BackStories » Society » Tech » "Fucking Ugly" Websites Plague Vietnam

"Fucking Ugly" Websites Plague Vietnam

Design is subjective; ‘good’ design changes by region, city and individual. Design elements that may seem antiquated to one, may be fresh or reinvented by another so we try not to judge - except when it comes to websites that are “fucking ugly.” These were the words Techinasia editor, Anh Minh Do, used to appropriately describe the state of Vietnamese website design.

Vietnam has become a hotbed for IT outsourcing over the last 5 -10 years and the country is churning out IT graduates at breakneck pace. But, according to Do, many young designers don’t think about user experience or user interface when creating websites. This, he concludes, is a systemic ailment that can only be treated by a “desperately needed” design revolution.

Beyond aesthetics, Do sees lazy coding as another major weakness in the Vietnamese website design industry. The availability of coding resources online has exploded the last few years so engineers are no longer forced to write their own like the previous generation. Designers are not being innovative – instead of thinking critically to develop deep and well-rounded products, they are copying code they find online. And it shows:

“I’ve talked to several leaders in the startup industry off the record, and they’ve said that when you look at websites these days – like e-commerce, online products, etc. – you can see that the products aren’t that deep. They’re easy to make.”

For now, these sites will be just fine no matter how “fucking ugly” they are, but the internet is an international platform. So, as Vietnam’s design industry continues to grow and scale, there will be a point where they are forced to compete with Western companies who have decades of ‘good’ design under their belt.

[Techinasia // Image via Kekmiller

Related Articles

in Tech

‘Flappy Bird’ Maker Ranked One of the World’s Most Influential App Developers

He’s probably sitting in his room, cursing them for it, but Dong Nguyen of ‘Flappy Bird’ fame has made Business Insider’s list of “the world’s 11 most influential people working in apps.”

in Tech

$1 Billion High-Tech Park Proposed for HCMC

As part of the continuing effort to modernize Vietnam’s workforce, authorities are reviewing a proposal for a massive science and technology park in HCMC.

in Tech

$110m Pledged for Vietnamese Startups

It looks like Vietnamese startups are about to get a boost in funding. The Ministry of Science and Technology has announced a $110 million program called FIRST, designed to breathe financial life into...

in Tech

$189m Plan to Give 300,000 HCMC Students Tablets Draws Criticism

Last week the HCMC Department of Education proposed a plan to equip 300,000 primary students with tablets for the coming school year, reports Thanh Nien. With a pricetag of VND3 million – VND 5 m...

in Tech

'Flappy Bird' Creator To Release New Game Tomorrow

Well, Nguyen Ha Dong, the Vietnamese app developer who at one point was pulling in $55,000 per day, is officially back in the spotlight. After releasing a new version of ‘Flappy Bird’ earlier this mon...

in Tech

'Flappy Bird' Isn't the Only Hit App Made in Vietnam

Our favorite TechinAsia writer, Anh Minh Do, recently published a guest post on Mashable, telling the world that there’s more to Vietnam’s app ecosystem than just Flappy Bird.

Partner Content