Distribution punchline: Vietnam’s e-commerce market reached USD 28 billion in 2025. The growth has concentrated in 4 to 5 platforms that together control over 90% of GMV. The other platforms on this list are real but their combined GMV is under 10% of the total. Choosing where to sell in Vietnam means understanding which platforms generate actual volume in your product category, not which platforms have the best presentations.
Vietnam’s online shopper base: 62 million active users in 2025. Average annual spend per online shopper: USD 452, up from USD 225 in 2019. Mobile commerce percentage: 79%. The market is large, growing, and concentrated in platforms that operate very differently from Amazon, eBay, or European e-commerce platforms. Here is how each platform actually performs for foreign brands selling in Vietnam in 2026.
1. Shopee Vietnam: the dominant marketplace
Shopee Vietnam controls approximately 60 to 65% of Vietnam’s total e-commerce GMV. 70% of Vietnamese online shoppers use Shopee regularly. Their flash sale mechanic (hourly flash sales, daily deals, and major campaign events on 9.9, 10.10, 11.11, 12.12) drives volume concentration on specific dates that savvy brand managers plan their inventory around. For foreign brands, Shopee Mall (official brand store with the orange Mall badge) is the credibility signal that converts browsing into purchase decisions. Mall products have measurably higher conversion rates than standard marketplace listings: 2 to 3 times in most categories.
Shopee’s affiliate program (Shopee Affiliate, connecting brands with content creators) is one of the most effective creator commerce tools in Vietnam. Brands with active Shopee Affiliate programs generate 20 to 40% additional revenue from creator-driven traffic beyond what their paid advertising generates.
2. TikTok Shop Vietnam: the fastest-growing channel
TikTok Shop Vietnam grew 340% between 2023 and 2025 and is now the second largest e-commerce channel in Vietnam by GMV. In beauty, health, and food categories, TikTok Shop has taken significant market share from Lazada and is approaching Shopee in certain sub-categories. The live commerce mechanic (brands or creators selling live with real-time order processing) has no equivalent in Western e-commerce. A Vietnamese KOL or brand live session can generate 500 to 5,000 unit orders in a 2-hour broadcast.
TikTok Shop’s content-to-commerce model means that discoverability for new brands is genuinely organic in a way that Shopee’s algorithm-driven discovery is not. A product that generates strong creator content gets natural TikTok Shop recommendation exposure, driving incremental sales beyond what the brand explicitly invested in. This organic discovery mechanic is particularly valuable for new international brands entering Vietnam with limited advertising budgets.
3. Lazada Vietnam: established but declining in key categories
Lazada, owned by Alibaba, was Vietnam’s dominant e-commerce platform until 2020. Its market position has eroded significantly in beauty, food, and health categories where TikTok Shop and Shopee have taken volume. Lazada’s strengths in 2026: electronics and technology products (where its Lazada LazMall has strong brand positioning), home appliances, and mass-market fashion. For foreign brands in these categories, Lazada remains a relevant channel. For beauty, supplement, and specialty food brands, Lazada is now a secondary channel with declining organic discovery capability.
4. Tiki: the authenticity marketplace
Tiki is Vietnam’s domestic e-commerce platform known for strict anti-counterfeit policies and reliable logistics. Vietnamese consumers who have had counterfeit product experiences on other platforms default to Tiki for higher-trust purchases. Tiki NOW offers same-day and next-day delivery in HCMC and Hanoi for eligible products. Their brand partnership program (TikiGlobal for international brands) offers formal brand protection and better margin control than standard marketplace seller accounts. Tiki’s market share is smaller than Shopee or TikTok Shop but their consumer profile (higher-income, authenticity-conscious urban consumers) is commercially valuable for premium international brands.
5. Sendo: community commerce for mass market
Sendo is Vietnam’s domestic marketplace focused on the mass-market consumer segment outside of HCMC and Hanoi. Their user base is concentrated in tier-2 and tier-3 cities where Shopee’s penetration is lower. For international brands targeting beyond Vietnam’s two major metros, Sendo provides incremental reach. Their GMV is significantly smaller than Shopee or Lazada. For most international brands, Sendo is a supplementary channel rather than a primary one.
