Vietnam's digital economy could reach 39 billion USD this year

The e-commerce sector contributes two-thirds of the economy's size. Photo: Quyen Leo Daily.

According to the 10th annual e-Conomy SEA 2025 report published by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company, Vietnam's digital economy is forecast to reach 39 billion USD in total value of goods by the end of 2025. With a growth rate of 17% compared to the previous year, Vietnam could become the second fastest growing digital economy in Southeast Asia.

E-commerce is the mainstay

The report said all key sectors of Vietnam's digital economy recorded double-digit growth.

Of which, e-commerce continues to be the industry with the largest contribution to the total value of goods, accounting for two-thirds of the total scale of the digital economy and is forecast to increase by 17%, reaching 25 billion USD by the end of 2025.

Meanwhile, the transportation and food delivery sector continues to be the fastest growing segment in Vietnam by gross merchandise value, with a forecast growth rate of 20% and reaching $5 billion by 2025. Vietnam has also witnessed a rapid shift to electric vehicles (EVs) thanks to government incentives and demand from transportation platforms.

Online audiovisual content also saw strong growth compared to previous years, forecast to increase by more than 16% and reach a size of $6 billion. This sector includes advertising, video games, video on demand (online video viewing services that allow users to select and watch any content at any time) and music on demand (online music listening platforms that allow users to play songs of their choice).

An important growth driver comes from the video game industry, in which Vietnam contributes significantly with 3 game developers in the global top 15 in terms of downloads.

The online travel segment is forecast to grow by 16% to reach US$4 billion. The tourism industry is currently one of Vietnam’s economic pillars with strong growth from 2024 to 2025. Thanks to favorable visa policies and international promotion strategies, the research unit believes that this impressive performance reflects both the recovery of international arrivals, especially from Asian and European markets, and the stability of the domestic travel segment.

Leading the region in AI adoption

Vietnam has established itself as the leader in Southeast Asia in terms of user readiness and trust in AI. This is reflected in three key indicators: 81% of users interact with AI tools and features daily; 83% participate in AI learning and skill-building activities; and 96% are willing to share data access with AI agents.

The level of user engagement with AI is showing clear commercial impact as revenue from AI-integrated applications has increased by 78% within a year, as of the first half of 2025. Users are mainly turning to AI for three main reasons: saving time when searching and comparing information (44%); receiving 24/7 customer support (35%); and saving costs through better incentives (30%).

In terms of capital, Vietnam currently has more than 40 active AI startups, and the market also recorded 123 million USD in private investment in AI last year. This figure accounts for 5% of the total AI investment value of the entire region in the same period.

In addition, 79% of investors expect capital flows into Vietnam to continue to increase, especially in the fields of software, services, AI and deep tech.

“Vietnam's digital economy is showing strong resilience, driven by users effectively accessing and applying AI in their lives and work,” said Mr. Marc Woo, General Director of Google Vietnam.

Google Vietnam leaders also assessed that the fact that up to 81% of users interact with AI tools daily shows that the digital environment in Vietnam is becoming increasingly dynamic and highly adaptable, keeping up with modern trends. With the positive growth rate of the digital economy and the highest level of AI application in the region, Vietnam has become one of the most important markets in the digital technology development process of Southeast Asia, contributing to improving productivity and creating more value for many fields.

“The real opportunity now lies in how businesses leverage AI as a lever to create value, while cleverly balancing the unique economic structure in Vietnam,” said Erik Pot, partner at Bain & Company.

Digital transaction explosion

The digital financial services (DFS) sector in Vietnam is becoming one of the important growth areas, driven by the Government's policy of promoting cashless payments. The total transaction value through digital payment methods is forecast to reach 178 billion USD by 2025, reflecting the increasingly popular shift to digital platforms in the market.

In this segment, online lending services are showing clear growth momentum, ranked as the second fastest growing financial segment in the region with a compound annual growth rate of 22% in the period 2024-2025.

The widespread use of digital finance is receiving great support from the State's policies and infrastructure. Vietnam has deployed electronic identification for all citizens, making access to online public services more convenient.

Currently, the country has about 30 million active e-wallet accounts, contributing to promoting cashless payments and payments via VietQR. From there, we aim for 80% of e-commerce transactions to be cashless by 2030.

In addition, the QR payment system is also compatible with Thailand and Cambodia, opening up more opportunities for trade and tourism between the countries.

In addition, commercial video in Vietnam is becoming one of the prominent drivers of digital growth, with the second largest scale and growth rate in Southeast Asia. The number of transactions and the number of sellers increased by 60% year-on-year, showing that consumers are quickly embracing shopping through video and commercial content.

During the same period, commercial video generated 1.3 billion transactions and 650,000 sellers, reflecting the growing market size. This strong growth shows that video commerce is becoming an important development direction of the digital economy, creating more business opportunities and expanding the model for many businesses across the country.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/kinh-te-so-viet-nam-co-the-dat-39-ty-usd-nam-nay-3386116.html