The Complete Guide to Using AI in the Retail Industry in Viet Nam in 2025

Why AI matters for Vietnam's retail industry in 2025 is simple: it turns scale into advantage. With the retail market roughly US$252.9 billion this year and e‑commerce surging past US$25 billion, AI is the tool that stitches omnichannel stores, fast logistics and personalised offers into one seamless customer journey - reducing stockouts, speeding delivery and making small chains act at enterprise scale (Vietnam retail market: MarketReportAnalytics Vietnam retail market 2025 report; e‑commerce trends: Vietnam Briefing analysis of e‑commerce and omnichannel trends).

National AI momentum (strong policy, funding and talent drives) means local shops can adopt proven tools fast - think CCTV becoming a visual‑merchandising engine - while teams upskill affordably; Nucamp AI Essentials for Work 15‑week bootcamp registration.

Metric	Value	Source
Vietnam retail market (2025)	US$252.9 billion	MarketReportAnalytics Vietnam retail market 2025 report
E‑commerce value (2024)	~US$25+ billion	Vietnam Briefing analysis of e‑commerce and omnichannel trends (2025)
Vietnam AI market (2024)	US$753.4 million	Invest Vietnam: State of AI in Vietnam 2024 analysis

Vietnam's 2025 AI and retail landscape is defined by a rare combination: unusually high public trust and acceptance of AI alongside still‑low everyday usage, a mix that creates both urgency and opportunity for retailers.

The country climbed to 6th place in the WIN World AI Index 2025 with an overall score of 59.2, ranking third globally on AI trust (65.6) and fifth on AI acceptance (71.6), yet actual AI usage lags (37.6 points) with only about 3% using AI daily - an important reality check for retail leaders who must convert goodwill into routine behaviour (see the World AI Index 2025 coverage).

Regional benchmarking shows strong private sector momentum too: the ASEAN Enterprise AI Readiness Index highlights companies such as Viettel in the region's top AI adopters, signalling local partners and telcos that retailers can tap for Vietnamese‑language NLP, computer vision and logistics solutions.

At the same time, global readiness research warns that many organisations struggle to scale and govern AI safely, so Vietnamese retailers should prioritise pragmatic steps - pilot projects with clear ROI, partnerships with proven local vendors and basic governance - before attempting enterprise‑wide rollouts.

The net: Vietnamese shoppers are open and curious, urban youth lead adoption, and retailers that bridge the access and education gap quickly (think simple in‑store AI touchpoints that customers actually use) will turn positive sentiment into measurable sales and faster delivery times.

Metric	Value	Source
WIN World AI Index 2025 - Vietnam score	59.2 / 100 (Rank: 6/40)	WIN World AI Index 2025 Vietnam coverage - VietnamPlus
AI trust	65.6 (Rank: 3rd globally)	WIN World AI Index 2025 Vietnam coverage - VietnamPlus
AI acceptance	71.6 (Rank: 5th globally)	Vietnam AI landscape report - Vietnam News (VNS)
AI usage	37.6 (Rank: 17/40); ~60% tried AI; 3% daily users	Vietnam AI landscape report - Vietnam News (VNS)
ASEAN enterprise benchmarking	Viettel listed among ASEAN's top AI‑ready enterprises	ASEAN Enterprise AI Readiness Index - GenAI Fund
Operational readiness caution	Many organisations scaling AI still face governance/security gaps	F5 2025 State of AI Application Strategy report

MoIT's 2025–2027 domestic market programme is turning policy into practical tools for retailers: expect AI, Big Data and IoT to underpin a new “Hang Viet” experience that helps shoppers verify certified Vietnamese products, post ratings and snag promotions via a single mobile app, while the ministry builds a legal and digital ecosystem to support smart markets and digitalised logistics (see the MoIT 2025–2027 AI programme for the Vietnamese goods ecosystem - VietnamPlus: MoIT 2025–2027 AI programme for Vietnamese goods ecosystem (VietnamPlus)).

From 2026–2027 the plan prioritises modern B2B trading platforms for staples such as rice, coffee, pepper and tropical fruits to link farmers, exporters and international buyers and encourage B2B auction models that could feed e‑commerce and wholesale channels (see HanoiTimes report on modern B2B trading platforms for agricultural products: HanoiTimes - modern B2B trading platforms for agricultural products); complementary targets in the national e‑commerce master plan aim to expand online reach and digital payments for retailers across Vietnam (read the national e‑commerce master plan approval: Vietnam national e‑commerce master plan approval (VietnamNews)).

