Shopee, TikTok Shop’s dominance squeezes Vietnam’s couriers

The exit of two major players from the Vietnamese ecommerce logistics market has revealed a shift in which companies are controlling parcel volumes.

Within a span of six months, Singapore-headquartered Ninja Van as well as Flex Speed – Lazada’s former logistics arm in Vietnam – have stopped offering last-mile delivery services in the country.

A delivery driver in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam / Photo credit: Milkovasa / Shutterstock

“We always need to be prepared for a price war or further consolidation, especially if platforms begin prioritizing in-house [arms],” says Yeung Kin Lok, Ninja Van’s Vietnam country head, about the firm’s exit in September 2025.

While Vietnam’s ecommerce sector was projected to reach US$31 billion in 2025, it has become dominated by two major players: Shopee and TikTok Shop.

Consequently, the country’s parcels are now largely handled by two logistics firms: SPX Express, Shopee’s in-house delivery arm, and J&T Express, whose growth is fueled by its partnership with TikTok Shop.

See also: Is it time for Ninja Van to quit ecommerce logistics?

“The situation in Southeast Asia is that the platforms themselves allocate parcels to logistics partners,” says Jianggan Li, founder and CEO of Momentum Works, a Singapore-based digital commerce advisory firm. This puts it in contrast with China, where sellers typically choose their delivery providers.

The shift shows that logistics players are losing grip on demand, service standards, and pricing to ecommerce platforms, leaving them to compete for parcel volumes outside the dominant players.

Duopoly emerging

Vietnam’s ecommerce boom has driven rapid growth in parcel volumes, but it has also exposed a duopoly within the industry.

According to data platform Metric, revenue across the country’s four largest online marketplaces – Shopee, TikTok Shop, Lazada, and Tiki – reached an estimated 429 trillion dong (US$16.3 billion) in 2025, up nearly 35% year on year.

But two of those platforms – Shopee and TikTok Shop – account for about 97% of total ecommerce revenue in Vietnam.

Nguyen Van Linh owns Duc Long Transport and Express, which served as a logistics vendor for Ninja Van in Vietnam from 2018 to 2025. He notes a gradual decrease in parcel volumes from other marketplaces such as Sendo, Tiki, and Lazada.

He also observes declines in the use of Duc Long’s fleet – which spans over 120 vehicles, including about 100 trucks owned by Ninja Van – as well as in loads per trip.

Where the model breaks

The competition goes offline