1.
Mobile App Usage Study
Vietnam 2016

2.
Proprietary + Confidential
What we wanted to know
We spoke to 1000 smartphone owners to
understand their app repertoire
We asked about:
Role of the
smartphone
App
discovery
App
experience
App
engagement
Cross-country
comparison

3.
Proprietary + Confidential
Build understanding of smartphone app
attitudes and behaviours
1. Smartphone information
2. Attitudes to apps
3. Apps installed, triggers & barriers
4. Measuring typical and recent app
behaviours
5. App Categories (Gaming, Tourism, Retail
and Media) usage and behaviours
Project ManagementResearch Coverage Methodology
Fieldwork conducted June 2016
Project managed centrally by TNS Australia
Online survey with a representative sample
of smartphone users
1,000 interviews (25 mins) with males and
females, aged 18-64 years old
The sample is representative of smartphone
users on three criteria: gender, age (5 age
bands) and % who use their smartphone
daily to access the internet.
What we did

4.
Proprietary + Confidential
What we found
Role of the smartphone: Smartphone adoption is rising fast.
It’s an important device to ensure an always-on connection alongside the PC.
App discovery: The Vietnamese love discovering new apps. App stores and both online and
offline WOM are key influences on whether an app gets installed.
App experience: Social networking and messaging apps are essential for Vietnamese
smartphone owners – almost all use them everyday and they’re the most (time) engaging.
App engagement: Almost all will customise app notifications and an app is kept, or
re-engaged with, if it can show its relevance.
Cross country comparison: Smartphone adoption is high, but the device is not yet seen as
the main way to access the internet.

5.
Role of the smartphone
Smartphone adoption is rising fast.
It’s an important device to ensure an always-on
connection alongside the PC.

6.
Proprietary + Confidential
Question: A3. Use the slider bar to show how much each statement describes you and your smartphone.
Smartphone users, n=1000
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
Smartphones
are important,
and assist the
need to have a
constant
connection (% who say 8-10 on a 10 point agreement scale)
“My smartphone
is one of the
most important
devices I own”
“I connect my
smartphone to
Wi-Fi whenever I
can”
54%agree
64%agree

7.
Proprietary + Confidential
Smartphone adoption has seen a rapid increase in
Vietnam
2013 2014 2015 2016
Smartphone penetration - source: Consumer Barometer
Question: A2. Which operating system do you have on your smartphone? Smartphone users, n=1000
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
Smartphone penetration
20%
36%
55%
72% 67% of
smartphone
owners state
they have
Android
21% say iOS

8.
Proprietary + Confidential
Nearly 2 hours a day are spent online with smartphones –
with web browsing time longer than online app time
Claimed time spent online a day by device
Question: C1 How much time do you think you spent online?
Question C2 And what percentage of your online time do you think is spent in the following ways?
Smartphone users n=1000
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
Time using a web browser on a
computer
Time using a web browser on a
smartphone
Time using apps on a smartphone,
which need an internet connection
100 minutes 63 minutes 51 minutes
114 minutes

9.
Proprietary + Confidential
PCs are seen as the preferred device to get online with
smartphones being #1 for Millennials
Main device for accessing the internet
Question: A1. Which of these is your main device for accessing the internet / getting online?
Smartphone users, n=1000
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
PC Smartphone Tablet
Use multiple
devices equally
18-24s: 44%
50+: 13%
18-24s: 39%
50+: 54%

10.
The Vietnamese love discovering new apps.
App stores and both online and offline WOM are key
influences on whether an app gets installed.
App discovery

11.
Proprietary + Confidential
For new installs, app stores and WoM (offline or through
social networks) help to make the right decision
New apps: what informs and what’s influential
Question: D1. How do you typically find out about new smartphone apps? Smartphone users n=1000
Question: D2. How influential are these in persuading you to install an app? Use source n=456 to n=644
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
By searching app stores 64%
Friends or family
recommend them
60%
I see it shared / talked
about on social networks
58%
#1
#2
#3
Top 3 sources used Top 3 influential sources
Friends or family
recommend them
49%
I see it shared / talked
about on social networks
41%
By searching app stores 35%

12.
Proprietary + Confidential
The installation of an app depends on how well received
the app is and the amount of memory available
Top 5 Considerations when installing a new app
Question: D3. When you discover an app you're interested in, which of these do think about before installing an app?
Smartphone users n=1000
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
The user reviews of the
app
The amount of memory
I have left on my phone
vs. the size of the app Cost of the app The apps rating
The number of installs
the app has
72% 63% 58% 53% 53%

