Seven platforms claim to be the best choice for Vietnamese sellers โ but which one actually fits your business?
This is the question that keeps new sellers stuck in research mode for weeks. Shopee or Lazada? Is TikTok Shop worth it? Should you build your own store with Haravan, Sapo, or Shopify? This comparison covers every major ecommerce platform available in Vietnam, with real costs in VND and specific recommendations based on your situation.
How We Evaluated
Based on thorough research, we evaluated each platform against six criteria that matter most for Vietnamese online sellers:
- Total cost โ monthly fees, commissions, hidden charges, all in VND
- Ease of use โ time from signup to first product listed
- Built-in traffic โ does the platform bring customers to you, or do you have to bring your own?
- Vietnamese payment integration โ MoMo, ZaloPay, VNPay, COD support
- Vietnamese shipping integration โ GHN, GHTK, Viettel Post connectivity
- Scalability โ can the platform grow with you from 1 order/day to 100 orders/day?
Quick Comparison
| Platform | Best For | Monthly Cost | Commission | Built-in Traffic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopee VN | Beginners, all categories | Free | 2-6% | Yes (very large) |
| Lazada VN | Quality products, brands | Free | 2-5% | Yes (large) |
| TikTok Shop | Trending items, younger buyers | Free | 1-4% | Yes (fast-growing) |
| Tiki | Authentic products, books | Free | 3-10% | Yes (moderate) |
| Haravan | Own website, omnichannel | 200,000+ VND | 0% | No |
| Sapo | Website + physical store | 160,000+ VND | 0% | No |
| Shopify | International sales | 570,000+ VND | 0% | No |
Shopee VN: The Easiest Starting Point
Shopee is Vietnam’s largest ecommerce marketplace with over 40 million monthly active users. If you can only pick one platform to start with, this is it.
Strengths:
- Completely free to register and maintain a seller account
- Massive built-in customer base โ you do not need to spend on advertising to get your first orders
- Shopee Express handles nationwide shipping with subsidized delivery costs
- Built-in marketing tools: Flash Sales, vouchers, Shopee Live streaming
- Excellent mobile seller app for managing your store from your phone
Weaknesses:
- Extremely high competition โ thousands of sellers offering identical products
- Commission of 2-6% by category, plus approximately 2% payment processing fee
- Difficult to build brand identity โ customers remember Shopee, not your store name
- Return policies favor buyers heavily
Total fees per order: approximately 4-8% of selling price.
Best for: Complete beginners, sellers who want orders quickly, all product categories.
Lazada VN: The Quality-Focused Marketplace
Lazada is Vietnam’s second-largest marketplace, backed by Alibaba Group. It tends to attract customers with higher spending power compared to Shopee.
Strengths:
- Lazada Express and Lazada fulfillment (FBL) enable fast, reliable delivery
- Customers tend to spend more per order than on Shopee
- LazMall for authentic brand products builds trust
- Lazada University provides seller education
Weaknesses:
- Lower traffic than Shopee
- Seller Center interface is more complex to navigate
- Stricter documentation requirements for registration
Total fees per order: approximately 4-7% of selling price.
Best for: Brand products, authentic goods, higher-value items.
TikTok Shop: The Fastest-Growing Contender
TikTok Shop is the most disruptive new player in Vietnamese ecommerce. It combines entertainment and shopping, allowing sellers to reach customers through short videos and livestreams.
Strengths:
- Enormous TikTok user base in Vietnam (over 50 million users)
- Lowest commissions in the market (1-4%)
- Viral potential โ one good video can drive thousands of orders
- Excellent for trending products, cosmetics, fashion, and household items
Weaknesses:
- Requires continuous video content creation โ time-intensive
- Customers buy emotionally, leading to higher return rates
- Platform policies change frequently
- Difficult to sell expensive or complex products
Total fees per order: approximately 2.5-5.5% of selling price.
Best for: Sellers who enjoy creating video content, trending products, items under 300,000 VND.
