You have been thinking about selling online in Vietnam for weeks โ and you are still just thinking.
That is completely normal. Starting an online business feels overwhelming when you do not know where to begin. Business registration, platform choices, payment gateways, shipping โ there is a lot to figure out. But here is the reality: thousands of Vietnamese entrepreneurs start online businesses every month, and most of them started with less knowledge than you have right now.
This guide walks you through every step of starting an online business in Vietnam in 2026 โ from the legal basics to making your first sale. No shortcuts, no hype, just the actual process with real costs in VND.
What You Will Need to Get Started
Before diving into the steps, here is what you should have ready:
- Vietnamese ID (CMND/CCCD) โ required for business registration and marketplace account verification
- A bank account โ any Vietnamese bank works (Vietcombank, Techcombank, and MB Bank are the most commonly used)
- A smartphone or laptop โ you can run a Shopee store entirely from your phone, but a laptop makes product listing much faster
- Starting capital of 1-10 million VND โ the range depends on your business model (more on this below)
- A product idea โ even a rough one. Step 2 will help you validate it
You do not need a business degree, coding skills, or a warehouse. You need the items above and about a weekend of focused work.
What Is an Online Business?
An online business is any business that earns money through the internet โ whether you are selling physical products on Shopee, offering services through your own website, or dropshipping products without holding inventory.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam’s ecommerce market reached approximately US$20.5 billion in 2023, growing 25% year-over-year. With over 77 million internet users and smartphone penetration above 70%, Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing ecommerce markets in Southeast Asia.
The good news? You do not need to build the next Shopee. Most successful Vietnamese online businesses start small โ selling one category of products to a specific audience, then growing from there.
Why Now Is a Great Time to Start
Picture this: a friend of yours started selling Korean skincare on Shopee six months ago. She began with a few orders per day, and now she processes 50-80 orders daily with a part-time helper for packaging. She had no business experience, no large capital โ just 5 million VND and a smartphone.
Vietnam’s ecommerce market is in a growth phase that favors new sellers. Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop are all competing to attract new merchants with subsidized shipping, advertising credits, and seller support programs. This means the cost of entry has never been lower.
But this window will not stay open forever. As the market matures, competition intensifies and advertising costs rise. Starting early gives you an advantage that money cannot buy: experience.
How to Start an Online Business in Vietnam: Step by Step
Step 1: Choose Your Business Model
Before picking products or platforms, decide on your business model. Each has different capital requirements and risk profiles:
Inventory-based selling (most common):
- You buy products from suppliers, store them, package and ship to customers
- Starting capital: 5-20 million VND
- Profit margin: 30-60% depending on category
- Best for: people who want full control over product quality
Dropshipping:
- You take orders, forward them to suppliers who ship directly to customers
- Starting capital: 1-3 million VND
- Profit margin: 15-30%
- Best for: testing products with minimal risk
Consignment selling:
- You receive products from suppliers, pay only after selling
- Starting capital: 2-5 million VND
- Best for: beginners wanting to test multiple product categories
For beginners, inventory-based or consignment selling tends to work best. Dropshipping sounds appealing because of the low capital requirement, but quality control and shipping time issues can damage your marketplace ratings โ and ratings are everything on platforms like Shopee.
Step 2: Select Your Products
This is the step that stops most aspiring sellers. The secret: do not look for the perfect product. Look for a “good enough” product to start with.
Product selection criteria for beginners:
- Price range 100,000-500,000 VND โ high enough to profit, low enough for impulse buys
- Small and lightweight โ keeps shipping costs low and reduces damage risk
- Not perishable โ avoid fresh food when starting out
- Steady demand โ check using Google Trends Vietnam or Shopee’s search analytics
- You understand the product โ makes customer service much easier
How to research:
- Browse top-selling items on Shopee VN and Lazada VN in your categories of interest
- Check Google Trends Vietnam for search volume trends
- Join Facebook groups focused on Vietnamese ecommerce sellers to see what is trending
- Visit wholesale markets (Binh Tay in HCMC, Dong Xuan in Hanoi) to see products and wholesale prices firsthand
Do not spend more than two weeks choosing products. You can always pivot later โ what matters most is starting.
Step 3: Register Your Business
Many new sellers skip this step because they think it is complicated. It is actually straightforward.
Household business registration (ho kinh doanh):
- Visit the People’s Committee office at your district level
- Submit the registration form (templates available at the one-stop service counter)
- Required documents: CMND/CCCD, address confirmation, registration application
- Cost: 100,000-300,000 VND
- Processing time: 3-5 business days
Ecommerce notification with the Ministry of Industry and Trade:
- Go to online.gov.vn
- Create an account and declare your website or selling page
- Free of charge, takes about 30 minutes
If you are only selling on marketplaces (Shopee, Lazada), the platform handles regulatory declarations for you. But registering your business is still advisable for legal compliance and the ability to issue invoices to business customers.
