The Vietnam e-commerce market in 2026 continues to expand, but the more important change is how deeply online shopping is becoming embedded in everyday consumer behaviour.

According to YouNet ECI, Vietnam’s four major e-commerce marketplaces generated VND264.8 trillion (approximately US$10.2 billion) in gross merchandise value (GMV) in the first half of 2026. Shopee retained the lead with 54.5% of GMV, while TikTok Shop reached 43.4%. Together, the two platforms now account for almost 98% of the measured market.

Marketplace growth tells only part of the story. Cimigo research shows that shopping increasingly overlaps with media consumption, social discovery, video and entertainment. This is particularly important outside Vietnam’s major cities. Rural consumers are highly engaged with shopping and shoppable content, while their wider media habits differ in important ways from those of urban consumers.

For brands, the question is no longer whether e-commerce matters. The challenge is understanding how consumers discover, evaluate and buy products across an increasingly connected media and commerce journey.

Vietnam e-commerce is growing as the market consolidates in 2026

YouNet ECI tracks Shopee, TikTok Shop, Lazada and Tiki, covering more than 2.9 million shops and marketplace activity from January 2024 to June 2026. The market reached VND264.8 trillion in GMV in H1 2026. Shopee generated VND144.3 trillion, up 15% year on year, while TikTok Shop reached VND115 trillion, growing 27%. Lazada generated VND4.4 trillion, down 23%, while Tiki generated VND1.1 trillion, up 33%.

Shopee and TikTok Shop, therefore, dominate Vietnam’s marketplace landscape. Their combined share of almost 98% leaves relatively little room for other platforms, making the relationship between these two ecosystems increasingly important for brands.

The market is also consolidating among sellers. More than 436,000 shops generated revenue in H1 2026, while the number of revenue-generating non-mall shops fell by approximately 27% year on year, and mall shops declined by approximately 25%.

At the same time, average Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) per active seller increased across all four platforms. Shopee reached VND831.7 million per active seller, up 44% year on year, while TikTok Shop reached VND532.7 million, up 65%.

The Vietnam e-commerce market in 2026 is growing, while fewer sellers capture the available value. Being present on a marketplace is not in itself a route to growth. Brands need to compete for visibility, relevance and conversion within increasingly concentrated platforms.

Online shopping is a part of Vietnam’s media landscape

Marketplace sales data shows where transactions take place. Consumer research reveals the environment in which demand is created.

Cimigo’s Vietnam Media Habits study examines media behaviour nationwide among 1,701 people aged 15 to 44 living in households earning VND10 million or more per month. The research is weighted to reflect geographic and urban-rural population structures.

Vietnamese consumers move across multiple digital environments each day. Facebook, Zalo, TikTok, and YouTube form the core of the daily ecosystem, while consumers use around five to six digital platforms on an average day.

Social media remains the anchor for advertising reach, but it does not work alone. Online shopping platforms are among the strongest channels for adding incremental reach beyond social media.

Shopping itself is also becoming a form of media consumption. In the media habits study, 83% of respondents browsed online shopping or shoppable video during the previous day. Shopping activity extends throughout the day, with consumers returning to shopping and shoppable content around lunchtime and again during the evening from 19:00 to 22:00.

In the content and brand engagement module, shopping was the most widely consumed content category during the previous day, at 79%, ahead of movies, drama series, news and information, and sports.

The distinction between a media platform and a shopping platform is consequently becoming less useful. Commerce environments compete for consumer attention as well as transactions.

Rural Vietnam is central to the e-commerce opportunity

Vietnam’s online shopping market cannot be understood primarily by looking at Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Cimigo’s online shopping research identifies substantial e-commerce engagement outside the major urban centres, including the importance of rural millennial (aged 31 to 44) women for both online shopping frequency and expenditure.

The Vietnam Media Habits study makes the rural opportunity particularly visible. In the current data, 87% of rural respondents engaged with online shopping or shoppable video during the previous day, compared with 77% of urban respondents. Rural consumers also recorded a higher incidence of long-form video consumption, at 90% compared with 83% among urban consumers.

Their media mix differs, too. Social media is the anchor advertising channel across both urban and rural Vietnam. Among rural consumers, however, online shopping platforms provide the strongest incremental reach after social media. Among urban consumers, live TV makes a particularly strong incremental contribution.

