Every Tet season does more than boost sales figures. It acts as a stress test for consumer behavior, revealing how priorities, values, and decision-making processes are evolving under pressure. Market research indicates that Tet is not merely a retail peak; it is a diagnostic moment, when latent trends surface with clarity and scale.
According to VnEconomy, retail studies in Vietnam consistently show that Tet accounts for roughly 25–30% of total annual retail revenue, with FMCG alone generating around 20% of its yearly sales during this period. These figures are well known. What is more revealing, however, is not how much people spend, but how and why that spending is now distributed across channels, categories, and time. In major urban centres such as Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Tet-related demand represents over 35% of national consumption. Urban household spending continues to be anchored in food and beverages and gifting, underscoring Tet’s dual role as both a peak consumption moment and a socially meaningful occasion. Beneath these topline dynamics, a subtler yet important shift is taking place: spending is becoming more deliberate, less impulsive, and more closely aligned with perceived utility and convenience.
Data from Grab’s Tet shopping report reinforces this observation. More than half of consumers begin purchasing food items at least one month before Tet, while 61% expect to spend more than last year, with an average budget of around VND 7.4 million. Rather than signaling excess, this pattern reflects a redistribution of spending over time. Consumers are smoothing their budgets, planning earlier, and avoiding the logistical and psychological pressure of last-minute shopping.
This behavioral change is closely linked to channel usage. Nearly half of surveyed consumers report combining online and offline shopping. Omnichannel behavior is no longer transitional or experimental; it has become a stable norm. Online platforms now serve as tools for discovery, comparison, and early commitment, while offline channels retain their role in tactile reassurance and tradition. The result is not channel substitution, but channel specialization.
On digital marketplaces, demand continues to concentrate around apparel, dried foods, and regional specialties—categories that are easy to store, suitable for gifting, and symbolically aligned with Tet rituals. What stands out is the clear bifurcation of value. At one end, premium and highly curated products marketed as “selected,” “rare,” or “gift-grade” command strong interest despite high prices. At the other, affordable staples maintain steady volumes due to their functional relevance.
This duality reflects a long-standing Tet mindset, now amplified online: consumers are willing to trade up when purchases carry social or symbolic meaning, particularly gifts, while remaining highly pragmatic when buying for household consumption. Digital platforms, with their ability to segment, narrate, and price accordingly, make this contrast more visible than ever.
Livestream commerce has emerged as a particularly powerful accelerator this Tet season, with sellers reporting sales growth of 30–40% year-on-year (according to VnEconomy). Its effectiveness lies less in promotion and more in trust-building. Real-time demonstrations, behind-the-scenes footage, and direct interaction reduce perceived risk and create a sense of authenticity. For many consumers, seeing the product is no longer enough; seeing the process has become equally important.
Notably, this dynamic is not limited to small online sellers. Large manufacturers and retailers are also reengineering their Tet presence around digital engagement, integrating packaging, QR codes, AI-driven interactions, and gamified experiences. Tet shopping, in this context, is evolving from a transactional act into a participatory experience—one where emotional engagement and novelty coexist with practicality.
Even traditionally offline-dependent categories such as Tet flowers and ornamental plants are being reshaped by digital channels. Livestream sales allow growers to reach buyers earlier, distribute demand over time, and reduce inventory risk. Rather than undermining physical Tet markets, online channels are shifting when and how value is realized across the supply chain.
From a market research standpoint, the digital Tet marketplace highlights three structural shifts. First, Vietnamese consumers are becoming more purpose-driven, prioritizing clear value and relevance over performative consumption. Second, convenience and time efficiency—especially among urban, family-oriented households—have become core decision drivers rather than secondary benefits. Third, trust is no longer built primarily through brand scale or advertising intensity, but through transparency, traceability, and lived experience.
These shifts carry implications for both consumers and businesses. For consumers, greater choice and information come with higher expectations of accountability. For brands and sellers, credibility, clarity, and consistent delivery are no longer differentiators—they are prerequisites.
Tet on the digital marketplace, therefore, is not just livelier. It is more rational, more selective, and ultimately more mature. In a market where consumers know what they want and how to get it, competitive advantage no longer lies in shouting louder, but in understanding deeper.