13.
Proprietary + Confidential
Five new apps are installed each month – with games, SN
and messaging the most popular new installs
New apps: number and type installed (% monthly)
Question: B11. How often do you install new apps for these types of apps?
Smartphone users, n=1000
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
+5
apps
installed
each month
Games Social
networking
Messaging,
comms
Media &
Ents.
Search Music &
Audio
Books,
comics,
mags
News &
weather
Education Shopping &
e-comm.
Joint highest of all APAC markets
(with IN)

14.
Social networking and messaging apps are essential for
Vietnamese smartphone owners – almost all use them
everyday and they’re the most (time) engaging.
App experience

15.
Proprietary + Confidential
Smartphone users have 33 apps on their phones, 8 of
which are used daily
Question: B2. How many apps do you have installed in total? B3. How many do you think you use… B4 How many apps were pre-installed
when you bought your smartphone and how many have you downloaded and installed yourself?
Smartphone users, n=1000
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
Average number of apps installed
33apps installed
17 pre-installed
16 installed
yourself

16.
Proprietary + Confidential
Social networking and messaging apps are used every day
by almost all smartphone owners
Question: B5. Which of these categories of smartphone app do you use every day?
Question B6. And which of these do you use regularly, but not every day? Smartphone users, n=1000
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
Social networking
Messaging, comms
Search
Media & Ents.
Music & Audio
Frequency of using app categories (top 10)
Games
News & weather
Shopping & e-comm.
Travel and local
Books, comics, mags
Use daily Use regularly (but not daily)

17.
Proprietary + Confidential
High use & longer engagement
Social networking and messaging have the highest use
and occupy the most amount time; games also engage
Daily use and time spent with app categories
Question B5. Which of these categories of smartphone app do you use every day? Smartphone users, n=1000
Question B9. Thinking about a typical day, how much time do you think you spend with these kinds of apps?
Users of app category n=various (range from n=638 to n=980)
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
Minsspentusing
Daily use
Social networking
Messaging,
communication
Search
Games
Productivity,
tools, utilities
Books, comics, magazines
Finance
Education
Lifestyle
News & weather
Shopping
Transportation
Travel and local
Entertainment
Music & audio

18.
Proprietary + Confidential
82% of smartphone users have bought a product or
service using an app
Question: B12. How often do you make payments for apps with your Play Store / iTunes App Store account? B13. How often have
you bought a product or service within the app? Smartphone Users, n=1000
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
65%
Ever bought
Have bought an app / made in-app payments
82%
Ever bought
Have bought a product / service within an app

19.
Proprietary + Confidential
5
out of 33
apps are
gaming apps
(15%)
5 out of 33 apps are gaming, with puzzle, strategy and
racing games the most popular
Focus on Vietnamese gaming apps
Question: H2 Earlier you said you have [x] apps on your phone. How many of these are gaming apps?
Question:H3 What genres of gaming apps do you play?
Gaming app users n=880
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
Top 5 genres played
Puzzle
& Strategy
33%
Racing
32%
Role playing
27%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40%
Action
29%

20.
Proprietary + Confidential
Question:H4 Which of these have you done to get free credits (e.g. lives, coins) in gaming apps?
Question:H5 Which of these have you made in-app payments for? Use gaming apps n=880
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
87%
have done an activity to get
free credits
41% Invite friends to
download the app
37% Watch adverts
37% Download / play other
apps
37% Liking / sharing the
game on social media
36% Answer surveys
32% Watch promotional
videos
32% Rate the app
c.90% of games have gained free credits and c.70% have
made in-app payments for gaming extras
Activities done to get free credits Items have made in-app payments for
68%
have made in-app payments
for items
39% Virtual money
23% Extra lives
23% Extra levels /
challenges
21% Extra characters /
character modification
21% Extra vehicles /
weapons / power-ups
19% Extra credits

21.
Proprietary + Confidential
Music and video are the most popular types of media
apps. Short clips and HD quality are important
Focus on Vietnamese media and entertainment apps
Question:K1 What kinds of media or entertainment apps do you have?
Question:K3 What's most important to you in a media / entertainment app?
Question:K4 What types of video content do you watch on smartphone apps?
Use books/comics/magazines apps or media & entertainment apps or music & audio apps n=988
Music & video
apps are the most popular
(Top 3 used)
Music & audio 83%
Video streaming 52%
Books 51
HD quality video
and ease of finding content are
most important for a media and
ents app
(Top important elements)
HD quality video 63%
Ease of searching / finding
what you want 57%
Smooth streaming 45%
Short duration clips 70%
On-demand TV / movies 51%
Catch-up TV 50%
Short video clips
are most popular
(Top 3 types of videos watched)

