HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s digital economy is expected to reach a gross merchandise value (GMV) of US$49 billion this year, up 20 per cent year-on-year, making it one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing digital economies, alongside Malaysia.

The country also leads the region in growth in e-commerce and online travel.

According to the 2026 e-Conomy SEA report released by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company, most sectors of Việt Nam’s digital economy are maintaining double-digit growth, driven by platforms expanding their operations and generating more revenue from changing consumer habits.

E-commerce remains the main growth engine, accounting for around two-thirds of the country's total digital economy. The sector is projected to reach $32 billion in GMV this year, up 22 per cent from a year earlier, and is expected to hit $61 billion by 2030.

Growth is being fuelled by the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into e-commerce platforms to improve product discovery and conversion rates, while helping sellers streamline operations through tools such as automated product listings.

Online travel is also maintaining strong momentum, with GMV rising 15 per cent year on year to $5 billion this year. Việt Nam shares the position of the region’s fastest-growing market in this sector with Malaysia.

Across Southeast Asia, specialised generative AI (GenAI) platforms have overtaken social media to become the second most popular choice for users starting to plan their trips, highlighting AI's growing role in destination discovery and itinerary design.

Double-digit growth is also spreading across other digital sectors.

Online media is expected to expand 17 per cent to $7 billion in GMV this year, while ride-hailing and food delivery services are projected to grow by the same rate to $6 billion, amid intensifying competition from electric vehicle operators.

The report identifies Việt Nam as Southeast Asia's most engaged market for AI. As GenAI moves beyond early adopters into wider workplace use, the country has recorded 45 million users, equivalent to 65 per cent of its workforce, generating 31 billion AI prompts annually.

Việt Nam also leads the region in daily GenAI engagement, with two in every five users accessing the technology every day. On average, each user employs at least five different AI tools, reflecting the growing integration of the technology into daily life.

AI is also reshaping consumer behaviour. Some 44 per cent of consumer journeys now begin with AI, while four in five users are willing to delegate shopping tasks to AI agents.

Vietnamese is the dominant language in AI interactions in the country, accounting for 80 per cent of all conversations. This is the highest proportion of native-language use among the six largest Southeast Asian economies (SEA-6).

The strong preference for local-language interactions also results in higher token consumption per interaction, pointing to growing demand for AI models tailored to the Vietnamese market.

Marc Woo, managing director of Google Vietnam, said the country's digital economy continued to demonstrate strong growth, supported by positive user adoption and proactive national AI policies.

He noted that Việt Nam's $49-billion digital economy and its regional lead in daily AI engagement in the local language reflected Vietnamese consumers' readiness to embrace technological trends. With nearly half of consumer journeys starting with AI and four in five users willing to delegate shopping to AI agents, the country is well positioned to turn everyday AI adoption into a major economic driver. — VNA/VNS