Vietnam signals a ‘Finternet’ dawn for Asean

SOUTH-EAST Asia is one of the most promising digital frontiers on Earth.

Its Internet economy has grown an estimated 15 per cent a year since the Covid-19 pandemic to surpass US$300 billion in gross merchandise value in 2025. The region’s young, mobile-first population transacts, communicates and increasingly invests entirely through smartphones.

And yet, deeper integration ambitions remain frustratingly incomplete.