22.
Proprietary + Confidential
Entertainment apps are largely used for free digital
content – 1-in-5 pay one-off fees or a subscription
Question:K2 When it comes to digital media (TV shows, movies, video clips, music, books, magazines,. delivered by the internet), which
of these do you do? Use books/comics/magazines apps or media & entertainment apps or music & audio apps n=988
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
Digital media/entertainment payments and subscriptions
79%
Get free digital
media content$0 $x1
$
18%
Buy any kind of
digital media with
one-off payments
20%
Pay a subscription
service for any kind of
digital media

23.
Proprietary + Confidential
Travel apps are used alongside websites to help research
accommodation, places to visit and packages
Focus on Vietnamese travel apps
Question: I1 What types of travel apps do you have?
Question: I2 When it comes to making price comparisons for travel, which one of these best describes you
Question:I3 When it comes to installing and deleting travel apps, which of these describes what you typically do?
Use travel apps n= 747
They’re used to
research trips
well in advance
I install travel apps to research on
a future trip, well in advance 49%
I install travel apps for inspiration
even though I may not have a trip
planned in the near future
39%
I only install new travel apps just
before I go on a trip 29%
Accommodation
is the most popular type
of travel app
(Top 3 types of travel apps used)
Hotels / accommodation 53%
Travel guides 44%
Travel aggregators 40%
And they’re used with
websites for price
comparisons
Use apps
only
Use
websites
only
Use
both:
62% 9%24%

24.
Proprietary + Confidential
Shopping apps are used to both research product
information (including prices) and to buy products
Focus on Vietnamese shopping / retail apps
Question:J1 What's most important to you in a shopping / retail app?
Question:J2 When it comes to using shopping / retail apps, which of these describes what you typically do?
Question: J4 How much of your online shopping do you think is made on smartphone apps?
Use shopping apps n=760
A good shopping app shows
price and product
information and helps to
find products easily
(Top 3 important elements of shopping apps)
Price of products 77%
Good product information 70%
Ease of searching / finding
what you want 60%
And they’re used to
research and buy
products
Just to
research
Just to
buy
For
both:
73% 16%11% of online shopping is
estimated to be from apps
31%

25.
Proprietary + Confidential
Question:J5 When it comes to making price comparisons for goods, which one of these best describes you?
Use shopping apps n=561
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
Price comparisons are done across apps and websites
Making retail / shopping price comparisons

26.
Almost all will customise app notifications and an app is
kept, or re-engaged with, if it can show its relevance.
App engagement

27.
Proprietary + Confidential
Notifications help people stay up to date, but they come
too often or at the wrong times
Question: F2. What do you find most helpful about app notifications?
Question: F3 What do you find least helpful about app notifications? Smartphone users n= 1000
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
Most helpful parts of push notifications (top 5) Least helpful parts of push notifications (top 5)
They keep me up to date
They help me to keep track
of an activity / event
They help me discover new
content
They keep me connected
I don't have to check
individual apps for updates
I get too many of them
They are not timely / come
at odd times of the day
They distract me from what
I'm doing
They are too disruptive
They are irrelevant / not
important

28.
Proprietary + Confidential
33%
of apps have
notifications
turned off
(11 out
of 33 apps)
Almost all users will customise app notifications –
especially for social networking and messaging apps
Question: F4 Which of these kinds of apps do you customise the notifications for?
Question: F6. How many of these have you turned off the notifications for? Smartphone users n=1000
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
Customising and turning off app notifications
94%
have customised
notifications for any app
(highest of all APAC markets)
Social networking 66%
Messaging, comms. 61%
News & weather 38%
Games 31%
Media & ents. 31%
App categories which have
customised notifications (top 5)

29.
Proprietary + Confidential
80% of users are aware that notifications can be turned
off and this is done via both the general and app settings
Question: F5 Did you know that push notifications can be switched off? Question: F6. How many of these have you turned off the
notifications for? Smartphone users n=1000
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
79%
Aware notifications
can be turned off
Via the general
settings of my phone
38%
Via the
app's settings
Turning off app notifications
41%
11
out of 33
apps have
notifications
turned off
(33%)

30.
Proprietary + Confidential
There’s a need for an app to maintain relevance and
usefulness, otherwise it will get deleted
Question:E3 What are the typical reasons why you delete / uninstall apps from your smartphone?
Smartphone users n=1000,
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
Reasons why apps are uninstalled / deleted (top 5)
It’s not relevant to me
anymore
I don’t find it useful
anymore
I found a better app that
does the same job
It takes up too much
memory on my
smartphone
It has bugs / keeps
crashing
61% 59% 57% 55% 45%

