As many as 1.1 million people have so far used Mobile Money service, including nearly 660,000 in rural, mountainous, remote, border and island areas.

The second Vietnam Card Day was launched in Hanoi on April 16 with the theme of “Leading the way”.

A record of over US$1.3 billion was poured into Vietnamese startups in 2021 despite the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, helping the country rank third in the group of the most dynamic innovative startup ecosystems in Southeast Asia, only after Indonesia and Singapore.

Cashless payment has become more popular in all sectors, including restaurant and catering services, according to Winnie Wong, Mastercard’s Country Manager for Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Despite low growth in 2021, the local retail industry is still considered full of potential and will continue to explore areas for new growth.

More than 463,000 people have used Mobile Money as of February 11, over one month after the Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group (Viettel) and the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) launched the cashless payment service.

The COVID-19 pandemic, with its complicated developments, has given a boost to e-commerce, with non-cash payments accounting for 70% of total retail transactions in Vietnam last year.

Vietnam's Online Shopping Day, dubbed ‘Online Friday 2021’, began at 00:00 hours on December 3, marking the start of the largest online shopping event in the country lasting 60 hours.

The Vietnam E-Commerce and Digital Economy Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) on November 26 announced an e-commerce week and the Vietnam Online Shopping Day – Online Friday 2021.

MobiFone has become the first telecoms company to provide Mobile Money services in Vietnam after receiving permission from the State Bank of Vietnam on November 18.