In the torrent of motorcycles, the young man's thumb traced the outline of another city on the screen. When the hustle and bustle of the streets and alleys meets the low noise of the server room, the trading ledger of this country is quietly flipping through by algorithms. The digital economy is running at a double-digit pace. AI agents have started to place orders for half of consumers, and capital has shifted from flow foam to chips and rebars.

Vietnam's digital economy has increased by 20% year-on-year, with total commodity transactions reaching 49 billion US dollars, ranking first in Southeast Asia's digital economy growth rate. The e-commerce and online tourism sectors are leading the region in terms of growth rate. The "2026 Southeast Asian Electronic Economy Report" jointly released by Google, Temasek, and Bain&Company shows that most sectors of Vietnam's digital economy maintain double-digit growth, relying on platforms to continuously expand volume and tap into user consumption value.

E-commerce as the main force

E-commerce is the core growth engine, accounting for two-thirds of the digital economy, with a year-on-year increase of 22% to 32 billion US dollars, and is expected to reach 61 billion US dollars by 2030. Online tourism continues to improve, with a year-on-year increase of 15% and a GMV of 5 billion US dollars, ranking among the top tier in Southeast Asia's growth rate along with Malaysia. Looking at Southeast Asia, generative AI platforms have surpassed social platforms and become the second most commonly used tool for users to plan their travels. The role of AI in itinerary planning and destination queries continues to improve. In 2026, online media will grow by 17% year-on-year, with a GMV of 7 billion US dollars; Both ride hailing and food delivery services saw a 17% increase, with GMV reaching $6 billion.

High AI penetration rate reshapes the consumption chain

Vietnam's AI user activity ranks first in Southeast Asia. Generative AI is highly popular in the workplace, with 45 million users in China, covering 65% of the workforce, and an annual AI query volume of 31 billion times. AI is changing business models: 44% of consumers use AI to initiate shopping decisions, and the public has a strong acceptance of intelligent agent technology. 80% of users are willing to entrust AI agents to make purchases on their behalf. Vietnamese is the main force in AI interaction, accounting for 80% of all conversations, and has the highest proportion of native language interaction among the six major economies in Southeast Asia.

Capital shifts to the hardcore track

The digital finance business is rapidly expanding, and digital loans are the fastest-growing sub segment in Southeast Asia and Vietnam, with a year-on-year increase of 34% and a loan scale of 14 billion US dollars. The development of digital payments is rapid, with a total transaction volume of GTV reaching $197 billion, an increase of 21%, and estimated to climb to $302 billion by 2030. The logic of private equity investment is synchronously adjusted, and funds are no longer simply chasing short-term traffic, but shifting towards sustainable profit models, as well as core infrastructure and emerging industries such as data centers and semiconductors.Editor/Gong Ziwei