Grab expands in northern Vietnam to boost digital economy access
Grab Vietnam is extending its GrabBike and GrabFood services to nine northern provinces, marking a major step in supporting local communities through digital skills training, economic empowerment and access to the fast-growing digital economy.
THE HANOI TIMES — E-commerce and ride-hailing platform Grab has announced its expansion into Vietnam’s northern midland and mountainous provinces to give local people access to services such as GrabBike and on-demand food delivery services GrabFood.
The expansion covers nine northern provinces, including Lao Cai, Bac Ninh, Phu Tho, Ninh Binh and Hung Yen.
GrabFood, the on-demand food delivery service, debuts in Hanoi in 2018. Photo courtesy of the company
As part of this move, the everyday super-app in Southeast Asia will launch incentive programs and digital skills training to help residents seize economic opportunities and join the digital economy.
Local driver-partners and restaurants will also receive free digital and AI training through GrabAcademy courses.
According to Ma Tuan Trong, Managing Director of Grab Vietnam, the expansion will strengthen local economies, support socioeconomic growth and speed up Vietnam’s digital transformation.
Anthony Tan, Group CEO and Co-founder of Grab, reaffirmed during a May meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the 46th ASEAN Summit in Malaysia that Grab is committed to accompanying Vietnam on its path toward digitalization and sustainable growth.
He emphasized that Vietnam remains a key market in its regional strategy.
Operating in Vietnam since 2014, Grab has pledged to keep supporting the country’s innovation-driven and sustainable development while expanding cooperation in technology, AI upskilling and digital tourism.
In February, Grab signed a three-year cooperation agreement with the central city of Hue to help local people and small businesses adopt digital tools for transportation, tourism and cultural promotion.
In March, the company signed a five-year partnership with the Tourism Development Support Fund under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to advance digital transformation in tourism, improve visitor engagement and promote Vietnam’s socioeconomic development.
Under this agreement, Grab serves as an official transport and e-commerce partner, offering integrated services such as ride-hailing, delivery, food ordering and cashless payments for travelers.
Grab and local firm Xanh SM dominate Vietnam’s ride-hailing market with a combined 87% share, according to a May survey by Japan-based research firm Rakuten Insight.
The survey showed Grab leading with a 55% usage rate in urban areas and 54% in other regions. Users cited its broad network and simple booking process as key advantages.
Vietnam’s ride-hailing market is valued at nearly US$1 billion, according to Mordor Intelligence and could grow to $2.5 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 19.5% between 2025 and 2030.
Statista offers an even more optimistic outlook, projecting the market to reach almost $1.9 billion in 2025.
