When the Google app Gboard launched internationally last year, it initially offered Android users Google keyboards in 15 different languages. Of these options, Vietnamese was not included.
Now, thanks to Hanoi-born engineer Nguyen Dang Viet Anh, it is. As reported by Tuoi Tre, the Google employee and MIT alumni took it upon himself to convince Google to add Vietnamese to its Gboard languages.
The popular app offers its users an amped-up keyboard. For Vietnam, access to Gboard affects most of the population, as almost 72% of people are said to use smartphones.
Before introducing a Vietnamese keyboard, users had to set up an extension on their Android phones in order to type in Vietnamese. This process, however, can be difficult for some — especially those new to the technology.
Viet Anh was first inspired to spark a change after watching his parents struggle to use the Gboard app on their Android phones. Now, he told the news source, they can type in Vietnamese with ease.
He eventually plans to return to Hanoi. In the meantime, he is trying to educate kids back home about what he learns at Google. His website strives to introduce young thinkers in Vietnam to the world of programming.
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