It seems that ChatGPT is the next big thing, with users flocking in their droves to sign up and concerns already being raised about what challenges the artificial intelligence-driven chatbot will mean for academia and other professions.
But not everyone is lucky enough to be able to access ChatGPT just yet. And in countries like Vietnam, where internet users are just as keen to try the latest tech innovation as anyone else, they are turning to VPNs and enterprising individuals to get their own accounts set up.
Why you need a VPN to use ChatGPT in Vietnam
ChatGPT has not been officially launched in Vietnam yet and so at the present time, it is not possible to sign up for an account there.
But, as is always the case, users in Vietnam are finding innovative ways to get an account working inside Vietnam anyway.
The only way to do this is with the assistance of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and an overseas phone number. Plenty of people have managed to connect their VPN to a country where ChatGPT is already available and then get the service working.
But others who perhaps lack the confidence or technical know-how to do this are turning to others to help them, and already a thriving marketplace has emerged of tech-savvy individuals helping others to get on ChatGPT.
The prices range from free (some people are very kind) or a cup of coffee to up to VND200,000, which sounds a lot but is the equivalent of about US$8.50.
An opportunity ripe for abuse
The price tends to vary depending on whether the users have the ability to change passwords or access certain benefits or features. As this might suggest, there are plenty of people who are exploiting this opportunity to make a fast buck too.
Vietnamese media outlet VN Express International reports that there are already hundreds of posts on popular social media sites offering to set up ChatGPT accounts.
But Dong Quan, who is the administrator of a ChatGPT group in Vietnam which already has more than 20,000 users, warns people to be careful.
Quan cautions that some people are selling the same account multiple times, selling free accounts for high prices, or sometimes taking people’s money and not providing them with access to a ChatGPT account at all.
How to get a ChatGPT account in Vietnam without the risk
The reality is that Vietnamese internet users don’t need to be gambling by using third parties.
VPNs are easily and legally accessible in Vietnam and can be signed up for easily online. For an idea of which VPN users in Vietnam should sign up to, take a look at our guide to the Best VPN for Vietnam.
As Quan then notes, it is recommended that people in Vietnam should not pay more than a few tens of thousands of VND for an account and should always seek to register with their own email address to get permanent use.
What is ChatGPT?
If you have got this far and are wondering what all the fuss is with ChatGPT, it is the first really effective AI product to launch onto the mass market.
The ChatGPT chatbot chats like a traditional chatbot. But it also does so much more.
It searches, processes information and responds quickly and accurately. Unlike other similar products, ChatGPT keeps the chat smooth, and it comes with a really user-friendly easy-to-use interface.
This is all well and good, but, of course, it is popularity that drives demand and ChatGPT is already massively popular around the world.
Despite only launching two months ago, ChatGPT already has 100 million users. To put that in context, TikTok took nine months to reach 100 million users, Instagram a huge 2.5 years and Google Translate an even more whopping 6.5 years.
