VietNamNet Bridge – There are embryonic signs of the “sharing economy” taking off in Vietnam, with Uber leading the way.

Nguyen Thi Thuy Ngan, an office worker in Thanh Xuan District in Hanoi, said it was easy to call a taxi by using Uber.

“You just need to work with your smartphone for a few minutes, and a taxi will appear in front of you,” she said.

Ngan uses Uber, an app that helps customers connect taxi drivers in the easiest and quickest way.

Ngan, like many other young people, do not care about the prolonged argument among appropriate agencies about the legal status of Uber. They just use Uber because they find it convenient and economical.

Economists believe in the vitality of Uber and the sharing economy, which is built around the sharing of human and physical resources.

In the case of Uber, car owners can provide services when they can, while customers can find service providers when they need them.

The sharing economy will develop thanks to Ngan and Vietnamese youth who adapt to new circumstances and high technology.

Nielsen, a market survey firm, in its latest report, said the sharing economy would see a boom in Vietnam, where favorable conditions exist.

Three out of every four Vietnamese polled said they like the model of sharing economy, while 76 percent said they are willing to use sharing products and services. Only 18 percent of people refused to share their private assets and use the assets to serve others.

Hoang Thieu Hoan, a worker at an ad firm, said she earned tens of millions of dong from selling kumquat jam during the Tet holiday.

“At first, I just planned to make one kilo of jam for myself and my mother. But later I changed my mind. As my friends said the jam was wonderful, I decided to sell my jam and I earned a lot of money from my kumquats,” she explained.

She found buyers by posting an ad on the internet. “Everyone has a smartphone nowadays. If someone wants kumquat jam, they can search for information on the web.”

Lawyer Truong Thanh Duc, chair of Basico law firm, said that once Vietnam deeply integrates with the world, it will have to accept new business models. Prohibiting businesses is contrary to the freedom of doing business stipulated in the Constitution and the Investment Law to take effect on July 1.

An analyst, agreeing with Duc, said that new business models will develop if they are suitable to new circumstances, no matter what the policymakers think.

Duy Anh