Decision Lab’s latest Connected Consumer Report for Q3 2025 reveals Vietnam's digital landscape is entering a period of stabilisation. Social media familiarity remains strong, yet platform loyalty is weakening as users diversify their online journeys. At the same time, digital routines are becoming more deliberate, and generational differences in behaviour are re-emerging after several quarters of convergence.
Social media platform familiarity has endured, but loyalty faded in Q3 2025
While overall social media usage remains stable, users are becoming less tied to any single platform. Engagement patterns are broadening, notably with video-centric platforms gaining traction across age groups. Subtle generational nuances have resurfaced: older audiences continue to favour familiar environments, while younger users lean into dynamic, experience-driven spaces.
Download the full Connected Consumer Q3 2025 report.
Across generations, subtle differences are reappearing. Facebook still appeals broadly but has shown two quarters of decline and now faces stronger competition from Zalo, which has overtaken it among Gen Y for the first time. Meanwhile, YouTube and TikTok continue to gain traction among Gen X and Gen Y, reinforcing their strong position with Gen Z and signalling a broader shift towards video-centric platforms. The overall hierarchy remains familiar, but the gradual drop in indispensability across apps reflects softening loyalty and the early return of age-differentiated preferences.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai Tram, Head of Insight Velocity Practice at Decision Lab, advises brands to:
“Brands should prepare for a renewed generational split. While Facebook and Zalo remain key for broad connection, younger audiences are increasingly shaped by video-led platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Effective strategies must balance reach with content formats that reflect evolving age-specific behaviours.”
Consumers are settling into steady digital habits, balancing convenience with exploration
Vietnamese consumers are moving into a more stable phase of digital behaviour. After rapid adoption in recent years, people are now choosing platforms that offer clear value. AI has become a key part of this shift, with almost 87% of online consumers using AI-powered tools in Q3 2025.
Download the full Connected Consumer Q3 2025 report.
ChatGPT, Gemini, and Meta AI remain the leading AI platforms, driven by their broad, general-purpose functions such as open-ended interaction, productivity support, and information search. Meanwhile, more specialised tools like DALL·E 2 and BigQuery have declined, indicating that users prefer AI platforms that feel simple, useful, and accessible.
Generational patterns are re-emerging. Gen Z continues to lead experimentation with AI, while Gen X and Y adopt these tools more selectively. Adoption of ChatGPT and Gemini is growing steadily among older groups, suggesting that AI usage is entering a more mature and purpose-driven stage across all age segments.
Engagement has slowed as top platforms stay fixed and audiences divide their attention
Leading entertainment platforms remain central to online behaviour in Vietnam, but engagement has softened in Q3 2025. Although YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook continue to dominate, audiences are spreading their attention across more formats and content sources, resulting in slower momentum across categories.
Download the full Connected Consumer Q3 2025 report.
YouTube continues to lead in entertainment, music, and long-form viewing across most age groups, while TikTok maintains its strong hold on Gen Z for short-form content. Facebook remains a key platform for casual browsing and news among older users but has lost ground with younger audiences who increasingly prefer vertical, fast-paced formats. These patterns indicate a consolidating hierarchy shaped by clearer generational divides, with each age group gravitating towards platforms that best match their content needs and expectations.
Mr. Thue Quist Thomasen, CEO of Decision Lab, shares:
“As engagement flattens, we’re seeing audiences become more selective in how they spend their time online. The challenge for brands is no longer just reach, but relevance, creating content that cuts through fatigue and fragmentation while reflecting the shifting ways different generations consume media.”