6. Shopee Live and TikTok Live: live commerce as a distribution channel
Live commerce in Vietnam is not a marketing tactic. It is a distribution channel. Vietnamese consumers have normalized purchasing directly through live streams to a degree not seen in Western markets. Shopee Live sessions run 24/7 on the platform. TikTok Live commerce runs throughout the day across thousands of creator accounts simultaneously. For international brands, integrating into Vietnam’s live commerce ecosystem requires either a Vietnamese live commerce operator who manages sessions on the brand’s behalf, or investment in a Vietnamese-speaking host who can run brand live sessions. Brands without any live commerce presence in Vietnam are missing 20 to 35% of the accessible e-commerce volume in most consumer categories.
7. Zalo: Vietnam’s messaging commerce platform
Zalo is Vietnam’s dominant domestic messaging application with 74 million active users. Zalo’s commerce features (Zalo Official Account for brands, Zalo Shop for product listings) have made it a secondary commerce channel for brands with established Vietnamese consumer communities. Zalo commerce works through relationship-based selling: brands build Zalo follower communities and sell through promotional messages to those followers. It is not a discovery platform. It is a retention and repeat-purchase platform for brands that have already established consumer relationships through other channels. Relevant for brands in the loyalty phase of their Vietnam market development, not for initial brand entry.
8. Facebook Shop Vietnam
Facebook remains heavily used in Vietnam (65 million users) and Facebook Shop (product listings integrated into Facebook pages) generates meaningful commerce volume for brands with established Vietnamese Facebook communities. Facebook Shop works best for categories where social proof and community discussion drive purchase decisions: fashion, beauty accessories, specialty food. For international brands, the Facebook Shop opportunity requires active Vietnamese community management (regular content, responsive comment handling, Vietnamese-language customer service). Without community management, Facebook Shop generates near-zero organic discovery.
9. Grab Mart and Gofood: rapid delivery commerce
Grab, the dominant Southeast Asian super-app, operates Grab Mart (grocery and convenience delivery) and GoFood (food delivery) in Vietnam. For food and beverage brands with HCMC or Hanoi consumer concentration, listing on Grab Mart provides access to the instant-delivery consumer segment. This channel is relevant for ambient food products, beverages, and health snacks but requires local warehouse or distributor fulfilment capability (products must be available for 30 to 60 minute delivery, which cross-border fulfillment cannot provide).
10. Direct Vietnamese e-commerce website
A small but growing segment of international brands operating in Vietnam maintain direct-to-consumer Vietnamese websites alongside marketplace presence. Requirements: Vietnamese-language content, local payment integration (VNPAY, MoMo, ZaloPay), and last-mile logistics partner (Giao Hang Nhanh, J&T Express, Viettel Post). The advantage: full customer data ownership and no platform commission fees (5 to 15% on marketplace platforms). The disadvantage: zero organic discovery without paid traffic investment. Direct Vietnamese websites are most effective as complement to marketplace presence, not as standalone channels.
Case study: UK health brand launches on TikTok Shop and Shopee simultaneously and hits USD 95,000 in 6 months
A UK vitamin D and immunity supplement brand came to Asia Pro in Q3 2025 wanting Vietnam e-commerce revenue before committing to full MOH domestic registration. We structured a dual cross-border launch: TikTok Shop cross-border seller account and Shopee cross-border seller account, running simultaneously. 8 Vietnamese health KOC partnerships were activated for TikTok Shop content in the first 30 days.
Month 1 combined revenue: USD 7,800 (TikTok Shop 65%, Shopee 35%). Month 3 combined revenue: USD 18,500. Month 6 combined revenue: USD 31,000. Total 6-month revenue: USD 94,800. TikTok Shop’s content-driven organic discovery was the primary growth driver. Shopee generated more stable, repeat-purchase revenue once initial consumer trust was established. The brand used month-6 Vietnam revenue to fund MOH registration and a transition to Shopee Mall status in month 8.
The lesson: dual-platform cross-border launch (TikTok Shop and Shopee simultaneously) generates faster total revenue than single-platform focus. TikTok Shop drives discovery. Shopee captures the repeat-purchase consumer. Running both from day one captures both dynamics.
Case study: Australian coffee brand launches on Shopee without Mall status and generates zero sales
An Australian specialty coffee brand created a Shopee Vietnam standard seller account in 2024, uploaded their product catalog with English descriptions, and waited for sales. After 4 months: 6 unit sales, all to expatriate buyers who found the listing through a Google search rather than Shopee’s internal discovery algorithm. The brand concluded “Vietnam doesn’t drink specialty coffee” and exited the market.
