What app does Vietnam people use?

what apps do Vietnamese people use: Zalo reaches 79.6M users

what apps do Vietnamese people use helps individuals navigate daily life and digital commerce effectively. These platforms replace traditional communication and simplify food ordering or shopping across major hubs. Learning these digital tools ensures smooth interactions with local merchants today.

Digital Life in Vietnam: The Apps You Cannot Live Without

Digital life in Vietnam is defined by a unique blend of powerful local platforms and global tech giants, where a handful of apps handle everything from government paperwork to your morning iced coffee. Zalo is the undisputed king of communication, while the battle for transportation and shopping is currently being fought between established names like Grab and Shopee and aggressive newcomers like Xanh SM and TikTok Shop.

This ecosystem is highly integrated - and quite honestly, a bit addictive - making it essential for anyone living in or visiting the country to have a specific set of tools on their home screen.

While global apps like Facebook and YouTube remain massive, the real power lies in the super-apps that consolidate multiple services into one interface. You can book a car, order a bowl of Bun Bo Hue, and pay your electricity bill all within the same five-minute window. It is a fast-moving landscape where market leaders can shift within a single quarter, driven by a young, mobile-first population that adapts to new technology at a blistering pace. If you are landing in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi tomorrow, your phone needs to be ready.

Communication: Why Zalo is the Absolute King

In Vietnam, Zalo is not just an app - it is the infrastructure of daily life. Zalo is used by around 85% of Vietnamese, placing it ahead of global competitors like Facebook. Almost every resident uses it for everything from family chats to professional networking. Ill be honest: when I first started using it, the constant pings from various Mini Apps felt overwhelming. But once you realize you can check your local weather, track a government application, or even book a doctors appointment without ever leaving the chat interface, it becomes hard to imagine life without it. ^[1]

The platform has successfully reached 79.6 million monthly active users by the end of 2025, an incredible feat in a country of 100 million people. It has effectively replaced traditional SMS and even email for many small businesses. Vietnam messaging app Zalo is widely used across the population. It is the standard. If a local merchant asks for your contact info, they arent asking for your phone number to call you - they want to Zalo you. Its that simple. ^[3]

Transportation and Delivery: The Green Revolution

For years, Grab was synonymous with ride-hailing in Vietnam, but the landscape has shifted dramatically in the last 18 months. Xanh SM - a domestic electric vehicle service - has captured a leading share of the market, surpassing Grab in several reports.

This shift represents a historic change, as it is the first time since 2014 that a local competitor has genuinely challenged Grabs dominance. The appeal? Clean, quiet electric cars and motorbikes that stand out in the chaotic city traffic. Most users now keep both apps on their phones to compare prices and waiting times, which are often just seconds apart. ^[4]

The rivalry extends to your dinner table as well. The food delivery market is currently a tight race between ShopeeFood and GrabFood, which together control over 90% of the market. In major hubs like Ho Chi Minh City, GrabFood maintains a slight edge with a 50% share of orders, whereas ShopeeFood leads in Hanoi with 56%.^[5]

This competition is great for your wallet - and your stomach - because both platforms constantly offer deep discounts to keep users from switching. Be, another local player, has also carved out a niche by offering competitive fares, with 24% of its users choosing the app specifically for its lower prices and promotions. Its a three-way battle for your loyalty.

Shopping: The Rise of Shoppertainment

E-commerce in Vietnam has moved beyond simple listings into a world of live-streaming and social interaction. Shopee remains the leader with a 56% market share of gross merchandise value, but TikTok Shop has surged to a 41% share in 2026. Together, these hai platforms account for 97% of the online retail market, leaving older players like Lazada and Tiki with just a 3% combined share.^[7] This shift is driven by shoppertainment - a trend where 82% of weekly active users on TikTok engage with content that often leads directly to a purchase.

Ive seen this play out in real-time while sitting in a cafe - people arent just scrolling; they are watching live hosts demonstrate everything from skincare to kitchen gadgets. The transaction volume on these two platforms exceeded $16.3 billion USD in 2025, representing nearly 8% of Vietnams entire retail market.^[8] For most what apps do Vietnamese people use questions, shopping is no longer a chore; it is a form of entertainment that happens between chat sessions and video clips. If you want something delivered to your door in two hours, these are the popular apps in Vietnam that make it happen.

Payments: MoMo and the Cashless Shift

Carrying a physical wallet is becoming optional in Vietnams urban centers. MoMo is a leading e-wallet with significant market presence and millions of users. It has evolved into a financial super-app where you can pay for cinema tickets, buy insurance, or even invest in stocks. ZaloPay follows in second place, benefiting heavily from its integration within the Zalo messaging app. You will see pink MoMo or blue ZaloPay QR codes at almost every vendor, from high-end malls to small street-side Banh Mi stalls. ^[9]

The speed of this transition is staggering. By early 2026, the number of active e-wallets in Vietnam has grown substantially. Around 57% of the adult population now actively uses digital wallets, a massive jump from just 14% a few years ago.

In my experience, the split bill feature on MoMo is a lifesaver when dining with friends - it eliminates the awkward who owes what conversation instantly. However, for travelers, linking a foreign credit card can still be hit-or-miss, so keeping some cash for emergency situations is still a smart move. For those exploring Vietnamese e-wallets for tourists, cash is no longer king. ^[10]

Choosing Your Go-To Mobility and Food App

Grab (The Established Giant)

• Comprehensive super-app including cars, bikes, food delivery, and mart shopping
• Largest network of drivers, especially effective for quick bookings in southern provinces
• Holds 44% of the ride-hailing usage and up to 50% of food delivery in HCMC
• Seamless integration with Moca and most international credit cards

Xanh SM (The Green Challenger)

• Electric taxis and motorbikes; recently expanded into 'Xanh SM Ngon' food delivery
• Consistently cited by 52% of users as the highest satisfaction choice due to cleanliness
• 100% electric fleet using VinFast vehicles, appealing to eco-conscious users
• Faster average confirmation time at 19 seconds compared to Grab's 24 seconds

Be (The Value Alternative)

• Ride-hailing and delivery with a focus on local loyalty and competitive pricing
• Chosen by 24% of users specifically for lower fares and frequent promotions
• Positions itself as the 'made in Vietnam' champion for price-sensitive consumers
• Strong local presence with roughly 400,000 drivers across major cities

Minh's Daily Digital Routine in Ho Chi Minh City

Minh, a 28-year-old software engineer in District 7, starts his day by checking Zalo. Before he even leaves bed, he's seen three work updates and a notification from his apartment's Zalo Official Account about a water maintenance schedule. He used to rely on email, but now his entire team - and his landlord - communicates exclusively through Zalo groups.

For his commute, Minh originally tried using his own motorbike, but the heat and traffic were exhausting. He switched to Xanh SM's electric bike service. His first few attempts were frustrating because he couldn't find a bike during the 8 AM rush, but he soon realized that booking just 10 minutes earlier solved the problem completely.

By lunch, Minh is scrolling TikTok Shop. He wasn't planning to buy anything, but a live-streamer's demonstration of a mechanical keyboard caught his eye. The 'buy' button was right there, and since his MoMo wallet was already linked, the transaction took less than 10 seconds. He's found that these impulse buys happen more often than he'd like to admit.

At the end of the day, Minh uses GrabFood to order dinner. He reports that his app usage saves him about an hour of chores daily, allowing him to focus on his side projects. For Minh, these apps aren't just tools; they are the digital glue that keeps his fast-paced life in the city from falling apart.