The package includes incentives (preferential loans, tax breaks for high‑localisation manufacturers), nationwide promotions reaching 50,000 businesses and 15 million consumers, and practical traceability tools such as QR codes so a shopper can scan tropical fruit and instantly confirm origin, certification and active discounts - concrete steps that can turn government support into faster stocking, smarter promos and fewer fake goods on shelves.

Item	Detail	Source
Hang Viet app	2025–2027 app to verify certified products, collect reviews, notify promotions	VietnamPlus - MoIT Hang Viet app and AI programme
Modern B2B platforms	2026–2027 platforms for rice, coffee, pepper, tea, fruits, seafood; B2B auctions	HanoiTimes - modern B2B trading platforms for agricultural products
Reach & targets	Nationwide campaigns targeting 50,000 businesses and 15 million consumers; retail growth 10.5–12%	HanoiTimes & VietnamPlus - nationwide retail reach and targets

"The target of 12 per cent growth in import-export turnover in 2025 is achievable, as in the first seven months Vietnam's total export–import ..."

Top AI use cases for retail in Việt Nam cluster around four practical areas that already show ROI: hyper‑personalisation and recommendation engines that lift conversion and loyalty on platforms like Tiki and Shopee, driven by machine‑learning profiles and real‑time signals (see applications in retail from BytePlus); smart inventory and demand‑forecasting systems that cut stockouts and waste by predicting seasonal spikes (VTI documents how ML can reduce forecasting errors and automate replenishment); in‑store computer‑vision and cashierless experiences - shelf‑scanning, heatmaps and loss‑prevention that turn CCTV into a visual‑merchandising engine - and virtual fitting rooms/AR that shrink returns and speed purchase decisions; and back‑office analytics for dynamic pricing, fraud detection and logistics optimisation that shave costs across warehouses and last‑mile fleets (multiple Vietnamese retailers report fast gains in these front‑end and back‑end areas).

A vivid example: an urban shopper can see an AI‑curated bundle and a virtual try‑on on their phone within seconds, while the system triggers a micro‑replenishment order to the nearest micro‑warehouse - an end‑to‑end loop that blends personalization, CV and supply‑chain AI. For market context and impact metrics, see the Vietnam AI in retail market analysis and Shopee's ML retention results from Astute Analytica.

AI is already reshaping Vietnam's supply chain by turning traditional logistics chores - routing, customs, warehousing and tracking - into coordinated, data‑driven steps that cut costs and speed deliveries: AI route optimization and smart warehousing can shrink transport expenses and idle miles while dynamically rerouting drivers around congestion, and automated systems can shave as much as 56% off shipment processing time, freeing staff for higher‑value tasks (see Wareflex on AI application trends in logistics).

Local case studies show real impact: firms have trimmed last‑mile costs and improved reliability, and high‑tech adopters such as Intel reported a 20% drop in delays and a 15% fall in shipping costs in Vietnam when tracking and AI were applied; that kind of improvement matters when ports at Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong and trade agreements like EVFTA make timing a competitive advantage.

The public sector and major operators are digitizing ports, customs and warehouses (ePort and EWMS initiatives), which makes real‑time traceability and end‑to‑end visibility practical for retailers and exporters - helpful for cold‑chain routing, urgent B2B orders, and verifying product provenance.

For Vietnamese retailers and SMEs the pragmatic path is clear: start with targeted AI in routing and tracking, integrate with local WMS/TMS partners, and use predictive inventory to cut stockouts and unnecessary freight - small pilots often unlock the cost savings and reliability that scale across the business (detailed optimization tips for Vietnam vendors available from StradeVN logistics optimization guide).

Cost Type	Before Optimization (USD)	After Optimization (USD)	Reduction Method / Source
Sea freight (20ft)	2,000–4,000	1,500–3,000	StradeVN logistics optimization guide - direct routes and case studies
Warehousing	500–1,000	300–600	StradeVN logistics optimization guide - just-in-time warehousing models
Customs / Handling	300–600	200–400	StradeVN logistics optimization guide - documentation and customs best practices

Retailers in Việt Nam can finally build AI features that actually scale because the pipes and power are falling into place: the local cloud market is expected to swell to about US$475–500 million by 2025, making on‑demand compute and AI services far more affordable for chains and SMEs (EY report: Vietnam cloud market outlook 2025); the government's new action plan pushes for domestic cloud platforms (including at least three “Make in Vietnam” clouds to support AI) and heavy data‑centre expansion to meet national sovereignty and performance goals (Vietnam News: national cloud programme and cloud computing adoption by 2030).