Step 4: Choose Your Selling Platform
This is the biggest decision for new sellers. There are two main paths:
Marketplaces:
- Shopee VN โ largest marketplace in Vietnam, easiest to start, huge customer base. Commission: 2-6% by category
- Lazada VN โ second largest, strong logistics via Lazada Express. Commission: 2-5%
- TikTok Shop โ fastest-growing, great for trending products. Commission: 1-4%
- Tiki โ high trust reputation, quality-conscious customers, stricter seller requirements
Your own website:
- Haravan โ most popular ecommerce platform in Vietnam, from 200,000 VND/month. Built-in Shopee and Lazada integration
- Sapo โ Haravan’s main competitor, from 160,000 VND/month. Stronger POS features
- Shopify โ global platform, from 570,000 VND/month (US$24). More features but fewer Vietnam-specific integrations
Our recommendation for beginners: start on Shopee. No monthly fees, built-in customer traffic, and a gentle learning curve. Once you are consistently doing 20-30 orders per day, consider opening your own website to build your brand.
Step 5: Set Up Payments
Vietnamese customers pay through multiple channels. You need to be ready for all of them.
On marketplaces:
- The platform handles payments โ customers pay via ShopeePay, MoMo, ZaloPay, bank cards, or COD
- You just link your bank account to receive payouts (typically T+2 to T+7 after delivery)
On your own website:
- COD (cash on delivery) โ still 40-50% of orders in Vietnam. Integrated through shipping partners
- Bank transfer โ free but requires manual confirmation
- E-wallets (MoMo, ZaloPay, VNPay) โ 1-2% fee, but improves conversion rates
- Payment gateways (VNPay, PayOS, OnePay) โ enable card payments, 1.5-2.5% fee
Important note: COD remains extremely popular in Vietnam. If you do not offer COD on your own website, you will lose roughly half your potential customers.
Step 6: Set Up Shipping
Shipping can make or break an online store in Vietnam. Customers expect delivery within 2-5 days at low or no cost.
Popular shipping providers:
- GHN (Giao Hang Nhanh) โ most popular, strong marketplace integration, from 16,500 VND
- GHTK (Giao Hang Tiet Kiem) โ cheapest option, best for low-value orders, from 15,000 VND
- Viettel Post โ widest network (reaches commune level), from 17,000 VND
- J&T Express โ reliable service, competitive pricing
On marketplaces:
- Platforms have their own logistics (Shopee Express, Lazada Express)
- You just pack orders and hand them to the pickup driver
- Shipping costs are often partially subsidized by the platform
On your own website:
- Register directly with GHN or GHTK for accounts
- Integrate their API into your website (Haravan and Sapo have built-in integrations)
- Consider offering free shipping for orders above 300,000 VND to increase average order value
Step 7: List Your First Products
This is where things get real. Your first product listings do not need to be perfect โ but they need to be good enough.
Product listing checklist:
- Product photos โ minimum 5 photos, white background, multiple angles. Use natural lighting or simple LED lights. At least 800x800 pixels
- Product title โ include keywords customers search for. Example: “SPF50 Moisturizing Sunscreen Non-Greasy 50ml” instead of just “Sunscreen”
- Detailed description โ ingredients, dimensions, usage instructions, return policy
- Pricing โ research competitor prices, set competitive prices while ensuring at least 30% margin
- Correct category โ choose the right category so customers can find you in search
Tip: list at least 10-20 products before expecting orders. A store with only 1-2 products looks unprofessional and does not build buyer trust.
Step 8: Get Your First Order
This is the hardest part โ and the most exciting. Most new stores get zero orders in their first week. That is normal.
How to accelerate your first sale:
- Ask friends to buy โ real purchases, real reviews. The first 5-10 reviews are critical on Shopee
- Run a Flash Sale โ deeply discount 1-2 products to attract initial buyers
- Share on social media โ post on personal Facebook, Instagram, TikTok
- Join free shipping programs โ on Shopee, this is the fastest way to boost orders
- Use Shopee Ads โ start with a budget of 50,000-100,000 VND/day
Do not get discouraged if your first week brings only 1-2 orders. Every successful store went through this phase.
Pro Tips
- Start small, scale fast: Do not order 100 products on your first purchase. Buy 10-20, sell through them, then reorder. This minimizes inventory risk
- Customer service is your best marketing: Reply to messages within 5 minutes, resolve complaints immediately. A single 5-star review is worth more than 100,000 VND in advertising
- Track your numbers from day one: Record revenue, costs, and profit daily in Google Sheets. Do not wait until you are “big enough” to manage finances
- Do not compare yourself to established stores: A store with 10,000 products and 5 employees is not your competition. Focus on the niche you can serve best
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Ordering too much inventory upfront: Many new sellers excitedly order 10-20 million VND of products without testing the market first. Result: dead stock. Test with small quantities โ 10-20 products is enough to validate demand
- Skipping business registration: Selling without a license can result in fines of 1-3 million VND and marketplace account suspension. A household business registration costs just 100,000-300,000 VND โ much cheaper than a fine
- Competing solely on lowest price: Being the cheapest sounds attractive but leads to negative margins when you factor in platform fees, shipping, and advertising. Compete on service quality, great photos, and detailed descriptions instead
- Poor product photography: On marketplaces, product photos are your first impression. Blurry, dark, unprofessional photos will make customers scroll past even if your product is excellent. Invest one afternoon in proper photography โ all you need is natural light and a white background
Next Steps
A week from now, you could still be reading articles โ or you could have your first online store live with real products and your first order coming in. The difference is whether you start.
Once your store is running, the next step is finding reliable product suppliers to optimize your cost of goods and expand your product range. If you are still deciding between platforms, read our comparison of the best ecommerce platforms in Vietnam to choose the right tool for your next phase.
Do not wait until you feel “ready.” Start with what you have and improve as you go.