The livestream took place on November 11 and was attended by Le Minh Trung, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Technical Support and Sustainable Development Centre under the city’s Department of Industry and Trade.

Le Minh Trung, director of Ho Chi Minh City Technical Support and Sustainable Development Centre. Photo: Shopee

It forms part of 'Vibrant HCMC', the city’s year-end and Lunar New Year 2027 stimulus programme, which Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has directed to lift commerce, services, tourism, and consumption during the peak shopping season.

Under the slogan 'Ho Chi Minh City: Vibrant in Every Experience', Vibrant HCMC links in-store shopping, e-commerce, entertainment, tourism, and digital payments. The aim is to widen residents’ and visitors’ access to products, services, and promotions.

Organisers identify e-commerce as a key channel in this effort, helping businesses expand their reach and encouraging spending on digital platforms.

Shopee said the livestream marks the start of its activities supporting the city’s programme. Combining live content with shopping lets consumers follow product information, learn about items, and reach promotions in one place.

The event falls within the platform’s “Shopee 11.11: Biggest Sale of the Year” campaign, which runs from November 11 to 13.

Photo: Shopee

Promotions span a broad range of categories, including electronics, phones and accessories, fast-moving consumer goods, household appliances, and everyday living products. Members of ShopeeVIP, the company’s loyalty tier, can also access separate offers, subject to the applicable conditions.

The partnership reflects the city’s wider push to connect traditional retail with digital commerce. City officials have stated that the involvement of platforms such as Shopee supports their direction of promoting technology adoption, developing the digital economy, and improving the consumer experience.

For small sellers and manufacturers, online channels offer a way to reach shoppers beyond their immediate neighbourhoods during a period when household spending typically climbs.

Timing matters here. November 11, widely known as Singles’ Day, has become one of the busiest online shopping dates in Southeast Asia, and platforms compete aggressively on discounts and live content.

Year-end demand is then sustained by the run-up to the Lunar New Year holiday, when families traditionally spend more on gifts, food, appliances, and travel.

By aligning a major platform’s flagship sale with an official stimulus scheme, Ho Chi Minh City is seeking to capture that seasonal momentum and channel it towards local businesses.

In recent years, livestream shopping has grown rapidly in Vietnam, with brands and individual merchants using real-time video format to demonstrate products and answer buyers’ questions directly. Having a government agency take part gives the format an institutional endorsement that may encourage more smaller firms to try it.

Organisers said the promotions and trade-support activities of businesses, technology platforms, and service providers will continue to be updated throughout Vibrant HCMC, so residents and tourists can find information and take part more easily.