The promotional program, which will run from August 8 to October 24, will be applicable to local enterprises and vendors registering for the complimentary five-day delivery services, with no limit on the number of parcels transported. The gratis services aim to support local businesses and sellers in these cities (excluding the outlying areas), as well as attract new customers.

Phan Xuan Dung, country head of Ninja Van in Vietnam, said that the promotional program will encourage local businesses and vendors to experience technology-based logistics services.

Ninja Van entered Vietnam in March after two years of research on the local market and the demand for commodity delivery services, along with optimizing its technology to apply an appropriate logistics system to Vietnam.

According to data from eShopWorld, more than 35 million Vietnamese shop online; this number is forecast to soar to 42 million by 2021, and the country is expected to boast a thriving e-commerce market. Ninja Van is, therefore, trying to provide local e-commerce business logistics solutions in a faster and more efficient manner to meet the rising demand.

The business model of Ninja Van is similar to that of the app-based ride-hailing firm Grab as both work with driver-partners for shared revenue. Ninja Van, however, specializes in goods delivery and offers cash-on-delivery services in 63 provinces and cities across the country, aided by the manpower of thousands of driver-partners.

Registrations for the free delivery services can be made on the website, http://thongtin.giaohangninjavan.com/.

In related news, hundreds of GrabBike drivers on Tuesday, August 14, rushed to Khanh Hoi Park in HCMC’s District 4 to apply for the posts of Go-Viet drivers.

More than 90% of the people at the registration site were GrabBike driver-partners, according to the local media. The Grab drivers decided to join the Go-Viet platform as the newly launched firm provides free uniforms, supports each ride at a minimum cost of VND25,000 and collects a mere 10% commission from the drivers’ gross fares. This reflects Go-Viet’s driver-friendly policies.

A GrabBike rider said Grab charges drivers for uniforms, collects a commision of up to 20% and deactivates their accounts in case of violations without giving them a chance to explain. Many drivers have stopped partnering with Grab and have instead enrolled with Go-Viet.

The local media quoted another GrabBike rider as saying that more than 500 drivers join the Go-Viet platform every day, most of whom are Grab driver-partners.

Go-Viet does not charge new drivers any commissions or tariffs for their first six months. Since its debut, Go-Viet has launched a promotional program in which it charges only VND5,000 for rides less than eight kilometers. This has drawn a large number of workers and students as clients of Go-Viet’s services.

In addition to Grab and Go-Viet, several other app-based ride-hailing firms have entered the local market, such as Mai Linh Bike, Vato, Aber and, recently, FastGo, prompting the ride-hailing market to become more competitive.