One in five Vietnamese spend 9 hours a day online

This is a surge from 2020 when only 9% of respondents used the internet for more than nine hours a day, according to the Vietnam Ecommerce 2022 report by the Vietnam e-Commerce and Digital Economy Agency (iDEA).

However, there were declines in internet usage time in other segments.

As many as 27% say they use the internet from three to five hours a day, compared to 31% in 2020.

Besides, 23% log five to seven hours, against 27% in 2020.

Most respondents access the internet on their smartphones.

The main reason Vietnamese people use the internet are studying, watching movies or listening to music, and online shopping, said the report, which surveyed 4,584 respondents nationwide.

Nearly 75% of respondents say they shop online, while 91% use their smartphones.

The top sales categories are "clothes, footwear and cosmetics," "household appliances", and "electronic devices".

Cash remains king as 73% pay cash on delivery.

But there is a rise in e-wallet usage, from 23% in 2020 to 37% last year.

A quarter of respondents, 24%, say they spend more than VND10 million ($422) a year shopping online.

Reputation of an e-commerce platform is the most important factor for online consumers, according to 74% of respondents.

Other key factors are quick delivery and promotions.

Vietnam’s e-commerce economy is set to grow 20% to 16.4 billion this year, approaching the 25% growth achieved in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic.

iDEA estimates that at least 57 million people will shop online this year, up 4% from 2021.