Ho Chi Minh– Vietnam’s pay-TV industry has grown by more than 50% from 2006 as the Vietnamese government and pay-TV operators received praise from the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA). Speaking at a seminar entitled “Growing Pay-TV in Vietnam: Enhancing Revenues and Protecting Contents”, the association commended industry players for their adherence to international standards in protecting Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for broadcasters. In addition, the association asked for a formally structured, fully licensed and competitive marketplace to be put in place to support the digital infrastructure and to underpin Vietnam’s communications market. Co-organized by CASBAA and the Copyright Office of Vietnam, the working seminar on pay-TV services saw 120 officials and industry executives in attendance. Currently, Vietnam has approximately 1 million legitimate pay-TV subscribers and over 2.5 million unauthorized viewers of cable, satellite and digital terrestrial systems in cities including Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi and Danang. The country is also looking to launch its national satellite program, VinaSat, in 2008