The "money burning" race in the local e-commerce scene is not over yet, with all Big Four competitors scampering to gain a larger market share.

Three out of four of the largest e-commerce sites saw the numbers of visits decreasing in Q1, a time when experts predicted would see a boom as the COVID-19 epidemic reached its peak.

Dang Hoang Hai, head of Vietnam’s e-Commerce and Digital Economy Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, talks about IT application in trade activities to link e-commerce with traditional commerce.

While COVID-19 dealt a blow to the retail market in the first quarter, e-commerce, online shopping, and delivery services emerged as clear beneficiaries.

Amid the negative coronavirus impact, local small and medium-sized enterprises are paying attention to digital solutions that utilise artificial intelligence technology to increase exports by connecting buyers globally via e-commerce channels.

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung says that Covid-19 has brought great challenges, but that challenges are often associated with opportunities.

Lack of regulations on requiring goods invoices is causing the likes of Facebook and Shopee to become indirect culprits of suffusion of goods with unidentified origin, raising concerns on the piracy of genuine products.

Offline shops have become deserted as people are staying at home to prevent the spread of coronavirus. As a result, online shopping activities have become busier.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has been cracking down on profiteers for selling face masks, hand sanitisers and other items for inflating prices due to the high demand caused by the ravaging COVID-19 epidemic.

As Vietnamese are now favoring ‘contactless purchases’ in Covid-19, online sales have increased rapidly.

While Amazon has had to recruit 100,000 more workers to satisfy orders, at Vietnam’s marketplaces, purchases remain weak except for face masks and hand sanitizers.

As the Covid-19 epidemic has been escalating, more people are buying things online or using shopping serviced.

Shopee and Lazada have successfully controlled most of the Southeast Asian market. But in Vietnam, Tiki, Sendo and The Gioi Di Dong are preventing them from doing so.

A survey on salary by Robert Walters said that recruitment in Vietnam posted growth last year.

A new payments market will be created with the presence of more players, including commercial banks, fintechs, telcos and foreign investors.

The E-commerce Index Report shows that Vietnam has over 500,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs), but only 32 percent of businesses have joined global trade through digital channels.

With an annual growth rate of 30 percent, Vietnam’s e-commerce market is expected to have value of $15 billion by 2020.

As Vietnam strives to forge a digital economy, there is a growing need to protect intellectual property rights. 

For the first time since launching in the market, Vsmart has surpassed Apple in retail revenue.

In recent years, craft villages in Ho Chi Minh City have introduced their products on online trading platforms. This has helped the villages trade efficiently and assert their brand value.