of Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet to install equipment and programs for computers to send and receive emails.
We also set up a personal email account for Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet with the .vn domain. On April 3, 1994, Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet received an email from Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt regarding his upcoming official visit to Vietnam. Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet replied to Prime Minister Carl Bildt via email.
When was the Internet commercialized in Vietnam?
By 1995, the demand for Internet usage was rapidly increasing. We ran out of funds (sponsored by the Australian government), so we began charging Vietnamese people for using email.
Initially, there was some opposition, but most people supported it. The volume of information transmitted from Vietnam increased rapidly, doubling every five months.
We were a small group at ANU acting as intermediaries, so we had to work very hard to ensure operations.
We had to continuously upgrade to faster modems but still could not meet the Internet demand from Vietnam… It wasn’t until 1997 that Telstra established a dedicated data line for Internet usage from Vietnam to Australia…
Thank you, Professor!
