Businesses are desperately scrambling to prepare for an abrupt plan that looks to change all of Vietnam's telephone area codes on March 1.
“Countless number of enterprises will have to change their marketing documents, profiles, leaflets, websites, name cards, envelops and all products that feature their phone number,” Nguyen Minh Trung, spokesperson of FPT Information System that provides corporate information solutions, said.
“My company will also have to print new documents and make many changes. This plan was introduced on very short notice,” he said.
According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, telephone numbers will change in 59 of Vietnam's 63 cities and provinces.
Some cities and provinces will see drastic changes. Da Nang's dialing code will go from 511 to 236, Hai Phong from 31 to 225 and Can Tho from 710 to 292.
Only four provinces will maintain their codes, namely: Hoa Binh (218), Ha Giang (219), Vinh Phuc (211) and Phu Tho (210).
The Ministry of Information and Communications said it changed the area codes to ensure that every number in the country is 11 digits.
Currently, area codes vary from 1-3 digits while phone numbers have 7 or 8 digits.
“A lack of unified length in area and phone numbers can easily cause dialing errors and make numbers harder to remember,” the ministry said in a release.
The ministry also decided to cut a digit from cell phone numbers to ensure they are 11 digits, without announcing a specific deadline for the change.
Currently, cell phone numbers may have 10 or 11 digits.
Costly change
A representative from the ministry's telecommunications department was quoted by Nguoi Lao Dong (Laborer) newspaper as saying Saturday that an across-the-board change would not take place immediately on March 1.
The department would work with telecoms companies to hammer out a feasible plan for the changes. Relevant agencies and telcos would announce when exactly it would be implemented two months in advance, that representative said.
But this has apparently failed to allay concerns.
Experts said that a phone code change in 59 cities and provinces won't just cause problems for nearly seven million landline subscribers, but also affect communication on a national and international scale.
The abrupt announcement made just before Tet (Vietnam’s Lunar New Year), which falls on February 19, will cause more damages.
Perhaps most shockingly, the country's major telecom firms only learned of the new regulation through the press.
Bui Quoc Viet, spokesman of Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group, said he only received official notification about he plan last week.
Do Minh Phuong, director of Viettel Telecom, said his company has yet to receive any official notification about the change in area codes.
Meanwhile, local businesses have complained about relevant costs, especially while they are suffering from the global economic downturn.
Tran Anh Dung, owner of a maritime logistics company, was very surprised to hear about the calling code change.
“I have offices in Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang and HCMC with hundreds of partners. We will have to update our phone numbers and the numbers of our partners as well,” he said.
He said his company just printed a large number of calendars with phone numbers and may have to dump them to print new ones.
“But the most important thing is that our partners abroad, who do not contact us frequently, may find it impossible to get in touch,” he said.
Nguyen Minh Hung of Mai Linh Group said the company supplies transport services in 53 cities and provinces would suffer great damages from the area code change.
Ta Huu Chien, chairman of SunVina Travel JSC, was concerned about the lack of advanced notice.
“If the change is truly necessary, there must be technical support like maintaining the current codes for some period while people get accustomed to the changes.”
|
|
CURRENT CODE
|
NEW CODE
|
|
Quang Ninh
|
33
|
203
|
|
Bac Giang
|
240
|
204
|
|
Lang Son
|
25
|
205
|
|
Cao Bang
|
26
|
206
|
|
Tuyen Quang
|
27
|
207
|
|
Thai Nguyen
|
280
|
208
|
|
Bac Can
|
281
|
209
|
|
Phu Tho
|
210
|
Unchanged
|
|
Vinh Phuc
|
211
|
Unchanged
|
|
Son La
|
22
|
212
|
|
Lai Chau
|
231
|
213
|
|
Lao Cai
|
20
|
214
|
|
Dien Bien
|
230
|
215
|
|
Yen Bai
|
29
|
216
|
|
Hoa Binh
|
218
|
Unchanged
|
|
Ha Giang
|
219
|
Unchanged
|
|
Hai Duong
|
320
|
220
|
|
Hung Yen
|
321
|
221
|
|
Bac Ninh
|
241
|
222
|
|
Hai Phong
|
31
|
225
|
|
Ha Nam
|
351
|
226
|
|
Thai Binh
|
36
|
227
|
|
Nam Dinh
|
350
|
228
|
|
Ninh Binh
|
30
|
229
|
|
Quang Binh
|
52
|
232
|
|
Quang Tri
|
53
|
233
|
|
Thua Thien Hue
|
54
|
234
|
|
Quang Nam
|
510
|
235
|
|
Da Nang
|
511
|
236
|
|
Thanh Hoa
|
37
|
237
|
|
Nghe An
|
38
|
238
|
|
Ha Tinh
|
39
|
239
|
|
Hanoi
|
4
|
24
|
|
Dong Nai
|
61
|
251
|
|
Binh Thuan
|
62
|
252
|
|
Ba Ria Vung Tau
|
64
|
254
|
|
Quang Ngai
|
55
|
255
|
|
Binh Dinh
|
56
|
256
|
|
Phu Yen
|
57
|
257
|
|
Khanh Hoa
|
58
|
258
|
|
Ninh Thuan
|
68
|
259
|
|
Kon Tum
|
60
|
260
|
|
Dak Nong
|
501
|
261
|
|
Dak Lak
|
500
|
262
|
|
Lam Dong
|
63
|
263
|
|
Gia Lai
|
59
|
269
|
|
Vinh Long
|
70
|
270
|
|
Binh Phuoc
|
651
|
271
|
|
Long An
|
72
|
272
|
|
Tien Giang
|
73
|
273
|
|
Binh Duong
|
650
|
274
|
|
Ben Tre
|
75
|
275
|
|
Tay Nin
|
66
|
276
|
|
Dong Thap
|
67
|
277
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
8
|
28
|
|
Ca Mau
|
780
|
290
|
|
Bac Lieu
|
781
|
291
|
|
Can Tho
|
710
|
292
|
|
Hau Giang
|
711
|
293
|
|
Tra Vinh
|
74
|
294
|
|
An Giang
|
76
|
296
|
|
Kien Giang
|
77
|
297
|
|
Soc Trang
|
79
|
299
|
