Vietnam's E-commerce Sector Shows Highest Optimism in Southeast Asia Despite Facing Region's Toughest Regulatory Hurdles, New Blackbox Report Finds

• 69% of experts cite domestic compliance as the top challenge hurting Vietnam's e-commerce growth
• They also urge coordinated effort to harmoni se regulations and for platforms to act as regional 'eDistributors' to unlock US$40 billion opportunity for the region's small businesses

SINGAPORE, Oct. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Vietnam's e-commerce market is demonstrating the highest growth optimism in Southeast Asia, even as it navigates the region's most significant regulatory challenges. According to a new report by Blackbox Research, titled "The Next Leap for E-Commerce in Southeast Asia", 69% of experts say new tax compliance rules — particularly Value-Added Tax (VAT) withholding — have created short-term operational challenges for smaller online sellers adapting to new requirements, rather than long-term setbacks.

Yet despite this turbulence, 85% of experts express strong confidence in Vietnam's long-term growth potential — signalling that the country's entrepreneurial dynamism, robust logistics networks, and adaptive digital businesses are powering optimism even amid such short-term pain.

Strong Fundamentals, Fragile Framework

Experts rate Vietnam as more competitive than its regional peers in several core areas that underpin digital growth, including its logistics and fulfilment infrastructure (84%), platform competitiveness (77%), and innovation in the buyer experience (70%). These results highlight the country's strong foundations and the rapid progress of its digital commerce ecosystem, which continues to benefit from agile entrepreneurs, tech-driven sellers, and a maturing platform economy.

However, this strength is starkly contrasted by its greatest weakness. In regulatory openness and flexibility, only 39% of experts view the country as competitive. These scores signal that, while platforms and sellers are innovating rapidly, policy frameworks have not kept pace, creating frictions that can disproportionately affect small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

"What we see in Vietnam is a story of remarkable resilience," said David Black, Founder and CEO of Blackbox Research. "It shows the strongest growth optimism in the region, fuelled by exceptional business adaptability and a deep confidence in its fundamentals. But this paradox—high optimism contrasted with significant regulatory friction—isn't just happening in Vietnam but for all Southeast Asia too. It proves the entrepreneurial spirit is strong in the region, but to truly thrive, it needs a better framework. The solution is clear: we must dismantle the digital roadblocks that hold back thousands of small businesses."

This period of adjustment is also viewed as a crucial phase in Vietnam's regulatory modernisation journey. New tax and compliance measures have understandably introduced short-term disruptions for some smaller sellers adapting to new requirements. However, experts agree that, in the long run, these reforms can strengthen transparency and build a more stable environment for cross-border growth — particularly if accompanied by continued capacity-building initiatives that help MSMEs adapt effectively.

Vietnam as a Microcosm of Regional Challenges

Vietnam's experience mirrors broader regional bottlenecks. Across Southeast Asia, nearly half of regional experts (48%) cite regulatory fragmentation such as inconsistent, overlapping, or unclear policies, as the single biggest barrier to regional e-commerce growth, followed by high logistics costs (37%), limited digital capabilities and resource constraints of small businesses (28%), and an ecosystem-wide trust deficit (17%). In comparison, only less than 10% mentioned platform policies and seller dynamics as a challenge.

Vietnam's case illustrates how the region's opportunities and its obstacles are intertwined:

• Urban-rural delivery divide: Around 80% of Vietnam's e-commerce revenue comes from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, revealing how geography limits nationwide inclusion.
• Cross-border friction: Inconsistent customs and tax rules make it costly for MSMEs to expand beyond domestic markets.
• Regulatory complexity: New laws often create uncertainty — a problem mirrored in other neighbouring markets like the Philippines and Malaysia.

Together, these issues illustrate why experts view Vietnam as both a warning and a blueprint—a market that could set the tone for Southeast Asia's next stage of digital integration if it balances enforcement with enablement.

Five Levers to Unlock Vietnam's Next Stage of Digital Growth

While harmonising cross-border regulations remains a major opportunity, experts emphasise that Vietnam's e-commerce potential reaches far beyond regional trade. The sector is becoming a central engine of the country's broader digital economy transformation, driving innovation in logistics, payments, and MSME enablement that strengthens both local competitiveness and regional connectivity.

