Sell Into Vietnam: the cross-border operator's playbook

The fastest way into Vietnam is marketplace-first — list on Shopee or TikTok Shop and validate demand before you set up a local entity. This playbook walks the six decisions in order, linking the reference, the how-to, and the calculator you need at each step. Data is full-year 2025 unless noted.

  1. 1Size the opportunity
  2. 2Pick a channel
  3. 3Price for landed cost
  4. 4Model platform fees
  5. 5Set up payments & logistics
  6. 6Launch & comply

1 Size the opportunity

Vietnam's four-platform marketplace GMV hit ~$16.35 billion (VND 429.7 trillion) in Full-year 2025, up +34.75% YoY on 3.94 billion units. But the share split matters more than the total — the market has consolidated hard onto two platforms.

PlatformGMV share (2025)Direction
Shopee 56.0% Down from 64% in 2024 as TikTok Shop scaled
TikTok Shop 41.3% Up from 29% in 2024; overtook Lazada
Lazada + Tiki ~3% Down from ~6% combined in 2024; Metric does not publish the two separately
Share of four-platform marketplace GMV (%)

Full-year 2025. The top two platforms hold about 97% of GMV. · Source: Metric (metric.vn); our platform-shares dataset

Go deeper: E-commerce overview · E-commerce statistics 2026 · platform-shares dataset

Category go/no-go: Beauty · Supplements · Food & beverage · Fashion

Or run the interactive Vietnam Entry Decision Engine — your numbers → verdict, landed cost, margin, compliance.

Category verdict board

Each category page ends in a verdict. The board puts them side by side with the numbers that drive them: representative duty, the top platform commission, how long compliance takes, and the shelf price you would need as a multiple of your FOB cost on a marketplace.

CategoryVerdictDuty MFN → FTACommission + txn feeCompliance timeShelf price ÷ FOB
Beauty & cosmetics Gowith conditions 18% → 5% 23% ~1.5–3 months 2.44×–2.75×
Health supplements Goif compliance-ready 15% → 5% 22% ~3–6 months 2.40×–2.63×
Food & beverage Cautionpremium/specialty only 20% → 5% 16% ~1–8 weeks 2.15×–2.46×
Fashion & apparel Gobut localize or lose 16% → 3% 21% ~2–4 weeks 2.31×–2.60×
Other / general goods Dependsmodel it 15% → 5% 18% — 2.23×–2.44×
Shelf price needed on a marketplace, as a multiple of FOB (MFN duty) (× FOB)

Model per 100 of FOB: freight 10%, VAT 10%, ads 10% of price and a 15% target margin are assumptions; the commission and duty are the representative figures used by the entry decision engine. Real duty is set by HS code, so the table shows the range from the preferential (FTA) to the MFN rate. · Source: Entry-decision data; our model

Read the multiples as a sanity check, not a quote. At MFN duty they all land between 2.44× and 2.75×: a high commission (beauty) and a high duty (food) pull the number in different directions, so what separates the verdicts is regulation, competition and channel fit, which the category pages cover. Import VAT is treated as a cost here, as in the landed-cost calculator; a VAT-registered importer may recover it, and output VAT on the domestic sale is ignored. VAT 10% modelled; 8% applies to many goods to 31 Dec 2026. Where a modern-trade route is quoted, the distributor margin doubles as the importer's return.

2 Pick a channel

Shopee (~56%) is the volume play for price-competitive general merchandise. TikTok Shop (~41%) — now second after overtaking Lazada — wins for anything that demonstrates on video (fashion, beauty, FMCG) via livestream. Lazada is a niche authorized-brand channel (LazMall). Most serious sellers list on at least two.

Compare net payout by channel →

Compare: Shopee vs Lazada vs TikTok Shop · Sell on Shopee · Sell on TikTok Shop

3 Price for landed cost

Vietnam taxes imports on the CIF value: import duty (0–30%+ by HS code) plus 10% VAT. Crucially, since 18 February 2025 every express parcel pays VAT (Decision 01/2025); only parcels worth VND 1,000,000 (~US$40) or less stay exempt from import duty — and a 2026 draft decree would cut that to about VND 100,000. Cross-border landed costs run 30–50% above local stock. Price this in before you set a shelf price.

Estimate your landed cost →

4 Model platform fees & net payout

Shopee's category commission now runs from about 1.5% to 17% (beauty about 17%, food about 10%), plus a 6% transaction fee — a combined platform take of roughly 7.5–23% before ad and voucher spend and free-shipping programs. See the Shopee fee reference for every category. On top, since 1 July 2025 platforms with a payment function withhold tax per order (for goods, 1% VAT plus 0.5% personal income tax for resident sellers, or 1% for non-residents). Model your net payout per order, not the sticker price.

Reference: platform fee comparison · cross-border guide

5 Set up payments & logistics

Vietnam is going cashless fast — QR and e-wallets (MoMo, ZaloPay, VNPay) are displacing cash-on-delivery, and the marketplaces settle cross-border payouts to eligible accounts. For delivery, platform logistics (SPX, LEX) and independents (GHN, GHTK, J&T) cover nationwide, with 1–2 day metro delivery.

Go deeper: Payments overview · accept payments · logistics & last-mile

6 Launch & comply — then scale

The E-Commerce Law 2025 took effect on 1 July 2026 (with Decree 248/2026). Foreign platforms in scope must register with the Ministry of Industry and Trade within 60 days of reaching 100,000 transactions a year (or meeting the other triggers), keep a Vietnam-resident representative or local legal entity, and some must hold a VND 20 billion escrow; platforms must verify sellers' identity electronically. Details are in our regulation tracker. Cross-border is best for validating demand cheaply; once volume justifies it, graduate to local stocking or a registered entity for faster delivery and better economics.

