[Reading level: B2 – Upper Intermediate]
Ms. Hai Anh said that even with a vivid imagination, she never thought her fish stall at Trai Bo Market could thrive this way thanks to livestreams “just to kill time.”
Now, after three years of livestreaming, Ms. Cao Hai Anh still cannot understand why 2,000 to 3,000 people watch her scale fish, gut them, and peel shrimp every day. The 36-year-old owner of the fresh seafood stall at Trai Bo Market in Long Binh Ward, Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province, shared that at times, the number of viewers can exceed 20,000 “eyes.”
“They don’t just watch for a moment; they follow my entire 8-9 hour selling session,” Hai Anh said.
The couple started selling at the market in 2014. Occasionally, during slow business days, Ms. Hai Anh would turn on her phone to livestream and chat with strangers to pass the time.
After a while, she noticed that her sales improved. The number of new customers coming to her fish stall increased. Even when she had to relocate, customers would message her to ask for her new location.
Not only did the number of in-person customers at the market grow, but viewers of Hai Anh’s livestreams, impressed by the freshness, quality, and reasonable prices of her seafood, began placing online orders. Today, online orders account for 50% of her sales. On average, the couple sells about 100 kilograms of various products daily, 2 to 2.5 times more than before. The female vendor’s personal account now has over 297,000 followers and 6.1 million likes.
The personal account of banana cake vendor Le Quoc Truong, boasting 295,000 followers and 63.7 million likes, is the envy of many.
“It’s all thanks to two daily livestream sessions, just showing the process of frying banana cakes. After three years, I’ve achieved this result,” said Truong.
Like Ms. Hai Anh, Truong didn’t initially plan to livestream to boost sales. It all began one day while he was minding the stall for his wife on Truong Cong Dinh Street, Ward 2, Soc Trang City. The 33-year-old tied his phone to an electricity pole and started livestreaming to showcase the frying process and chat to pass the time.
“I didn’t expect so many people to watch, so I continued livestreaming on the following days,” Truong shared. Now, his schedule includes two fixed livestream sessions daily, each lasting 3-5 hours, attracting an average of 1.5 million views.
Before livestreaming, his banana cake stall sold around 100 cakes a day, mostly to local customers. But after gaining online fame, his sales now average 300 cakes daily. On busy days, he even has to ask customers to return the next day.
Expanding beyond banana cakes, Truong now sells ready-made frying batter for customers from afar. Initially, only a few people bought it, but now the couple sells 100 kilograms of batter daily, significantly increasing their family income.
Ms. Hai Anh and Mr. Quoc Truong are among many small vendors who unexpectedly rose to success through livestreaming, sharing their daily work on social media. Unlike professional sellers (KOLs, KOCs), most of these vendors stumbled upon this business model by chance, unaware that they were participating in the “shoppertainment” trend—online shopping combined with entertainment.
The term “shoppertainment,” blending “shopper” and “entertainment,” first appeared in 1993 but only gained widespread attention in 2016 when Lazada popularized interactive livestream selling.
A 2024 report by Accenture and TikTok suggests that shoppertainment significantly drives e-commerce growth. In the Asia-Pacific region alone, this market is projected to reach $1 trillion by 2025.
A survey by VnExpress found hundreds of small vendor accounts on social media, representing diverse industries—from local market traders to chicken farm owners and even nighttime eel catchers in the fields.
Most of these accounts don’t sell directly but instead share their daily activities. Local customers can visit their locations to try the products or call the vendors to place orders.
Ms. Vu Dieu Thuy, a livestream training lecturer and CEO of Kolin Academy, believes the authenticity and community connection are key reasons why seemingly ordinary livestreams attract large audiences.
According to Thuy, viewers are increasingly tired of overly polished content and sales livestreams with aggressive deals. Real-life livestreams showing unedited, everyday life feel relatable and pique viewers’ curiosity. In the digital era, many people seek a sense of belonging to a community or want to learn practical knowledge—such as selecting products or preparing food—naturally through interactive exchanges with vendors. Simple humor and casual dialogues also add charm to these livestreams.
“These elements combine to create a unique appeal for realistic livestreams, making them a favored content trend on social media platforms,” Thuy explained.
Not only do they livestream regularly, but many small vendors have also taken the initiative to learn new skills to attract more viewers and expand their customer base. Ms. Kim Chi, the owner of a roast duck stall in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City, is a prime example.
Thanks to her charming speaking skills and fluency in English and Chinese, Kim Chi’s livestream sessions attract a large number of foreign viewers. Many people living in or traveling through Ho Chi Minh City have visited her shop out of curiosity.
The 37-year-old woman from Ben Tre has been selling roasted meat in Ho Chi Minh City for 12 years. Previously, her shop mainly catered to regular customers, but since she started livestreaming, it has become much busier. Her sales have increased by nearly 50%.
“Fame has also made me stricter about checking product quality. Social media has really helped small businesses like ours increase our income,” Chi said.
Source: https://vnexpress.net/nhung-tieu-thuong-phat-len-nho-livestream-4823417.html
WORD BANK:
vivid imagination /ˈvɪv.ɪd ɪˌmædʒ.əˈneɪ.ʃən/ (n): trí tưởng tượng phong phú
stall /stɑːl/ [B1] (n): sạp, quầy hàng
thrive /θraɪv/ [C1] (v): ăn nên làm ra
scale /skeɪl/ [B2] (v): đánh vảy
gut /ɡʌt/ (v): mổ (cá)
peel /piːl/ [B2] (v): lột vỏ
exceed /ɪkˈsiːd/ [C1] (v): vượt quá
session /ˈseʃ.ən/ (n): buổi, phiên
slow business day (n): ngày vắng khách
pass the time (v): giết thời gian
vendor /ˈven.dɚ/ (n): tiểu thương, người bán hàng rong
boast sth /boʊst/ [B2] (v): (tự hào) có cái gì
the envy of sb /ˈen.vi/ [B2] (n): điều ai đó ghen tị
electricity pole /ɪˌlekˈtrɪs.ə.t̬i poʊl/ (n): cột điện
frying batter /ˈbæt̬.ɚ/ (n): bột chiên bánh
from afar (adv): ở xa
rise to success (v): phất lên
stumble upon sth /ˈstʌm.bəl/ [C2] (v): tình cờ phát hiện, tìm ra cái gì
by chance (adv): một cách tình cờ
interactive /ˌɪn.t̬ɚˈræk.tɪv/ [B2] (adj): có tính tương tác
drive sth /draɪv/ [C1] (v): thúc đẩy cái gì
project /ˈprɑː.dʒekt/ [B2] (v): dự kiến, dự đoán
diverse /dɪˈvɝːs/ [B2] (adj): đa dạng
eel /iːl/ (n): lươn
authenticity /ˌɑː.θenˈtɪs.ə.t̬i/ (n): tính chân thực
seemingly /ˈsiː.mɪŋ.li/ [C1] (adv): tưởng chừng, dường như
ordinary /ˈɔːr.dən.er.i/ [B1] (adj): bình thường
polish /ˈpɑː.lɪʃ/ (v): đánh bóng
relatable /rɪˈleɪ.t̬ə.bəl/ (adj): gần gũi
pique one’s curiosity /piːk/ /ˌkjʊr.iˈɑː.sə.t̬i/ (v): khiến ai đó tò mò
add charm to sth /tʃɑːrm/ (v): tạo nên sự thú vị, hấp dẫn cho cái gì
out of sth [B2] (pre) vì cái gì
cater to sb /ˈkeɪ.t̬ɚ/ [C1] (v): phục vụ ai đó
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