Decision Lab's latest Tet Consumer Path-to-purchase Report for 2025, in collaboration with Meta, has revealed Vietnam's shopping landscape entering a transformative phase during the nation's most significant cultural and economic moment.
Study design: To understand the evolving journey of Tet shoppers, the research tracked consumer sentiment and spending behaviour across three key phases of the festive cycle:
Industries covered: The study explored nine major consumer verticals reflecting Vietnam’s vibrant Tet economy:
Download the full Tet Consumer Path-to-purchase report.
While Tet has always centred on giving and togetherness as part of Vietnamese tradition, consumer behaviour has evolved beyond a single pre-holiday rush. Demand has built steadily before Tet as shoppers prepare for celebration and gifting, then has rebounded strongly afterwards as consumers shift from rewarding others to rewarding themselves. This has created distinct opportunities for brands throughout the extended season.
Download the full Tet Consumer Path-to-purchase report.
The E-commerce, Retail, and Consumer Packaged Goods vertical has attracted significantly higher demand than Health & Beauty Services, with categories such as food, groceries, supermarkets, apparel, and accessories recording the highest purchase rates across all phases.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Uyen Chi, Head of Experience Economy Practice at Decision Lab, advises brands to:
"Recognise that Tet has no longer been a single moment but an extended commerce season with distinct phases. Brands must stay 'always on' by launching campaigns early to capture advance planners, maintaining presence during the holiday, and sustaining engagement post-Tet to capture the self-reward wave when consumers have invested in personal care and wellness.”
As Vietnamese consumers have embraced digital-first shopping behaviours, the discovery phase has become increasingly concentrated on social media and e-commerce platforms. Meta's family of apps has emerged as the dominant awareness channel, with consumers learning about products and services primarily through Facebook and Instagram before moving into consideration and then purchase.
Download the full Tet Consumer Path-to-purchase report.
For e-commerce and retail products, consumers have discovered offerings through brand official e-commerce stores and social media ads, where Meta has dominated awareness throughout the Tet shopping journey.
The purchase journey has diverged by category: Retail has closed primarily on e-commerce platforms, while health and beauty services have relied heavily on messaging apps like Messenger to close deals. Likewise, service brands have utilised AI chatbots on messaging apps for customer consultation. This pattern has demonstrated how social commerce has evolved beyond simple advertising into a complete shopping ecosystem spanning discovery, consideration, and conversion.
AI-powered tools have rapidly transitioned from emerging technology to everyday utility in Vietnamese consumers' lives. As shoppers navigate the overwhelming choices of Tet season, they have increasingly turned to AI for assistance with research, planning, and decision-making, fundamentally raising their expectations for how brands should engage with them.
Download the full Tet Consumer Path-to-purchase report.
Vietnamese consumers have rapidly integrated AI into their shopping journeys, from product discovery to decision-making. This growing reliance on AI has reflected a clear shift toward convenience, speed, and confidence in how people have planned and purchased during Tet
Mr. Thue Quist Thomasen, CEO of Decision Lab, shares:
“AI has fundamentally changed the Tet shopping equation. Vietnamese consumers now expect personalised experiences that have helped them navigate choices efficiently. Brands that integrate AI-powered recommendations, chatbots for instant consultation, and personalised content will connect more effectively with today's digitally empowered Tet shoppers who have valued both convenience and relevance.”
Download the full Tet Consumer Path-to-purchase report.