“Vietnamese publishers can now offer users Google search capabilities while generating revenue from ads on the search results pages,” explained Thiena Dao (of AdSense Vietnamese Publisher Support) on the Inside AdSense blog.

This isn’t the biggest step Google’s ever taken towards reaching an audience, but neither is it the smallest.  Indeed, compared to the times Google has differentiated between American and UK English (colour?  criticise?  I think we can figure it out), the Vietnamese development is rather huge.

“Vietnamese is the seventh most spoken language in the United States and sixth in Australia,” pointed out Dao.  “According to the Ethnologue, Vietnamese is also spoken by substantial numbers of people in Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and the United Kingdom.”

Aside from its direct impact, this move may also demonstrate a renewed interest in Asia – it’s been a while since we were able to make daily mentions of Google’s activities in Korea, Japan, and China.

“Vietnamese Cyber-Dissident Released”

"This news should not divert attention from the ongoing crackdown on Vietnamese dissidents, either," Reporters Without Borders said.

"Binh’s release on the eve of a visit by President Nguyen Minh Triet was prompted more by a desire to create a good impression on the international community than any real intention to improve the human rights situation in Vietnam."

Binh was arrested on September 25, 2002, and was sentenced on December 31, 2003 to seven years in prison and three years of house arrest for posting what the government labeled "reactionary" articles on the Internet and communicating with "subversive dissidents."

President Triet will visit the U.S. on June 22. President Bush has expressed "deep concern" about the increase in arrests of pro-democracy activists in Vietnam and said those actions would limit the growth of bilateral relations.

Eight cyber-dissidents are still being held in Vietnam because of articles posted online.