Tiki: The Trust-Focused Marketplace
Tiki is a Vietnamese-founded marketplace known for product quality and its TikiNOW 2-hour delivery service.
Strengths:
- High trust reputation among Vietnamese consumers
- TikiNOW ultra-fast delivery (2 hours in HCMC and Hanoi)
- Lower return rates compared to other marketplaces
- Strong in books, electronics, and authentic goods
Weaknesses:
- Significantly lower traffic than Shopee and Lazada
- Higher commissions (3-10% depending on category)
- Requires warehouse stocking for TikiNOW eligibility
- Narrower product focus
Best for: Authentic brand products, books, electronics, sellers prioritizing quality over volume.
Haravan: Vietnam’s Own Website Builder
When you are selling consistently on marketplaces and want to build your own brand, Haravan is the leading choice in Vietnam.
Strengths:
- Vietnam’s most popular ecommerce platform with over 100,000 stores
- Built-in integration with Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop โ manage everything from one dashboard
- Native Vietnamese payment support: MoMo, ZaloPay, VNPay, COD
- Native shipping integration: GHN, GHTK, Viettel Post
- Full Vietnamese language support and local customer service
Weaknesses:
- No built-in customer traffic โ you must drive your own visitors
- Admin interface can be slow under heavy load
- Limited template variety, many stores look similar
Pricing:
- Start: 200,000 VND/month
- Standard: 600,000 VND/month (includes omnichannel)
- Pro: 1,500,000 VND/month
- No transaction fees from the platform
Best for: Sellers doing 20+ orders/day on marketplaces who want to build a brand, omnichannel management.
Sapo: Best for Online Plus Offline
Sapo is Haravan’s main competitor but differentiates with stronger POS (point-of-sale) features for physical retail.
Strengths:
- Best POS system in the Vietnamese market โ manage online and offline from one platform
- Slightly cheaper than Haravan at entry level
- Strong inventory and warehouse management
- Vietnamese language support with local customer service team
Weaknesses:
- Marketplace integration not as robust as Haravan
- Fewer website templates
- Weaker online marketing tools
Pricing:
- Basic: 160,000 VND/month
- Professional: 380,000 VND/month
- Advanced: 750,000 VND/month
Best for: Sellers with physical stores who want to add online sales, multi-location inventory management.
Shopify: The Global Platform
Shopify is the world’s largest ecommerce platform. In Vietnam, it is best suited for sellers targeting international customers.
Strengths:
- Massive app ecosystem (8,000+ apps)
- Beautiful, highly customizable themes
- Shopify Payments supports multiple currencies
- Strong SEO and marketing capabilities
Weaknesses:
- Most expensive option โ from 570,000 VND/month (US$24)
- Limited Vietnamese payment integration (requires third-party apps)
- No direct integration with Shopee or Lazada
- Limited Vietnamese language support
Pricing:
- Basic: 570,000 VND/month (US$24)
- Shopify: 1,700,000 VND/month (US$69)
- Advanced: 8,300,000 VND/month (US$349)
- Additional 2% transaction fee (Shopify Payments not available in Vietnam)
For a detailed analysis, read our Shopify review for Vietnamese sellers.
Best for: International sales, global dropshipping, premium brand websites.
Our Verdict
Stop overthinking this. Here is what to choose based on your situation:
If you are a complete beginner: Open a Shopee store. Free, easy, and customers are already there. Learn how to sell before worrying about platforms.
If you are great at making videos: Add TikTok Shop. Lowest fees and the biggest growth potential right now.
If you are already doing 20+ orders/day on marketplaces: Open your own website with Haravan to build your brand and reduce platform dependency.
If you have a physical store: Use Sapo to manage both online and offline sales from one system.
If you sell internationally: Use Shopify โ the best platform for cross-border ecommerce.
Do not wait for the “perfect” platform. Pick one, start selling, and adjust later. Most successful Vietnamese sellers eventually sell on 2-3 platforms simultaneously โ you will get there too, but starting with one is enough.
