Many people are turning to online shopping during the surge of coronavirus infections in Vietnam.
Tuoi Tre reports that in the first few months of the year, online shopping has increased by at least 20%.
Keeping coronavirus-infected respiratory droplets off of our (hopefully) much more frequently washed and sanitized hands remains everyone's top priority during these topsy-turvy times.
In response, 50% of Vietnamese citizens have lowered the frequency at which they shop at public places, a Nielsen survey has shown.
According to the vice-president of the Vietnam E-Commerce Association, Nguyen Ngoc Dung, online shopping has become the most viable way for people to purchase what they need.
Tiki, Vietnam's leading e-commerce site, has reported strong growth in the first few months of the year, the news source adds. A representative from Tiki told Tuoi Tre that during peak periods their orders can reach 3,000 - 4,000 per minute and they need to continuously re-stock merchandise. Their most sought-after products are face masks, wet tissues and air-purifiers.
SpeedL, an e-commerce site managed by Lotte Mart, has seen a 100-200% surge in their orders.
Similarly, Saigon Co.op has seen a tenfold increase in orders placed online or over the phone, a representative of the retailer told the news source.
Shopee and other e-commerce sites have increased their stocks of sought-after dried and canned foods to meet demand.
Hoai Thanh, a Binh Thanh resident in Saigon, told the news source, "I know online shopping is not completely safe. That's why I always wash my hands thoroughly after receiving a delivery."
Vietnam isn't the only country with a growing move towards shopping online.
The US-based e-commerce monolith Amazon is sold out of many household items due to growing demand. Bigbasket, one of the most prominent online grocery stores in India, has seen a 20-30% increase in online orders in the past month.
