You can find everything you have ever wanted in Vietnam – however, you do need to know where to look for it! One huge aspect of life takes place online – you will see bikes with large boxes on the back zooming back and forth continuously – but how to tap into this online world? – Simply follow these guidelines to the online services in Vietnam below!
Online services in Vietnam you should know
Online shopping
Online services in Vietnam vary in different fields
Among the online services in Vietnam, shopping must be the first thing that comes to your mind. There are two main sources for online shopping – Shopee and Lazada. These sites offer a huge selection of items – all at discount prices.
Shopee can be found at https://shopee.vn/ and lazada at https://www.lazada.vn/
To order you need to set up an account – this needs to be linked to your mobile phone ( with a Vietnamese number ) since when the delivery arrives the person will phone you to let they have arrived.
There is a huge range of items to choose from, with items coming from both Vietnam and China (on the descriptions page it states where the product is from.) The location of the product determines how long it will take to arrive but again this is clearly stated on the site.
General categories include:
Electronic devices / electronic accessories / TV and home appliances / health and beauty / babies and toys / groceries and pets / home and lifestyle / women’s fashion / men’s fashion / fashion accessories / sports and travel / automotive and motorcycles
Although both sites are in Vietnamese, there is a button at the top where you can translate everything to English. This does mean that sometimes the descriptions are a little strange but also look at the star rating at the bottom to check their reliability.
The sites can be accessed both on a computer and through apps on phones. There are continual vouchers that can be used to decrease delivery costs and these are accessed on the sites. Payment can be made in a number of ways – cash upon delivery/credit card or through zalo payment.
These are excellent sites for getting most things – so before you purchase in shops, check on Lazarda and Shopee first – you will often be surprised to find the exact same thing that you saw in a local shop at a significantly cheaper price online.
Transportation
Although there are a range of taxis on the street that can be hailed, for discounted travel then Grab is the most popular option. Grab is now covering most types of online services in Vietnam including transportation, online shopping, and shipping.
To use Grab you simply download the app. They offer a range of services but for transport, there are two main options – car and motorbike.
To use, simply write your starting point and where you wish to travel to. Grab is linked to Google maps in Vietnam on your phone so if you are having difficulties then simply look it up on Google maps and click the taxi option. This will tell you how much a Grab will be and once pressed will take you straight over to the site.
For a grab car (taxi), there are two options – a normal Grab car – which will be a car – and a Grab 7 – which will be a larger car that will have two sets of seats at the back so that up to seven people can be accommodated. This is a very useful option if you have a large party or if you are travelling with a lot of luggage.
In addition to the Grab car, there is also a motorbike option. For this one, a person on a motorbike comes and you simply sit on the back. They provide you with a free helmet for the journey – as well as a waterproof cape if it is raining. This is a much cheaper option than a car so if travelling alone it is a great option.
There are continual offers – usually up to 30 % – simply press the offers button at the bottom to get the offer.
Transportation booking is one of the most dominant online services in Vietnam
Grab can be linked to your credit card so you are automatically charged and do not have to worry about carrying cash – however, if you prefer then you can simply pay per journey.
There are other online transport companies – such as Be and Gojek – so also check these out and compare prices and services to suit your specific location.
Food delivery- one of the most popular online services in Vietnam
Another aspect of Grab is food delivery in the form of takeaways. There is a very extensive range of food products available on grab food and there are continual offers. It is divided into delivery near your location, promotions and deals as well as free shipping and super brands with promotions for that day being seen further down the page.
Once you have used the app a few times, then it will give recommendations based on your price range and food preferences.
The app shows a picture of the food, the star rating, and distance to your locations well as delivery time. There are options for the delivery – from self-pickup as well as a later time – a useful aspect if you are ordering for lunchtime.
You add the food to the basket and your details will be confirmed with an option for a note to the driver – for example, if you would like it left with reception / if your location is difficult to find etc. – then simply place the order
There are two payment choices – card payment (you need to set this up on Grab – there is no option to pay with your card upon delivery) or cash on delivery.
Another very popular takeaway delivery choice is foody – which is an app similar to Grab -https://www.foody.vn – however, this is not as widely spread as Grab which can be found in most towns and citifies.
Food delivery of a takeaway is a cheap and popular option for lunch and dinner
Delivery
Most things can be delivered on the back of a motorbike – from fridges and water filters to books and packages. The most popular is Grab express – although there are a range of online services in Vietnam that are available in different locations throughout Vietnam.
Grab delivery can be found within the Grab app and the price is dependent upon the timing. If you want it to be delivered instantly then that is the most expensive option, and then next is the same day. The price is the same up to 5 kilos and you simply put in your details (including mobile number) as well as the recipient’s information.
This is a very reliable and popular method of delivering items and although not recommended for expensive items, it is a great way to get things delivered within a town or city.
Transport booking
The major airlines in Vietnam for domestic travel – Vietnam airways / Viet jet / Bamboo airways/jet star – all offer online booking.
Vietnam airways are the most established airline in Vietnam and offer more room between seats as well as a very reliable schedule. Booking online with their website is easy – language translation is available with a click of a button and the translation is clear and precise. The only downside with this airline is that is typically the most expensive option.
The list of online services in Vietnam also includes online booking
Bamboo airwards is the newest domestic airline and is fast becoming popular as although more expensive, it is reliable and offers a free snack and drink on-board along with nicely maintained planes. The website is easy to use.
Viet jet and Jet star are the two super budget domestic airlines in Vietnam – although they have online booking, the translation is erratic and it is very difficult to book. The pricing is erratic – when you start the prices are ridiculously cheap, however as you progress various taxes etc. are added and the final price has no relationship to the initial price stated.
Although I have never tried, many people have mentioned that if booked in Vietnamese the price is cheaper than booking in English, but for me, the site is so poor that it is easier to simply go to the airline office.
Train travel can also be booked online on the official Vietnam railway site. It is important to note that there are a lot of companies who offer transport booking but their prices are more expensive than dealing with the railway directly. The official train website can be found at http://vietnam-railway.com/
The site is relatively easy to use and there is a phone number if you have any difficulties. You can make significant savings booking direct instead of with an agency so it is worth working with this site for rail travel.
Overall, most Vietnamese use online options for many different aspects of their lives – so take your time to get to explore what online services in Vietnam that they offer as there are real discounts available through using online methods – so grab your mobile and get online today!
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