31.
Proprietary + Confidential
Three apps are deleted every month, with gaming
repertoires being the most transient
Question: E2. How often do you uninstall / delete the following types of apps?
Users of app category n=various (range from n=638 to n=980)
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
Uninstalled apps: number and type uninstalled (% monthly)
3
apps
uninstalled
each month
Games Books,
comics,
mags
Shopping &
e-comm.
Lifestyle Education Transport. Finance Productivity,
tools,
business
Travel and
local
News &
weather

32.
Proprietary + Confidential
Half of smartphone users are likely to start using their
occasional or lapsed apps again
Question:G1 how likely are you to start using any of them more often in the next 3 months?
Those who have occasionally / rarely / have stopped using apps n=966,
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
Likelihood to use occasional / lapsed apps more often in the next three months
12
apps used
occasionally
(8) or
stopped
using (4)

33.
Proprietary + Confidential
Half of Vietnamese users are interested in re-engaging
with low use apps, if they can demonstrate their relevance
Question:G1 how likely are you to start using any of them more often in the next 3 months?
Question: G2 What would encourage you to use apps you don't use often / have stopped using?
Those who have occasionally / rarely / have stopped using apps n=966,
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
Likelihood and reasons to use occasional / lapsed apps more often in the next three months
51%
Top 3 reasons to encourage app
re-engagement
#1 If the app becomes
more relevant to me 60%
#2 If the app was updated
with new features 42%
#3 If my friends or family are
using / talking about it more 41%
Likelihood over the
next 3 months of using
any of the 12 apps
used occasionally (8)
or stopped using (4)
3rd
highest in APAC

34.
Cross country comparison
Smartphone adoption is high, but the device is not yet seen
as the main way to access the internet.

35.
Proprietary + Confidential
Smartphone
penetration %
* ID and IN is 2015 data
Awaiting sign off on 2016 dataset for these two markets.
All other markets is 2016 data
Smartphone as main
device for internet
access %
Average number of
apps installed
*CN figures are based on CN Recontact
JP
36
SG
41%
KR
43%
Vietnam has high levels of smartphone adoption but the
device is not seen as the main way to get online access
Smartphone penetration: Consumer Barometer
Question: A1. Which of these is your main device for accessing the internet / getting online?
B2. How many apps do you have installed in total? Base: Smartphone users, n=1000 per market
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
30% 95%
IN*
33%
ID*
43%
JP
59%
PH
61%
TH
70%
VN
72%
MY
81%
SG & KR
91%
30% 75%
JP
31%
VN
38%
TH
54%
PH
57%
MY
55%
IN
69%
ID
71%
IN, VN & ID
33
25 55
TH
32
MY
34
PH
39
SG
44
KR
53
CN
79%
CN
44%
CN*
38

36.
Proprietary + Confidential
Customise app
notifications
Turn off app notifications
(% share of apps)
Likelihood of re-engaging
with occasional /
lapsed apps
PH
30%
VN
33%
TH
35%
VN is #1 in Asia for customising app notifications, but
users will not necessarily turn them all off
Smartphone penetration: Consumer Barometer
Question: A1. Which of these is your main device for accessing the internet / getting online?
B2. How many apps do you have installed in total? Base: Smartphone users, n=1000 per market
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
50% 100%
JP
55%
ID
67%
PH
68%
SG & KR
75%
MY
84%
IN
90%
TH
89%
VN
94%
20% 50%
IN
22%
ID
29%
MY
38%
KR
48%
JP & SG
49%
MY
37%
10% 70%
PH
41%
VN
51%
TH
43%
IN
61%
ID
66%
JP
10%
CN
80%
CN
34%
CN
35%
SG & KR
24%

37.
Appendix:
Sample profile

38.
Proprietary + Confidential
Question: S1. How old are you? S2. Please select your gender S3. Where do you live?
S4. Which of these devices do you currently use? S5. How often do you access the internet for any reason (personal or job-related)? L2. What is your
regular annual household income before tax? Smartphone users, n=1000
TNS / GOOGLE SMARTPHONE APPS RESEARCH VIETNAM
Profile of smartphone users in Vietnam
48%
male
52%
female
Gender Age Frequency of using the internet
95% 5% 0%
Daily Weekly Less
often
Other devices used
Computer 93%
TV 70%
Tablet 61%
Basic mobile phone 60%
Connected / smart TV 58%
High-spec / feature phone 35%
Games Console 27%
Smartwatch 26%
Electronic fitness tracker 20%
e-reader 19%
Household incomeRegion
South East 37%
Red River Delta 28%
South Central Coast 11%
North Central Coast 7%
North East 6%
Mekong Delta 6%
Central Highlands 2%
North West 1%

39.
© Google 2016