The Vietnamese e-commerce landscape in 2025 is shaping up to be a classic showdown: Shopee continues to dominate at the top, but TikTok Shop is hot on its heels, dramatically reshaping the market.

According to the annual report by Metric, a Vietnamese e-commerce data platform, Shopee held onto its leading position throughout the year, commanding approximately 56.04% of the market share and remaining the most favored platform among Vietnamese users. Meanwhile, TikTok Shop's market share skyrocketed to around 41.31%, nearly creating a duopoly in the market.

Zooming out, the Vietnamese e-commerce market was primarily dominated by traditional platforms before 2023. In 2024, live commerce saw explosive growth, and by 2025, live streaming and short videos had transitioned from being mere 'novelties' to essential 'infrastructure,' fueling TikTok Shop's swift market expansion.

In terms of market size, Vietnam's e-commerce sector is experiencing rapid growth. According to Metric's B2C online retail market statistics, the combined revenue of Shopee, TikTok Shop, Lazada, and Tiki reached approximately VND 429.7 trillion (USD 16.3 billion) in 2025, marking a 34.75% year-over-year increase. Over 3.94 billion items were sold, up 15.23% from 2024. E-commerce has emerged as a key driver of Vietnam's retail expansion, deeply integrating into daily consumption habits.

Against this backdrop, TikTok Shop has transformed from a mere 'short video feature' to a daily shopping destination for Vietnamese users. Young urban dwellers frequently browse short videos and watch live streams during their breaks, seamlessly transitioning into making purchasing decisions. This reflects a broader reshaping of user behavior that goes beyond mere platform competition.

I. The Overall Shift in Vietnam's Online Shopping Channels

Vietnam's retail landscape has undergone significant structural changes in recent years. Metric data indicates that total e-commerce transactions reached VND 429.7 trillion in 2025, up nearly 35% year-over-year. Shopee and TikTok Shop together account for nearly 97% of the market, underscoring the pervasive influence of social commerce models.

User demographics reveal that the 'online core group' aged 25–44 is driving e-commerce growth. These users are well-versed in the rhythms of live streaming, the information density of short videos, and the dynamics of comment interactions. The traditional 'open app → search → compare → purchase' path is giving way to 'browse content → view scenarios → trust streamers → purchase' pathways. For the fast-paced Vietnamese youth, this lower-cost approach facilitates instant consumption.

II. The Integration of Social Content and Shopping Experiences: TikTok Shop's Edge

TikTok Shop's strength lies not just in its traffic but in its ability to seamlessly merge 'entertainment' and 'shopping' into a single experience. Users discovering products via short videos can instantly enter live streams or product pages for details, making purchasing decisions based on streamer explanations and real-time comments. This eliminates the 'cold information' perception of traditional platforms, transforming shopping into a social experience.

During Vietnamese holidays (Tet, Christmas, Black Friday), TikTok Shop inserts themed content into video feeds, hosting flash sales and discounts in live streams. Users can complete the entire journey—from information reception to payment—without switching apps. This model has become routine for young consumers in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, even regarded as a lifestyle.

III. The Shift in Consumption Content: From Utility to Emotional Connection

Vietnam's Labor Newspaper (Báo Ngi Lao ng) retail survey reveals that during peak e-commerce seasons, Vietnamese consumers prefer practical, moderately priced daily essentials, home goods, and beauty products over impulsive buys.

TikTok's content ecosystem aligns perfectly with this demand. Local creators share lifestyle tips, beauty reviews, home organization advice, and holiday shopping guides, naturally guiding consumers to purchases. For example, a blogger demonstrating Tet household organization might recommend storage boxes, yielding higher acceptance than traditional ads. This integrates information acquisition with purchasing in a seamless experience.

This content-driven consumption path represents information value conversion, fulfilling the 'understand → evaluate → purchase' sequence without the need to navigate between product pages, chats, and reviews.

IV. The Synergy Between Brands and Local Creators

Another notable trend is the rapid maturation of 'UGC + brand collaboration' models in Vietnam. Previously reliant on KOL ads or offline displays, brands now partner with local creators (e.g., health foods, beauty, home goods) to organically embed product information into content.

This approach enhances localization, reduces psychological barriers, fosters social trust through comment discussions, and improves conversion efficiency beyond mere exposure metrics.

For international brands entering Vietnam, this underutilized but critical strategy deserves attention.

V. TikTok Shop's Strategic Alignment with Vietnamese User Needs

Vietnam's e-commerce market is growing rapidly, with online shopping reaching USD 16.3 billion in 2025, ranking among the top three in Southeast Asia. As user time costs rise and content platform engagement deepens, traditional search-based shopping is being replaced by content-driven models.

TikTok Shop's 'content discovery + instant purchase' mechanism addresses this shift. During holidays, live commerce, short video product demos, and shopping festival atmospheres create efficient engagement models, granting it inherent growth advantages.

Trends indicate that Vietnamese consumers no longer view online shopping as a mere 'offline alternative' but as an integral part of daily life. With mature social commerce models and entrenched user habits, TikTok Shop leverages its entertainment-driven content ecosystem and commercial closed loop to rapidly penetrate the Vietnamese market.

This trend reflects not just platform competition but a broader reconfiguration of consumption pathways in the social media era: when content and shopping fully converge, attention becomes the ultimate resource. In Vietnam, TikTok is one of the primary platforms controlling this resource.