2024年6月3日
The latest ranking of social networking sites in Vietnam in 2024｜Tips on how to make the most of the Internet situation for marketing
What are the most popular social networking sites in Vietnam?
What are the key points of SNS marketing in Vietnam?"
Vietnam is known as a country that loves social networking, but what are the actual popular platforms?
In this article, we will introduce four popular SNS in Vietnam in a ranking format. Please refer to this article for a detailed explanation of the SNS and Internet situation in Vietnam, which is also attracting attention in inbound marketing.
Top 4 Popular SNS in Vietnam
First, let's take a look at the most popular social networking sites in Vietnam. The following top 4 were selected based on the DATAREPORTAL 2024 survey, and the number of advertisements reaching the Vietnamese market via SNS is also included in the list.
SNS | Number of users | Number of ad reach | |
No. 1 | 72.7 million users | 73.3% | |
No. 2 | TikTok | 67.72 million users | 86.3% |
No. 3 | YouTube | 63 million users | 63.5% |
No. 4 | 10.9 million | 11.0％ |
Reference: DATAREPORTAL "Digital 2024: Vietnam
From the above, we can see that the SNS with the most users is "Facebook" and the SNS with the highest advertising reach is "TikTok. On the other hand, Instagram is popular worldwide, but tends to have a relatively small number of users in Vietnam.
Zalo, a platform unique to Vietnam, also tends to have a high penetration rate, although it is not precisely classified as a social networking service.
Please refer to the following for SNS usage rates in Japan.
SNS | Number of users | Usage rate | |
No. 1 | LINE | 96 million users | 93％ |
No. 2 | YouTube | 71.2 million users | 88％ |
No. 3 | 66 million users | 49％ | |
No. 4 | X/former Twitter | 66.5 million users | 46％ |
No. 5 | 26 million users | 33％ |
(Citation: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "2022 Survey Report on Information and Communications Media Usage Time and Information Behavior")
In Japan, the usage rate of "LINE" is overwhelming, followed by "YouTube" and "Instagram". On the other hand, the percentages for "Facebook" and "TikTok" are low, which is in contrast to the usage rates for social networking services in Vietnam.
The following introduces the above four popular social networking services in Vietnam, as well as Zalo, a social networking service that originated in Vietnam.
Facebook is a social networking service established in 2004 that allows users to register their real names. It quickly became popular due to its enhanced privacy features and boasts more than 2.3 billion monthly users worldwide.
Facebook is also very popular in Vietnam, with 72.7 million users and advertising reach to approximately 70% of them. Vietnamese entertainers, celebrities, and influencers are also active in creating accounts to connect with their fans.
Due to the real-name registration nature of Facebook, many people use their accounts as business cards. Since more detailed user information such as place of residence, place of work, and occupation can be obtained than with other social networking services, it has the advantage of enabling more effective targeting when running advertisements.
On the other hand, the number of users in Japan is about 26 million, and the main user group is from 30 to 60 years old. The usage rate of users in their 30s and 40s is particularly high, so approaching users in these age groups will be effective.
TikTok
TikTok is a social networking service for posting "short videos" that has exploded in popularity, especially among the younger generation. Users only post video content, which has the advantage of conveying a lot of information in a short period of time.
It is the second most popular social networking service in Vietnam, with 67.72 million users. It has the highest advertising reach, maintaining a high rate of 86.3%. In Japan, on the other hand, it is the sixth most popular SNS, with most users in their teens and 20s. It is a trendy social networking service for teenagers.
TikTok is a social networking service that can be used to communicate through video rather than text or images. TikTok also has the advantage of allowing users to check detailed insights such as the number of views, profile views, and shares of the videos they post, making it easy to perform PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Action) cycles.
YouTube
YouTube is a video sharing platform established by Google Inc. in the United States in 2005. It has now developed into a large social networking service with over 1 billion registered users worldwide.
The number of users in Vietnam was about 45 million in 2019 and has now grown to 63 million; the average daily usage time is 2.65 hours, which is more than one-third of the average time spent on the Internet in Vietnam.
With approximately 71.2 million users in Japan, YouTube has the second largest number of users by country. However, the average daily usage time is only 53.4 minutes, about one-third that of Vietnam.
Instagram is an image-sharing platform established in 2010 and operated by Meta, an American company. It is a social networking service that mainly features photos and videos, and utilizes "# (hashtag)" associated with the content. In Japan, it has approximately 66 million users and a 49% penetration rate.
The number of users in Vietnam is surprisingly low, at around 10.9 million, but promotions using Vietnamese Instagrammers can be expected to be effective. Also, by setting hashtags with keywords that users are likely to search for, it is possible to gather a larger reach.
Zalo
Zalo is a social networking service that originated in Vietnam and was released in 2012. 75 million people are active users as of 2023, and 75% of the total population is said to be using the service.
In Vietnam, voice communication tends to be emphasized, and Zalo's popularity is due to its enhanced features, which are a cross between LINE and Facebook, and include not only voice messaging, but also group chat and a location-aware function. Zalo is a cross between LINE and Facebook.
While Facebook is used mostly for business purposes, Zalo is a social networking service mainly for private use. Zalo is an indispensable application for daily life, as it can be used to book train tickets and transportation, and to pay utility and Internet bills.