Six months later, a competing Australian coffee brand entered Vietnam correctly: Shopee Mall status, Vietnamese-language product descriptions and health-benefit positioning (Vietnamese consumers associate specialty coffee with antioxidant and energy benefits), a Shopee Affiliate creator program, and 3 TikTok content pieces per week on Vietnamese coffee culture. Month 3 Shopee revenue: USD 12,000. Month 6: USD 28,000. Same product category. Completely different commercial result because the platform setup was correct.
The lesson: Vietnam specialty coffee consumption is growing rapidly (Vietnam has the world’s highest per-capita instant coffee consumption and is shifting toward specialty). “Vietnam doesn’t want this product” conclusions based on failed standard marketplace setup are almost always wrong. The product was fine. The platform execution was not.
What KOLs and social media say about Vietnam e-commerce platforms
Vietnamese TikTok’s creator community has built an entire meta-industry around e-commerce platform tips and tricks: how to get more views on TikTok Shop, which Shopee promotional tools generate the best conversion, and which product categories are growing fastest on each platform. This community’s content gives brands real-time platform performance intelligence that no formal market research report provides. Following 5 to 10 Vietnamese e-commerce creator accounts gives a brand better tactical platform insight than most consultancy reports.
Vietnamese consumer Facebook groups regularly discuss which platforms have the best product authenticity guarantees. Tiki consistently gets mentioned as the most trusted platform for expensive purchases. Shopee gets mentioned for variety and price. TikTok Shop gets mentioned for product discovery and creator recommendations. Understanding which platform Vietnamese consumers use for which purchase decision type helps brands allocate their platform investment more precisely.
LinkedIn Vietnam’s e-commerce professional community publishes quarterly platform performance analysis. The Q1 2026 consensus: TikTok Shop overtook Lazada in beauty GMV. Any brand still treating Lazada as a primary beauty channel in 2026 is allocating resources to a declining platform while underinvesting in TikTok Shop, the platform their target consumers are actively using.
FAQ: Vietnam e-commerce platforms
Which Vietnam e-commerce platform should a foreign brand start with first?
TikTok Shop cross-border for most consumer goods categories because the content-driven discovery mechanic allows new brands to generate organic reach without the brand awareness pre-condition that Shopee’s algorithm requires. Shopee Mall is the necessary second platform because its broader consumer reach and Mall trust badge drive repeat-purchase conversion that TikTok Shop’s impulse-driven mechanic does not optimize for. Start TikTok Shop, add Shopee Mall within 60 to 90 days of the TikTok Shop launch. Add other platforms only after the primary two are operational and optimized.
How much does it cost to set up and run a Shopee Mall store for a foreign brand?
Setup requires a Vietnam-registered entity or authorized Vietnamese importer: USD 500 to 2,000 to establish through a Vietnamese importer partner. Ongoing monthly costs: Shopee commission on sales (3 to 5% depending on category), platform promotion budget (USD 1,000 to 3,000 per month to maintain category visibility), and content creation costs for product images and Vietnamese descriptions (USD 500 to 1,500 per month for ongoing updates). Total monthly investment to run a Shopee Mall store actively: USD 2,000 to 5,000. Brands investing less than USD 1,000 per month in Shopee promotional budget will not generate meaningful organic or promoted discovery in competitive categories.
Is live commerce on TikTok Shop and Shopee Live necessary for all brands?
Necessary for brands targeting Vietnamese consumers under 35 in beauty, health, fashion, and food categories. Optional but beneficial for brands targeting older demographics or in B2B-adjacent categories (kitchen equipment, home office products). The investment in live commerce is not trivial: a qualified Vietnamese live host who can credibly represent your brand costs USD 500 to 2,000 per session. Most brands doing live commerce in Vietnam run 2 to 4 sessions per week at launch. The ROI is documented and consistent in high-velocity consumer categories, but requires upfront investment in finding the right host and developing session content before results materialize.
How do I protect my brand from counterfeits on Vietnamese e-commerce platforms?
Register your trademark with Vietnam’s NOIP before launching on any Vietnamese e-commerce platform. Without a Vietnamese trademark registration, you have limited legal standing to request counterfeit listings be removed from Shopee or Lazada. After trademark registration, join Shopee Mall and Lazada LazMall’s official brand programs, which provide platform-level anti-counterfeit protection including a formal channel to report and remove unauthorized listings. Tiki’s brand verification program provides the strongest platform-level protection but requires Vietnamese importer documentation. Monitor your brand name monthly on all platforms as part of your Vietnam e-commerce management routine.
Selling in Vietnam’s E-Commerce Market?
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1 comment
Edmund
Vietnam is like “factory-like” but effective through put, same-day full workups, and tech integration making it feel futuristic