Turning digital: Why everyone’s joining Vietnam’s B2B ecommerce race

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Hello readers,

I actually prefer that mom and pop shops stay the way they are – as part of the neighborhood. The owners typically know everyone, and customers can suddenly come in and buy something even without any cash. They’re places where some transactions are based just on trust.

While they might look a bit messy and unorganized, these corner stores also make our narrow streets or alleys here in Hanoi more authentic and vibrant.

But like in India and Indonesia, a race to digitalize these shops has just begun in Vietnam.

Startups want to build tech platforms to support owners in buying goods, managing the inventory, and taking better care of end-customers. Along the way, some shops are rebranded to look quite identical, very much like the usual convenience stores.

Is that a good thing? Only time will tell, but I hope technology won’t turn our local nooks into soulless spaces.

— Thu Huong Le, journalist at Tech in Asia

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