Comply & scale: regulatory environment · market entry guide · register a company

The journey, stage by stage

The six steps above are decisions. In time order, most brands move through the same stages, and the stage you are in decides which guide to read next.

From first look to a local operation

  1. Decide whether the category is worth it

    Stage 0

    Read the category verdict, run your own numbers in the entry decision engine, and check the shelf-price multiple against what comparable local products sell for.

    Gate: No verdict or margin, no spend.

  2. Get compliant before you list

    Stage 1

    Regulated categories need registration first: cosmetics (DAV notification), supplements and special foods (VFA), ordinary food (self-declaration), apparel (conformity declaration). Platforms ask for the proof at seller verification.

    Gate: The longest lead time is usually registration, so start it first.

  3. Test demand cross-border, marketplace-first

    Stage 2

    List on Shopee, which accepts cross-border sellers in many markets. Lazada LazGlobal is open only to sellers from Japan, South Korea and mainland China; TikTok Shop generally needs a Vietnamese entity or partner.

    Gate: Price in the parcel VAT and duty from the start.

  4. Move stock local

    Stage 3

    Once volume is steady — commonly around US$50,000–100,000 a month — local 3PL stocking gives 2–3 day delivery, lower per-order shipping and easier returns.

    Gate: Break-even depends on your product; model it before you commit.

  5. Build a local entity and offline channels

    Stage 4

    A registered entity, importer-of-record and distributor relationships open modern trade, pharmacy chains and HORECA, which carry far more volume than online for some categories.

    Gate: Field sales and merchandising decide whether a listing survives.

Stage thresholds and eligibility are from our cross-border and category guides; confirm each platform's current rules before you plan around them.

By stage: Stage 0 · entry decision · Stage 1 · cosmetics / supplements / food · Stage 2 · cross-border · Stage 4 · register a company · distribution

What changed in 2025–26 (and what is still moving)

Rules that decide your costs and your timeline, in date order. Items marked draft or reported are not settled.

Regulation timeline for cross-border sellers

  1. VAT on every express parcel

    18 Feb 2025

    Decision 01/2025/QĐ-TTg ended the VAT exemption for low-value parcels. Parcels up to VND 1,000,000 stay duty-free; VAT now applies to all.

  2. Platforms withhold tax per order

    1 Jul 2025

    For household and individual sellers (1% VAT + 0.5% PIT on goods for residents). Companies are not withheld. The rules now sit in Decree 252/2026, which replaced Decree 117/2025.

  3. Personal data law in force

    1 Jan 2026

    Law 91/2025 and Decree 356/2025 govern how you collect and transfer Vietnamese customer data.

  4. Food-safety decree issued, then suspended

    26 Jan – 6 Apr 2026

    Decree 46/2026 was paused by Resolution 09/2026/NQ-CP after cargo backed up at checkpoints, then suspended in full by Resolution 15/2026/NQ-CP until the amended Law on Food Safety takes effect. Decree 15/2018 still applies.

  5. Cosmetics ad pre-approval reportedly removed

    15 Feb 2026

    Reported: Circular 03/2026/TT-BYT replaced pre-approval with post-market surveillance, so over-claiming becomes an enforcement risk. See the entry in our regulation tracker.

  6. E-Commerce Law and its decree

    1 Jul 2026

    Law 122/2025 and Decree 248/2026: in-scope foreign platforms register with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and appoint a resident representative or local entity; platforms verify the identity of sellers electronically. See the regulation tracker.

  7. Parcel duty threshold (draft)

    Draft, Sep 2026

    The Ministry of Finance proposed cutting the duty exemption to VND 100,000 of customs value. Not in force; see the cross-border guide for what it would change.

  8. Temporary VAT cut ends

    31 Dec 2026

    The 8% rate that replaced 10% on many goods runs to 31 December 2026; some categories stay at 10%.

Dates and instrument numbers are tracked with sources on the regulation tracker. Draft and reported items are not final.

Readiness checklist for any category

Before you spend

  • Category verdict read; own margin modelled on the engine
  • Shelf price clears the multiple of FOB for your duty and channel
  • Comparable local products priced

Before you list

  • Registration or declaration filed for every regulated SKU
  • Vietnamese label and importer details consistent across documents
  • Seller verification ready (business documents, VNeID where required)
  • Tax treatment decided: individual (withheld) or company

Before you scale

  • Net payout per order tracked, not sticker price
  • Data-protection basics covered for Vietnamese customers
  • Graduation trigger agreed (volume at which you move stock local)
  • Regulation tracker checked monthly

Sources

  • Metric — Vietnam e-commerce report, full-year 2025 (GMV and platform shares)
  • Decision 01/2025/QD-TTg (VAT on low-value parcels); Decree 252/2026/ND-CP (per-order withholding; replaced Decree 117/2025); E-Commerce Law 2025 (No. 122/2025/QH15)
  • Vietnam Customs; State Bank of Vietnam (cashless data); company disclosures
  • Category verdicts, representative duties and commissions: our entry-decision data (the same source as the interactive engine); shelf-price multiples are our own model with the assumptions stated above
  • Shopee commission range: our Shopee fee reference (Shopee Uni schedules, effective 23 May 2026)
  • Parcel-duty draft: Ministry of Finance proposal reported by Vietnam News, Tuổi Trẻ and VIR (Sep 2026); Decree 46/2026 suspension: Resolution 09/2026/NQ-CP and Resolution 15/2026/NQ-CP via Luật Việt Nam, and Vietnam Briefing; E-Commerce Law and Decree 248/2026: Duane Morris, KPMG and Vietnam Law Magazine summaries

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