The Blackbox report identifies five strategic levers for platforms, policymakers, and MSMEs to accelerate this transition. Together, these levers underscore how Vietnam's domestic progress and ASEAN integration can reinforce each other, positioning the country as a pivotal node in Southeast Asia's digital future. The five levers are:

• Sustained Platform Investment: Platforms are evolving from marketplaces into ecosystem architects and "eDistributors" — entities that connect sellers not only to buyers but also to compliance, logistics, and payments infrastructure. 85% of experts agree that platforms must expand their role in building these digital highways, helping small businesses overcome resource and technical barriers. In parallel, 43% identify training and upskilling as critical areas for shared investment. For Vietnam, this means scaling digital literacy and fulfilment readiness so that local entrepreneurs can fully participate in — and benefit from — the broader digital economy.
• Innovation-Driven Service Excellence: As Vietnam's digital consumers demand faster, more personalised experiences, innovation must move beyond marketing to reshape core business operations. Experts highlight that platform-embedded AI should extend into fulfilment, inventory management, and customer service, helping MSMEs achieve parity in reliability and trust with larger brands. This shift from cost competition to value creation will be key to building durable consumer trust and long-term competitiveness.
• Multi-stakeholder Collaboration: Over half of experts (57%) view collaboration between platforms, government, and MSMEs as "non-negotiable." The report calls for a co-investment approach where each player contributes to shared priorities that sustain the digital economy's momentum. Platforms build the digital highways that connect sellers to consumers and logistics networks; governments clear regulatory roadblocks and enable fair, consistent policy execution; and MSMEs invest in their own digital readiness through upskilling and adoption of new tools.
  Experts identify three joint-investment priorities—logistics infrastructure, digital payments, and MSME capability-building—as essential to turning ambition into impact. For Vietnam, this means ensuring that collaboration is not confined to urban centres but extends across provinces, enabling small sellers everywhere to benefit from a more inclusive and competitive e-commerce ecosystem. By deepening this shared commitment, Vietnam can transform collaboration into co-creation—building the practical foundations for sustained digital growth.
• Fixing Logistics Vulnerabilities: Logistics remains one of Vietnam's most decisive levers for both domestic inclusion and regional competitiveness. Experts note that targeted public–private investment in infrastructure and technology can transform long-standing logistics challenges into a durable competitive advantage. Expanding last-mile delivery networks, inter-provincial fulfilment capacity, and pickup–drop-off points will help reduce costs, shorten delivery times, and open new consumer and seller markets across the country.
• Smarter and More Agile Regulation: Experts agree that continued regulatory streamlining and alignment will benefit not only e-commerce but Vietnam's entire digital ecosystem. Simplifying tax and customs processes, piloting regulatory sandboxes, and promoting evidence-led policymaking can accelerate innovation while maintaining fairness and trust.

Vietnam at a Turning Point

Vietnam's e-commerce ecosystem stands at a pivotal moment. If policymakers can pair regulatory reform with the same innovation mindset that defines its sellers, the country could become the blueprint for ASEAN's digital integration — where agility, trust, and cross-border inclusivity converge.

As the Blackbox report concludes, achieving this will require platforms, policymakers, and MSMEs to move in lockstep — building the digital highways, clearing the bureaucratic roadblocks, and equipping sellers to thrive regionally.

The message from experts is clear: optimism is not enough; it must now be matched by integration.

To read more about the report, visit the website here. 

About the Report 

This report takes a solution-first lens, grounded in what e-commerce experts across Southeast Asia say matters most right now. Drawing from more than 25 hours of interviews with 46 e-commerce leaders and experts, the report captures deep, actionable insights that form its authoritative foundation.

Through this research, five key levers for growth consistently surfaced — common themes that cut across markets and business models in the region. The report aims to highlight what's observable and actionable: the patterns, tensions, and signals shaping the e-commerce landscape today. By surfacing these insights, the report aims to equip platforms, policymakers, and MSME partners with the necessary context to make informed decisions and drive meaningful impact within their own ecosystems.

About Blackbox Research

Blackbox is Southeast Asia's leading market research and insights company, helping governments, businesses, and agencies around the world navigate change through smarter, faster intelligence. With over two decades of international experience, we combine strategic research design, innovative data tools, and full in house delivery to uncover what truly drives behaviour - and turn insight into action. Across Southeast Asia's digital economy, winning now depends on deeper, faster intelligence. Our digital economy practice partners with brands, platforms, and policymakers to better understand the needs of consumers, the pain points of MSMEs, and the growth levers available to unlock opportunity.

SOURCE Blackbox Research