Smartphones in Vietnam hold more sensitive data, but security habits lag
Vietnamese users are increasingly turning their smartphones into mobile offices and personal vaults, storing ID documents, passwords, bank information, and work data on devices that are often less protected than their computers.
Vietnamese users often store large amounts of personal data on their smartphones. Photo: Duc Thien / Tuoi Tre
When smartphones become mobile offices
A recent survey by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky across 18 Asia-Pacific (APAC) countries shows a major shift in how people access the Internet, with desktop computers and laptops increasingly taking a back seat to smartphones.
In the APAC countries, 72 percent of the respondents said smartphones were their primary means of accessing the Internet, compared with 71 percent in Vietnam.
But the growing reliance on smartphones goes beyond longer hours spent browsing the web or using social media.
As the devices become indispensable, they are also storing an increasing amount of sensitive personal and professional data.
According to the survey, 65 percent of the Vietnamese respondents keep personal photos and videos on their smartphones, while 59 percent store contact numbers.
More notably, 57 percent said they store identity documents, including citizen ID cards, passports and insurance information, on their devices.
The figure is significantly higher than the regional average of 49 percent.
Smartphones have also become 'mobile offices' and hubs for personal financial management.
More than half of the Vietnamese respondents, or 52 percent, store work emails and messages on their phones, while 30 percent keep work schedules.
Meanwhile, 40 percent store login passwords, compared with a regional average of 34 percent, and 36 percent keep bank account information on their devices.
The survey also highlights the growing role of artificial intelligence.
One in five Vietnamese respondents said they retain their entire chat history with AI assistants on their smartphones.
Ngo Tan Vu Khanh, country director of Kaspersky in Vietnam, said smartphones were no longer simply communication devices but had become 'digital safes' holding users' financial, professional, and personal assets.
"Yet users' mindset largely remains focused on storage rather than proactive protection," he said.
Nearly 8.5 million cyber threats blocked in Vietnam
The biggest concern is that while desktop computers and laptops are often protected with firewalls and licensed antivirus software, smartphones, which may contain an even higher concentration of sensitive information, are frequently left less protected.
Cybersecurity statistics from 2025 highlight the scale of the threat.
In Vietnam alone, security systems detected and blocked nearly 8.5 million cyber threats distributed through the web, making the country Southeast Asia's leading hotspot for web-based attacks.
A photo showing both sides of a citizen ID card left in a smartphone gallery, a note containing banking passwords, or a careless click on an unfamiliar promotional link sent through a spam message could provide cybercriminals with an entry point to personal accounts.
Anton Kivva, a Kaspersky cybersecurity expert, said the key question was no longer what people stored on their devices but how they protected that information.
"If your phone is stolen or infected with spyware, how much could you stand to lose?" he said.
Three ways to protect your smartphone
Cybersecurity experts recommend that smartphone users adopt three basic protection measures rather than waiting until their data has been compromised.
First, avoid storing important information in only one place.
Smartphones should not be the sole place where important data is stored.
Users should regularly back up their information to cloud services or external storage.
Highly sensitive information, such as identity documents, passports and passwords, should be kept in dedicated encrypted storage or secret vaults rather than scattered across photo galleries.
Users should also prioritize dedicated applications such as VNeID, Vietnam's official electronic identification app used to access digital identity services, instead of keeping photos of citizen ID cards on their phones.
Second, build a real-time, multilayered shield.
Users should install mobile security solutions that can scan applications before they are downloaded and use AI-powered tools to identify and block phishing links and malware designed to steal banking credentials.
Third, prepare for a lost or stolen phone.
Users should activate built-in location and tracking features in their phones that allow them to remotely lock or erase data if their phone is lost or stolen.
Automatic screen locks should also be enabled, and users should remain vigilant in public places to prevent their devices from being easily taken.
The Ky - Duc Thien / Tuoi Tre News
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