This has an important planning implication. Rural e-commerce should not be approached simply by extending an urban digital campaign geographically.  Consumers outside major cities are already participating strongly in digital commerce, but the media and commerce channels through which brands reach them differ. Rural strategy needs to reflect these behaviours in audience planning, creative development, media allocation and marketplace activation.

Vietnam online shopping extends well beyond the purchase moment

Vietnamese consumers encounter commerce throughout their media day. Cimigo’s media research identifies two periods when multiple media activities strengthen. The first occurs in the late morning and lunchtime, approximately 11:00 to 13:00. The second, stronger convergence occurs in the evening, approximately 19:00 to 22:00.

Online shopping follows this broader rhythm. Browsing begins from around 07:00 and remains active throughout the day, with consumers revisiting shopping content around lunchtime and during the evening. Short-form video follows a similar pattern, with consumption peaking between 11:00 and 14:00 and again between 19:00 and 22:00.

This overlap matters. A consumer watching short-form video, encountering a product recommendation, browsing a marketplace and comparing products may be moving through different stages of the same purchase journey within a relatively short period.  For brands, commerce activation and media planning increasingly need to be considered together. The moment of transaction is only one part of the journey.

Livestreaming and creators connect attention with commerce in Vietnam.

Shopping content is now part of mainstream media consumption. In Cimigo’s Vietnam Media Habits study, livestream shopping is the most widely consumed shopping content format, reaching 45% of respondents on the previous day. Influencer reviews and recommendations account for 24%. At the same time, beauty tutorials, user-generated content, fashion try-ons, shoppable videos, product unboxing videos, and brand-produced videos and demonstrations all contribute to the commerce-content environment.

There are meaningful generational differences. Gen Z (aged 15 to 30) shows relatively stronger engagement with creator-led formats, including user-generated content and product unboxing videos, while Millennials (aged 31 to 44) show stronger engagement with livestream shopping and shoppable videos.

Livestreaming and shoppable video should therefore not be treated simply as Gen Z formats. Different generations engage with commerce content in different ways, creating opportunities to adapt creative formats, creators, products and calls to action to the audience rather than the platform alone.

Shopee and TikTok Shop play different roles in a connected journey for Vietnamese consumers.

Shopee and TikTok Shop now dominate Vietnam’s e-commerce market, together accounting for almost 98% of GMV across the four marketplaces in the Vietnam e-commerce 2026 market, measured by YouNet ECI. The more useful question for brands is not simply which platform is larger, but what role each platform plays as consumers move from discovery to consideration and purchase.

Cimigo online shopping research shows that Shopee is more strongly associated with reliable, planned shopping, while TikTok Shop plays a stronger role in discovery and entertainment-led commerce. At the same time, Vietnamese consumers move across multiple digital environments each day, encountering products through social media, short-form video, creators, livestreams and shopping platforms.

A purchase completed on Shopee may have been stimulated by content encountered on TikTok or elsewhere. Discovery within one environment may also lead consumers into other channels as they compare products, prices and recommendations. Commerce is increasingly a journey across platforms rather than a decision made within a single platform. Brands need to understand where demand is generated and where the eventual transaction occurs.

Vietnam e-commerce growth is increasingly about value as well as volume

Average GMV per item increased across all four marketplaces measured by YouNet ECI in H1 2026. Average value rose 43% on Shopee, 10% on TikTok Shop, 40% on Lazada and 38% on Tiki. This is occurring while consumers face greater pressure on household spending; marketplace analysis shows price increases contributing to GMV growth, as unit volumes come under pressure in several categories.

Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) stand out as a resilient part of the market. YouNet ECI in H1 2026 reports e-commerce GMV of approximately US$1.8 billion, up 20%, with Home Care and Dairy among the categories maintaining stronger momentum. Essential categories are consequently becoming an important part of the online basket. E-commerce is increasingly competing for shopping occasions that were traditionally associated with supermarkets, convenience stores, and traditional markets and stores.  For FMCG brands in particular, marketplaces are becoming environments where availability, visibility, price, trust, and repeat purchase all need to be managed, rather than channels reserved for promotions or occasional discretionary purchases.

What should brands in Vietnam do differently online in 2026?

