Evolving Consumer Behavior on Vietnam’s Food Ordering Apps

Changing User Behavior on Food Ordering Apps in Vietnam

The rapid evolution of Vietnam's online food delivery industry is driven mainly by changing consumer interactions with digital ordering platforms. As mobile penetration continues to widen and users, in increasing numbers, demand more speed, reliability, and personalization from food-ordering apps, players are being pushed to reimagine product roadmaps and long-term strategies. Previously, a young, convenience-driven user base, this space has now grown into a far more diverse market, compelling companies like GrabFood, ShopeeFood, and Baemin to drive better ways of designing, testing, and scaling new digital features. Such behavioral shifts are shaping how leading companies operate, compete, and even allocate investment toward new technologies.

Growing Preference for Personalization

In addition, Vietnamese consumers are getting more inclined towards hyper-personalized app experiences. Local users prefer applications that suggest meals, taking into consideration past orders and food preferences, even the time of day. This would, therefore, reshape how companies build recommendation engines and machine-learning workflows.

Brands like GrabFood, for instance, are expanding their AI-driven menu ranking system, analyzing browsing frequency, cart deletions, and peak-hour ordering to reorder listings dynamically. ShopeeFood also experiments with micro-segmented discount targeting, whereby users get different promo structures based on frequency patterns. These developments have become part of a broader trend to lock in user retention through personalized journeys that feel intuitive and almost predictive.

Higher Expectations for Delivery Reliability

One of the most noticeable behavior shifts is the rising expectation for consistent and quicker last-mile delivery. Internal logistics benchmarking from Vietnam’s e-commerce association indicated that average user tolerance for late deliveries dropped considerably between 2023 and 2025, signaling that consumers are no longer forgiving when riders arrive behind schedule.

As a result, companies are investing in logistics architecture. They are expanding “priority delivery zones” in Ho Chi Minh City, using a tighter rider-assignment algorithm that increases delivery density during lunch and evening. GrabFood has been testing multi-order batching in Hanoi, which groups similar-route orders to reduce delays without hurting freshness. These operational upgrades show that platforms improve reliability and loyalty in Vietnam’s maturing market.

Demand for Transparent Pricing and Discounts

Users in Vietnam are extremely price-sensitive, but their behavior around pricing is changing. While promotions still play a massive role in order decisions, consumers are growing increasingly attentive to hidden fees, surge pricing, and delivery mark-ups.

To address this shift, firms like ShopeeFood  are introducing fair price badge, highlighting restaurants with stable fee structures, while GrabFood has updated its fee-breakdown interface to be more itemized. Firms are also experimenting with loyalty-based fee reductions, allowing frequent customers to access capped delivery charges during high-traffic hours. These adjustments highlight how platforms are trying to maintain pricing transparency to preserve user trust in a highly competitive environment.

Rising Adoption of Multi-Platform Usage

Vietnamese consumers increasingly use multiple apps simultaneously before placing a final order. This behavior, known informally in the industry as “platform hopping”, is becoming more common as users compare prices, delivery ETA, and discounts across at least two or three apps.

In response, companies are upgrading in-app comparison tools and optimizing landing pages to accelerate decision-making. GrabFood has been enhancing cross-category visibility so users can easily compare bundle deals and merchant combos, while ShopeeFood has been testing dynamic countdown promo timers to increase conversion urgency. This multi-platform behavior is also forcing companies to refine CRM strategies and make retention campaigns more intelligent and less predictable.

Shift Toward Healthier and Niche Food Categories

Another noticeable change is the rising interest in healthier or specialty food categories. Vietnam’s younger urban population is increasingly ordering plant-based meals, low-calorie options, and imported cuisines.

As a result, apps are onboarding more niche restaurants and developing curated sections that highlight “clean food,” “premium imports,” and “fitness meals.” prominent brands like GrabFood are teaming up wit high-growth cloud kitchen brands offering keto and high-protein menus, while ShopeeFood introduced a new “fresh prep box” category for semi-cooked ingredients. These moves reflect companies’ attempts to stay ahead of emerging food consumption trends while increasing transaction value per user.

Stronger Preference for Digital Wallets and Cashless Transactions

Digital payments are shaping a large share of user behavior across Vietnam’s food delivery ecosystem. As e-wallet adoption accelerates, thanks to MoMo, ZaloPay, and Viettel Money, users are favoring frictionless, reward-linked digital payments over cash.

GrabFood continuously expands its integration with Moca, offering cashback incentives during lunchtime peaks, while ShopeeFood has introduced reward-stacking features with ShopeePay, including both platform points and wallet-specific perks for users. These payment-linked behaviors are influencing how platforms design promotional ecosystems and funding cycles for incentive programs.

Explore how shifting preferences are reshaping platform strategies Vietnam Online Food Delivery Market

A Market Defined by Fast-Evolving User Expectations

Food ordering in Vietnam is evolving with continuous product innovation and operational discipline. With users becoming increasingly well-informed, selective, and confident in their digital abilities, companies are under pressure to reimagine everything from recommendation systems and delivery logistics to pricing transparency across the ecosystem. The changing behavior of Vietnamese consumers is no longer just driving interface designs or promo strategies but also investment decisions, supply-chain models, and future technology adoptions. For companies competing in this sector, understanding these behavioral shifts is the foundation for gaining long-term relevance in Vietnam’s crowded online food delivery market.