Le Khoi, Meta’s country director for Vietnam, said the convergence of AI, automation, messaging, video and global commerce is becoming a defining feature of the country’s digital economy.
Vietnam remains one of Meta’s most connected markets, with about 94 per cent of internet users active on at least one Meta platform, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp or Threads. This gives businesses access to consumers across the full purchasing journey, from discovery to post-sale engagement.
While Facebook remains dominant, Instagram and Threads are gaining traction, particularly among younger users and office workers. Threads has seen strong organic growth in Vietnam as a platform for open discussion and real-time interaction, with further development expected through 2026.
User behaviour continues to be driven by video, livestreaming and messaging, with AI now embedded across these formats. Meta estimates that about 93 per cent of Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises have already applied AI tools in some aspect of their operations.
“AI has moved beyond experimentation. It is becoming a standard requirement for business efficiency,” Khoi said.
Messaging-based commerce remains a core strength of the Vietnamese market, which consistently ranks among global leaders for business-to-consumer interactions via chat. Meta said Vietnam is entering a new phase of “conversational commerce in the AI era”.
AI-powered chatbots are increasingly used to handle enquiries, provide product information and operate around the clock. Consumers are becoming more comfortable interacting with automated systems due to their speed and convenience.
The role of content creators is also evolving. Once focused mainly on entertainment, creators are now central to commerce, driving a closed-loop cycle linking content discovery, product review, purchase and feedback.
In Vietnam, short-form video and livestreams account for more than half of user time spent on Meta platforms. Product links can now be embedded directly into videos and livestreams, allowing viewers to move seamlessly from watching to buying.
Behind the scenes, AI tools support live commerce by answering routine questions on pricing, delivery and returns, reducing response times and easing pressure on sellers.
Advertising is undergoing a similar shift. Meta’s AI-driven tools, including Advantage+, use machine learning to optimise targeting and creative delivery beyond traditional demographic models.
Meta said businesses using AI-assisted advertising recorded an average 22 per cent improvement in return on advertising spend, with some reporting up to fourfold gains in campaign efficiency.
Cross-border commerce is emerging as another major trend. While Vietnamese consumers have long shopped on international platforms, more domestic enterprises are now selling directly to overseas markets via social media and messaging.
AI-powered translation, automated content localisation and global messaging infrastructure are lowering barriers, enabling Vietnamese sellers to reach customers across Southeast Asia, the US and Latin America.
Messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, which dominates communication in many overseas markets, are playing a key role. Meta cited Thanh Vinh Holdings as an example of a Vietnamese firm using WhatsApp-based commerce to expand regionally while cutting per-order costs through automation.
Khoi said these trends show how social media in Vietnam is evolving from a communication tool into a fully integrated digital commerce ecosystem.