That infrastructure is already complemented by a rapid 5G rollout and growing data‑centre capacity (dozens of facilities and tens of megawatts of IT power), so edge AI, real‑time inventory decisions and visual‑merchandising from store CCTV become practical rather than theoretical; imagine low‑latency recommendations triggered by a local edge node rather than a distant server.

This combo - affordable cloud, improving 5G coverage and expanding hyperscale/colocation capacity - turns AI pilots into repeatable, low‑cost retail services that merchants can deploy store by store (Invest Vietnam blog: State of AI in Vietnam 2025 - infrastructure and data centres).

Metric	Value	Source
Cloud market (2025 forecast)	US$475–500 million	EY report: Vietnam cloud market outlook 2025
5G deployment (2025)	~11,000 base stations; ~26% coverage (planned to double)	Invest Vietnam blog: State of AI in Vietnam 2025 - infrastructure and data centres
Data centre landscape (2025)	29 facilities; ~51 MW operational capacity (+under construction/planned)	Invest Vietnam blog: State of AI in Vietnam 2025 - infrastructure and data centres

Funding, incentives and partnerships are now a practical playbook for Vietnamese retailers that want to turn pilots into production: the new Law on Digital Technology Industry and early incentives (some provisions effective from July 2025, full effect 1 Jan 2026) offer steep tax breaks - full corporate income tax (CIT) exemption for the first two years and a 50% cut for the next four, with special regimes for AI, semiconductors and HPC (preferential 10% CIT for 15 years and longer packages for very large projects) - making capital‑intensive AI deployments far more affordable for chains and platform partners (Baker McKenzie summary of the DTI Law).

At the same time, the government's Investment Support Fund under Decree 182 provides direct cash support - initial investment grants and up to 50% co‑funding for eligible R&D or high‑tech projects - plus cost support for training and HR, which is designed to shrink the up‑front barrier for SMEs and regional pilots (details at Vietnam Briefing on Decree 182 and the Investment Support Fund).

These fiscal tools pair with soft incentives - fast business registration, land‑rent waivers and temporary residence cards to attract foreign AI experts - so public funding, tax breaks and strategic tech partnerships (NVIDIA, Google, Qualcomm collaborations reported in national AI briefs) create a low‑friction path for retailers to buy cloud credit, hire model builders and pilot store‑level computer vision with manageable risk (announced incentive package summarized by Vietnam News coverage of the announced incentive package).

Incentive	Key detail	Source
DTI Law tax breaks	Full CIT exemption 2 years; 50% reduction next 4 years; 10% CIT for 15 years for AI/semiconductor/HPC	Baker McKenzie summary of the DTI Law
Large‑project incentives	Extensive multi‑decade CIT and land rent waivers for projects ≥VND6tr (AI/semiconductor/HPC)	Vietnam News coverage of incentives
Investment Support Fund (ISF)	Grants/subsidies including up to 50% of initial investment and support for R&D, training, fixed assets	Vietnam Briefing on Decree 182 / ISF

Practical implementation for Việt Nam retailers and SMEs should start small, move fast and tie every pilot to revenue: begin with sharp consumer‑insight projects (NIQ's OPUS shows nearly 98% of Vietnamese visited on‑premise venues in early 2025 and 25–34s lead trade‑up behaviour), then test one mobile‑first omnichannel flow - live commerce, click‑&‑collect and a loyalty nudge - on the platform where your customers already shop; use focused demand‑forecasting pilots to cut stockouts and a single last‑mile routing test to shave delivery time, because e‑commerce in Vietnam is dominated by mobile habit and speedy fulfilment (see TGM's Vietnam E‑commerce Insights 2025 for platform and checkout behavior).

Reduce risk by partnering with proven local AI and cloud vendors to deploy store‑level computer vision, recommendation engines or simple chatbots instead of building models from scratch (partnering locally lowers cost and speeds deployment).

Parallel to tech pilots, invest in a two‑month upskilling drive and flexible hiring (Adecco reports growing demand for AI, cloud and digital roles) so pilots can scale into repeatable store‑by‑store services; measure weekly KPIs (conversion lift, stockouts, delivery SLA) and use rapid iteration to expand winners into Tier‑2/3 cities.

