Calls for investing in bitcoin are numerous on the internet, with many ‘secret societies’ set up persuading people to deposit bitcoins.

 Bitcoin plunged on Friday, extending a fall that saw the crypto-currency lose almost a third of its value from a record of nearly $20,000 (£15,000).

People are rushing to buy bitcoin mining machines. Bitcoin ATMs can be found at some cafes in HCMC. Numerous calls for investments in bitcoin have appeared on the internet. And some travel firms accept payments in bitcoin.

Vietnamese can buy bitcoin and other virtual currencies on some trading floors, but as Vietnam doesn’t recognize bitcoin as an official currency, Vietnamese are facing risks when conducting transactions.

 "Highly professional" hackers made off with around 4,700 Bitcoin from a leading mining service, a Bitcoin exchange has said.

The skyrocketing price of bitcoin is creating frenzied trading. The price in Vietnam is rising in line with the world price, with the gap between buy and sell prices up to tens of millions of dong per bitcoin. 

 Bitcoin crossed $14,000 (£10,460; €11,870) on Thursday, surging $2,000 in less than 24 hours.

 The value of one bitcoin has gone past $10,000 (£7,493).The virtual currency reached the benchmark for the first time, just days after it passed $9,000.

VietNamNet Bridge - State management agencies still have not agreed on a way to manage bitcoin and other kinds of digital currencies.

 The price of Bitcoin has surpassed £5,000 per coin - a new record.While it is a historic moment of sorts, Bitcoin is usually compared to the dollar.

 Vietnam is on the verge of recognizing Bitcoin as form of payment but concerns remain.

 Bitcoin surged to a record high of more than $6,000 on Friday, pushing its market capitalization to $100 billion at one point, as investors continued to bet on an asset that has a limited supply 

With total initial investment capital of VND66 million, the owner of a bitcoin mining machine can recoup capital after six months. He uses a mineral solution that helps cool the machine, eliminate noise and increase efficiency.

Vietnamese experts have warned about the bursting of the ‘bitcoin bubble’, saying that  enterprises which import low-quality bitcoin mining machines from China will incur big losses.

Though bitcoins are not recognized as legal currency in Vietnam, Vietnamese are still rushing to buy computers with strong configuration to mine bitcoins, leading to a sharp increase in computer imports.

VietNamNet Bridge - Hundreds of thousands of retail points in Japan are accepting payments in bitcoin for both online and on-the-spot transactions. 

BTC-E, a large virtual currency trading floor sudden ‘closure for maintenance’ has  caused anxiety among many Vietnamese investors about the fate of their billions of dong stuck at the floor.

 Bitcoin's underlying software code could be split on Tuesday to create a clone called "Bitcoin Cash," potentially providing a windfall for holders of the digital currency.

VietNamNet Bridge - The instability of virtual currencies and price increases of computer components have forced many bitcoin miners to sell mining machines to get money back.

VietNamNet Bridge - Like the world market, the Vietnamese computer component market has become chaotic since Bitcoin and Ethereum have been used in transactions on a large scale.