Basic Knowledge: Internet and SNS in Vietnam
The Internet and social networking services in Vietnam are now available in detail. We will compare the population trends and Internet and SNS usage rates in Vietnam with those in Japan, and explain the unique trends in Vietnam.
Population Trends and SNS Usage Rates in Vietnam and Japan
Mainly accessed from smartphones, not PCs
Trends in Time Spent and Frequently Viewed SNS
Comparison with Japan] Population Trends and SNS Usage Rates in Vietnam
In Vietnam, the usage rate of SNS and the Internet is very high, and they are actively used in the business scene. Below is the population by age group in Vietnam as of 2024.
Age Group | Percentage |
0-4 years old | 7.2％ (%) |
5-12 years old | 12.0％ (%) |
13-17 years old | 7.1% (7.1%) |
18-24 years old | 9.7% (9.7%) |
25-34 years old | 15.7％ (15.7%) |
35-44 years old | 15.6% (15.6%) |
45-54 years old | 13.1％ (13.1％ of the total) |
55 to 64 years old | 9.9％ (9.9%) |
65 years old and over | 9.8％ (%) |
Reference: Global Digital Reports "DIGITAL 2024: VIETNAM".
The total population of Vietnam currently stands at 99.19 million, with an increase of approximately 660,000 people in just one year from 2023 to 2024. The median age of the population is 33 years, and the sex ratio is 50.6% female and 49.4% male. In addition, approximately 80% of Vietnam's total population is Internet-savvy.
The population using the Internet in Vietnam is 77.93 million, of which 70 million, or 71% of the total population, are SNS users; among those aged 18 years and older, approximately 90% use SNS.
Source: "Population Projection 2024 (January 2024 report)," Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
The total population of Japan is 124.35 million, but it has been declining for 13 consecutive years since 2011, and the rate of decline is increasing. The Internet usage rate and SNS penetration rate are high at 84.9% and 78.7%, respectively, but by 2023 the percentage of those under 15 years old will be at an all-time low of 11.4%.
Mainly accessed from smartphones, not PCs
In Vietnam, most Internet users do not own a PC and tend to access the Internet from their smartphones.
The cell phone subscription rate in Vietnam is 148% as of 2022 and 169.8% as of 2024. The majority of cell phone users have prepaid contracts, which is attributed to the fact that each person has multiple SIMs.
Since the main access to the Internet is through smartphones, smartphone-derived content such as selfies, voice communication, and videos are popular in Vietnam.
Reference: Global Digital Reports, "DIGITAL 2024: VIETNAM.
Time Spent and Trends in Frequently Viewed SNS
Vietnamese spend 6 hours and 18 minutes a day on Internet activities, with the golden hour being between 19:00 and 21:00. Of that time, they spend about 2 hours and 25 minutes on SNS, slightly more than the 2 hours and 12 minutes spent in Japan.
Below is a list of social networking sites that Vietnamese frequently view and the amount of time they spend on them
TikTok
Facebook
YouTube
Video culture is overwhelmingly popular in Vietnam, especially among young people.
Reference: Global Digital Reports "DIGITAL 2024: VIETNAM
How to succeed in SNS marketing in Vietnam?
Finally, for those who are considering SNS marketing in Vietnam, here are three key points for success.
Understand the trends of Vietnamese SNS users
Operating popular SNS accounts that match your products and services
Appoint Vietnamese influencers
The above are effective methods for web marketing in Vietnam. Before starting your marketing activities, make sure you have a good grasp of these techniques.
Understand the trends of Vietnamese SNS users
Not limited to SNS, Vietnamese Internet users tend to emphasize communication with their families. Many people say, "I use SNS to report what's going on with my family, relatives, and siblings who are far away.
Many people from rural areas were not familiar with cameras, and in many cases, they do not have many photos from their childhood. Therefore, there are many cases where people post videos and images out of a desire to "preserve photos for their children and grandchildren.
On the other hand, there are also cases where people utilize social networking services for the purpose of meeting people. The fact that there is a matching function on Facebook and Zalo in Vietnam shows how active they are.
Operating a popular SNS account that fits your product or service
If you are considering SNS marketing in Vietnam, first pay attention to popular local platforms in Vietnam. However, the key is to create an account on a medium that is likely to attract the attention of the target audience for your products and services, and to operate it regularly.
Simply creating an account and running it casually will not resonate. Strategic management is required to post media, advertisements, and campaigns that resonate with the target audience.
Use of Vietnamese Influencers
Influencer marketing using Vietnamese is also effective. Vietnamese people tend to be very connected and have a high level of trust in consumer reviews and word of mouth.
More than 70% of users have purchased the same product after seeing a promotion by an influencer. If you can use influencers who are relatable to your target audience, you will be able to operate more effectively.
Conclusion
Vietnam is a country with a high level of interest in the Internet and SNS, on par with Japan. The average age of the population is young, which makes SNS marketing more effective.
However, the culture of the younger generation and SNS trends are changing and growing at a rapid pace, so it is important to keep your antennae up and actively gather information. It is also recommended to consult with experts who are familiar with overseas SNS marketing.
If you are considering SNS marketing in Vietnam, please feel free to contact us, a digital marketing professional, for a consultation.
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