HCMC – The prospect of e-commerce in Vietnam is still dismal, experts told a seminar in HCMC on Thursday, citing little interest on the part of consumers.
Nguyen Manh Quyen, deputy general director of the Vietnam E-commerce and Information Technology Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said a survey done by the ministry last year showed all firms use email and other means of e-transaction.
HCMC took the lead in e-commerce practices in areas such as public services, recruitment and marketing. Almost all firms were equipped with computers, and 98% of them had Internet connections, but online purchases by consumers were sparse, Quyen said.
The city is the nation’s economic center with than more 110,000 enterprises and another survey undertaken by the Department of Industry and Trade indicated online purchases made by companies in the city have grown steadily since 2008, giving rise to a host of online shopping sites.
According to the survey, over 70% of enterprises purchased goods and services online and 30% had websites to support their business operations. But consumers seemed to be lukewarm toward online shopping and reasons for this included unreliable shopping addresses, and uncertainty about goods quality.
Intricate procedures and payment methods discouraged online shopping as well, says the survey.
Speaking at the seminar, Xavier Depouilly, client service and business development director of TNS Media Vietnam, said e-commerce in Vietnam was holding growth potential. But it is mostly untapped.
“Half the population in urban areas have Internet access but only 5% of the people have shopped online and cash is used for 90% of transactions,” he said.
