TikTok, under fire elsewhere, sees spike in Vietnam e-commerce

HO CHI MINH CITY -- TikTok Vietnam said the number of merchants on its app tripled last year, as did average sales, fueling its optimism in the tightly censored country after setbacks in markets from the U.S. to Indonesia.

VinFast motorbikes and Samsung phones were among products that led e-commerce growth, TikTok Shop said on Thursday, declining Nikkei Asia's request for revenue figures. The Chinese company's rapid ascent in Vietnam adds to Southeast Asia's position as a top revenue source for TikTok, whose parent, ByteDance, looks set to become the world's biggest social media group.