For years, Vietnam sat in many regional marketing plans as an emerging market. Somewhere to test, adapt a regional campaign, and keep the budget modest.
That view is out of date.
The numbers that matter
Vietnam had around 85.6 million internet users and 79 million social media identities at the end of 2025, according to market data compiled by Ken Research. That is roughly three quarters of the population active on social platforms.
The broader digital economy was estimated at around US$39 billion in 2025, up 17% on the previous year, with e-commerce alone above US$25 billion.
Digital advertising has followed the audience. The market was estimated at US$1.47 billion in 2025 and is forecast to more than double by 2031. Within that, video is consistently reported as the fastest-growing category, driven by short-form platforms and video-led shopping.
Behind the statistics is a simple picture. Vietnamese audiences are online, mobile-first, and watching a great deal of video.
A mature market expects more
When a market grows up, its audience's expectations rise with it.
Vietnamese viewers now see world-class content every day. Global streaming shows, regional brand campaigns, and a fiercely creative local creator scene. They can tell instantly when a brand has taken a campaign made for somewhere else and added Vietnamese subtitles.
From what we see on the ground in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, three expectations stand out.
Local faces and local life. Audiences want to see themselves. That means Vietnamese talent, real Vietnamese locations and situations that feel familiar, not a generic Asian city.
Local humour and warmth. Vietnamese communication has its own rhythm. Humour, family dynamics and tone of address are specific, and getting them right is the difference between charming and awkward.
Production quality on par with the region. The days when lower production values were accepted in Vietnam are over. Audiences compare your content with the best they've seen anywhere.
The good news is that these expectations are achievable. Vietnam has a deep pool of creative, production and post-production talent, and costs remain competitive with other major markets in the region. Brands that invest in doing it properly usually find the return arrives quickly, because audiences respond so strongly to content that feels made for them.
Three moves for brands scaling in 2027
If Vietnam is a growth priority, here's where I'd focus.
1. Build content in Vietnam, not just for it. Brief local teams early. Develop ideas with people who understand the culture from the inside, rather than adapting a finished regional asset at the end.
2. Plan for short-form and commerce from the start. Short video and livestreams increasingly sit right next to the purchase in Vietnam. Content needs to work in a feed, on a phone, within seconds, and often alongside a shopping link.
3. Treat Vietnam as two or more audiences. North and south differ in tone, taste and aspiration. A national campaign may need regional cuts. We'll cover this in more detail in a later post.
What this looks like in practice
For brands, a more mature market means a different approach to content planning.
Platform mix. Facebook, YouTube and TikTok all have huge audiences in Vietnam, and the messaging app Zalo plays a central role in everyday communication. Each has its own formats and expectations. A single asset rarely works everywhere.
Speed. Trends move quickly on Vietnamese social platforms. Brands that can respond within days, not months, have an advantage. That usually means having local creative and production capability ready to go.
Volume with consistency. Audiences expect a steady flow of content, but every piece still needs to feel like it comes from the same brand. A clear brand story, and a production plan that captures plenty of material in each shoot, helps balance the two.
Respect for detail. Vietnamese audiences notice small things: a wrong regional accent, an odd prop, an unnatural line of dialogue. Local review before publishing catches these.
Why we set up on the ground
PPP registered its Vietnamese entity in Vietnam because we saw the same thing many of our clients now see. The market was moving faster than regional plans assumed, and the work needed to be made locally to land.
Vietnam is all about trust, connections and that doesn’t happen in a hurry.
Vietnam is no longer the market you test in. For many brands, it is the market that will define their growth in Southeast Asia over the next five years.
The content should reflect that.
Planning your 2027 Vietnam strategy? Talk to our Vietnam team about building content that lands with Vietnamese audiences.
Sources: Ken Research, Vietnam Digital Advertising Market report (2026); DataReportal Digital 2026: Vietnam, as cited in that report.
