E-Commerce in Vietnam: The Big Players for 2013 [Part 3]

In the first two parts of this Vietnam e-commerce series, I looked at the obstacles, and then the potential. So now let’s look at the players.

This list contains some of the major companies, but I think there are even more prepping a launch of something new by mid-year. Since the online landscape is fragmented, it would be easy for young startups to jump into the mix and grab a piece of pie before everybody else grabs a bit.

I’ve divided the 28 companies below into four main categories: daily deals (aka: group buying), general e-commerce, vertical/specialist e-commerce, and customer-to-customer (C2C) selling. Daily deals are believed by some to be on the out following the debacle with Nhom Mua and declining consumer trust in coupons, while general e-commerce has shown steady growth and vertical e-commerce is an incoming trend.

Daily Deals

1. Nhom Mua

The former king of group buying, Nhom Mua (literally “Group Buy”), went through some recent management and investor struggles but braved the storm and the website is back online. The damage has been done though, and consumers are skeptical of the site. The drama has been the biggest gossip in the technology community in the country.

2. HotDeal

Emerging from the success of Vinabook.com, Vietnam’s leading online bookstore, HotDeal comes from the same team. It sells coupons for everything from men’s socks to Android tablets.

3. Mua Chung

Literally named “Buy Together”, Mua Chung serves up all general coupons as well as gives some special attention to tourism products and services.

4. Cung Mua

Cung Mua services all major and minor cities in Vietnam for electronics, tourism, fashion, education, and even food.

5. Cuc Re