Plan media and commerce together

Shopping platforms are not simply transaction points. They contribute to advertising reach, discovery, content consumption and conversion. Media planning should consider how social media, video, creators and marketplaces work together rather than allocating them to separate stages of the planning process.

Built explicitly for rural Vietnam

Rural consumers are highly engaged with shopping and shoppable content, but their media mix differs from that of urban audiences. Research, targeting, content and channel planning should reflect these differences rather than treating rural reach as an extension of an urban plan.

Think beyond generational stereotypes

TikTok and creator-led commerce are particularly relevant to younger audiences, but livestreaming and shoppable video resonate across generations. Millennials (aged 31 to 44) remain commercially important online shoppers and engage strongly with commerce content.

Design for discovery as well as conversion

A marketplace listing optimised only for the final transaction misses much of the journey. Video, creators, demonstrations, reviews and social proof can influence consideration before consumers reach the checkout.

Understand value, not just volume

Higher GMV does not necessarily mean consumers are buying more units. Pricing, product mix and higher average transaction values increasingly contribute to marketplace growth. Brands need to understand whether growth comes from additional buyers, increased frequency, higher prices, premiumisation or changes in category mix.

Measure the complete consumer journey

Platform GMV shows where transactions occur. It does not necessarily reveal where demand originated. Combining marketplace intelligence with consumer, media and brand research provides a better basis for understanding how demand is created and converted.

What is changing in the Vietnam e-commerce market in 2026?

Three developments stand out.

1. The Vietnam e-commerce market is becoming more concentrated in 2026. Shopee and TikTok Shop account for almost 98% of GMV across the four platforms measured by YouNet EC, while the number of revenue-generating sellers is declining.
2. Shopping is becoming embedded within Vietnam’s wider media ecosystem. Social media, short-form video, creators, livestreaming, and marketplaces increasingly compete and cooperate for the same consumer attention.
3. And rural consumers are central to this development. Cimigo research shows strong engagement with online shopping and shoppable content outside urban Vietnam, alongside distinctive media behaviours in rural areas.

The result is a larger but more demanding e-commerce opportunity. Brands need to understand not only where transactions happen, but how demand is created, how consumers move between platforms and how those journeys differ across Vietnam.

Frequently asked questions

How large is the Vietnam e-commerce market in 2026?

According to YouNet EC, Shopee, TikTok Shop, Lazada, and Tiki generated VND264.8 trillion (approximately US$10.2 billion) in GMV during H1 2026. Shopee accounted for 54.5% and TikTok Shop 43.4% of the measured market.

Is Shopee or TikTok Shop leading in Vietnam?

Shopee remains the largest marketplace by GMV, accounting for 54.5% of the market, according to YouNet ECI in H1 2026. TikTok Shop accounts for 43.4% and continues to grow at a faster rate. Together, the two platforms account for almost 98% of measured GMV.

Is online shopping important in rural Vietnam?

Yes. Cimigo research shows strong online shopping engagement outside Vietnam’s major urban centres. In the current Vietnam Media Habits study, 87% of rural respondents engaged with online shopping or shoppable video during the measured day, compared with 77% of urban respondents.

How important is livestream shopping in Vietnam?

Livestreaming is an established shopping format. Cimigo’s Vietnam Media Habits study currently identifies livestream shopping as the leading shopping content format, reaching 45% of respondents on the measured day. Cimigo’s wider online shopping research also demonstrates substantial engagement with livestream commerce.

Why should brands connect media and e-commerce planning?

Vietnamese consumers move across social media, video, creators, shopping platforms and other digital environments throughout the day. A transaction completed on a marketplace may therefore have been influenced by content encountered elsewhere. Connecting media and commerce research provides a more complete understanding of how demand is created and converted.

Related online shopping and media research

YouNet ECI provides the marketplace intelligence used for the H1 2026 GMV, platform, seller and category analysis in this article.

Vietnam online shopping insights explores how Vietnamese consumers shop online, including platform choice, livestream shopping, shoppable video and differences between consumer groups.

TikTok vs Shopee: Gen Z and Millennial e-commerce showdown provides additional analysis of the two platforms and their roles in Vietnam’s e-commerce landscape.

AskCimigo consumer intelligence platform provides access to Cimigo consumer research, including the Vietnam Media Habits report. Visit AskCimigo and interrogate the report with our AI assistant.

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