This sequence - insights → focused pilot → local partner → talent uplift → scale - turns national momentum and booming e‑commerce into measurable growth for small chains and SMEs.

Step	Action	Source
1. Insight & targeting	Run OPUS‑style studies to find occasions and priority segments	NIQ OPUS - Vietnam on‑premise insights
2. Pilot omnichannel flow	Test mobile checkout, livestream promos, click‑&-collect on one platform	TGM Vietnam E‑commerce Insights 2025
3. Tech partnership	Deploy local AI/cloud vendors for CV, recommendations, routing	Nucamp AI Essentials for Work bootcamp syllabus
4. Talent & hiring	Short upskilling sprints and targeted hires for AI, ML, cloud roles	Adecco Vietnam Q2 2025 market update

“Cutting unnecessary costs and business conditions will greatly support enterprises, creating favorable conditions for production and customer service,” he shared.

Building Vietnam's retail AI muscle is as much about people and rules as it is about models: the market outlook (Astute Analytica) underlines rapid growth and clear opportunity, yet the country still had only ~22,000 AI specialists in 2023 against a government target of 50,000 by 2025, while SMEs - about 97% of the retail landscape - face hiring bottlenecks and project delays of 6–12 months when talent is scarce; practical fixes include employer‑sponsored bootcamps, university partnerships (already showing gains in retailer pilots) and short, role‑focused training for store managers and supply‑chain staff so AI projects ship on time.

Competitive salaries (AI engineers around US$40k/yr) and a heated hiring market mean retailers should combine retention incentives with on‑the‑job apprenticeships and local vendor partnerships to speed deployments and keep costs down, especially given near‑universal smartphone reach that makes mobile‑first reskilling effective.

Governance and basic standards must be baked into hiring and procurement - simple data‑use policies, privacy checks and vendor SLAs prevent costly rework - and regulators' training funds and national programs can be tapped to subsidise skilled hires.

The upshot: a coordinated talent pipeline (short courses + internships + strategic hires) plus clear, light governance turns an urgent skills gap into a repeatable capability that scales store‑by‑store rather than stalling at pilot stage; see the Astute Analytica Vietnam AI in Retail Market forecast and VietsourcingHR's 2025 talent analysis for practical signals and pay benchmarks.

Metric	Value	Source
AI specialists (2023)	~22,000	Astute Analytica Vietnam AI in Retail Market report
Government talent target	50,000 AI professionals by 2025	Astute Analytica Vietnam AI national targets report
SME share of retail	~97%	Astute Analytica Vietnam retail market overview
Average AI engineer salary	~US$40,000 / year	Astute Analytica Vietnam AI workforce figures
Vietnam AI market (2024)	US$753.4 million	Nexdigm Vietnam Artificial Intelligence Market Research Report 2024

“It's no longer about setting the competitive price lower than your competitor. It is also about catching up with the market trend earlier so they can translate them into the product faster than ever to capture the sales momentum,”

For beginner retailers in Việt Nam the smart path is pragmatic: pick one clear, revenue‑linked pilot (think a mobile-first recommendation or a last‑mile routing test) and run it fast, measure weekly, then scale winners store‑by‑store - this focused approach mirrors global AI readiness advice and avoids the common

build everything trap

Pair pilots with proven local partners and cloud providers so you buy outcomes not months of model‑building, and lean on national momentum - Vietnam ranks high on AI trust and readiness and has substantial public funding (the NDDF is capitalised at about USD 38.4 billion) to support scale.

Address the people side up front: run short, role‑specific upskilling (store managers, logistics leads) and consider an applied program like the Nucamp AI Essentials for Work 15-week bootcamp to teach prompt skills and workplace AI use cases.

Finally, convert curiosity into habit - only a small share of people use AI daily today - by embedding tiny, useful AI touchpoints at checkout, in loyalty nudges and delivery updates so trust becomes routine purchasing behaviour; for the national landscape and practical strategy, see Invest Vietnam's State of AI in Vietnam 2025.

Next step	Quick action	Source
Start small with one pilot	Choose a conversion or delivery KPI and run a 6–8 week test	Zendesk AI readiness checklist for CX teams
Partner & buy outcomes	Use local AI/cloud vendors to deploy CV, recommendations or routing	Partnering with local AI vendors in Vietnam
Upskill teams	Run a short applied bootcamp for staff and managers	Nucamp AI Essentials for Work 15-week bootcamp