When did Grab come to Vietnam?

When did Grab enter Vietnam?

2014. It feels like a lifetime ago. GrabTaxi. God, that name. So… naive.

The whole thing happened so fast. A blur of expansion, really.

Now it’s… Grab. Fifteen services. Fifty places. Crazy.

I remember my brother worked for them. Briefly. 2018 maybe. Said the pressure was insane. Burnout city.

Vietnam opened a whole new market. Huge, of course. But I wonder about the cost.

• The human cost. My brother, for one.
• The cultural cost. The changes… they always leave scars.
• The environmental cost. All those scooters.

It’s late. I should sleep. But sometimes, this stuff…it keeps you awake. A cold, heavy feeling. 2014. A number. A beginning. An ending, too, for some.

When did Uber start in Vietnam?

Uber Vietnam kicked off in June 2014. Part of a bigger Asian push. Bangkok four months prior. Beijing in April of that year. Interesting how companies pick their spots. Strategic, almost like chess.

• June 2014: Uber Vietnam launch
• February 2014: Bangkok launch
• April 2014: Beijing launch

Expansion is fascinating. A calculated risk. Uber saw potential in Southeast Asia. Vietnam, a key player. Think of the motorbike culture. How would that integrate? They adapted. UberMoto. Clever. Did they foresee the competition? Grab, Gojek, and the others. The market’s dynamic. Always shifting. Reminds me of Hegelian dialectic. Thesis, antithesis, synthesis. Perhaps overly philosophical. But still.

When did Uber come to Vietnam?

Uber entered Vietnam in 2014. Interesting to consider how quickly ride-hailing integrated itself. Launched first in Ho Chi Minh City, then Hanoi. They later expanded to other cities, including Da Nang. Service discontinued in 2018. Grab acquired Uber’s Southeast Asian operations. This included Vietnam.

• 2014: Uber launches in Vietnam.
• HCMC & Hanoi: Initial launch cities.
• Da Nang & others: Later expansion.
• 2018: Uber exits Southeast Asia. Grab takes over.

Remember those early Uber cars? I preferred the black Toyota Innovas. Different experience compared to taxis. Now, ride-hailing is commonplace. Food delivery, too. The app ecosystem changed urban life significantly. Think about it. We order groceries, get rides, all from our phones. Tech impacts daily habits so fast. It’s fascinating. I wonder what the next disruption will be. Flying taxis? Self-driving cars? Who knows. The pace of change is crazy. I used to live near Tan Son Nhat airport. Getting a ride was so much easier with Uber. I’d often order one while waiting for my luggage. Time is a precious commodity. Even small conveniences add up.

Why is Uber not in Vietnam?

Sunlight on chrome. A bike weaves. Hanoi heat. The ghost of an app, a phantom ride. Uber, not here. Not really here.

A wisp of what could be. A tap, a screen. No car arrives. Not in this land. They exist elsewhere. A different space. A different time.

Cross-border whispers. Digital tendrils. Reaching, not grasping. No roots in this soil. No office, no sign. Just the echo. The echo of a ride.

Tax, a shadow. Loopholes, like smoke. Drifting. Dissipating. The rules, they bend. Around the edges. Of what is real. Of what is not.

Vietnam’s streets, alive. Bikes flow. Cars honk. Uber, a ghost. A phantom limb. A memory, almost. Of a ride not taken. Here. Now.

• No physical presence: Uber operates through cross-border supply, no established company within Vietnam.
• Tax avoidance: Exploiting legal loopholes to circumvent local tax laws.
• Service availability: Technically available, but operates outside the established regulatory framework.
• Local competition: Facing strong competition from established local ride-hailing services like Grab.
• Regulatory challenges: Navigating complex Vietnamese regulations regarding transportation and taxation.

Why did Grab beat Uber?

Hyperlocal. Yeah. Grab knew the streets. Like, literally. Better maps. Uber drivers always getting lost in Jakarta. My friend Budi told me that. Happened to him twice. Motorcycle taxis. Genius. Who needs a car in Bangkok traffic? So much faster. Cash. Big deal. Not everyone has credit cards. Especially in 2023. Duh. Partnering with local businesses. Street food stalls. Convenience stores. Smart. GrabFood, GrabMart. Integrated everything. Uber was… what? Just rides? Remember that weird ice cream thing they did? Failed. Grab understood. They get Southeast Asia. Totally different market. Food delivery huge here. Always has been. Like, my grandma ordered food delivery. Before apps even. Phone call. Crazy. So Grab just… digitized it all. Better understanding of the customer. I use Grab all the time now. Food, rides, even pay bills.

• Hyperlocal strategy: Maps, language, cultural understanding.
• Transportation options: Cars, motorcycles, even boats in some places.
• Payment methods: Cash, credit cards, mobile wallets.
• Integrated services: Food, groceries, package delivery, financial services.
• Partnerships: Local businesses, restaurants, shops.

Budi uses it too. He even drives for Grab sometimes. Extra cash. He makes good money. Flexible hours. Better than Uber. They left, right? Couldn’t compete. Grab won.

• Driver benefits: Flexible hours, competitive pay, incentives.
• Market dominance: Grab became the leading superapp in Southeast Asia.

Why did Uber fail in Southeast Asia?

Arrogance. It’s a common downfall.

Uber underestimated the local players.

• Gojek and Grab: They knew the terrain. And the traffic.
• Uber thought its model would simply translate. It didn’t.

Profitability eluded them. Big surprise.

• Competition was fierce. Price wars a daily occurrence. Ouch.
• Southeast Asia, not California. Different economics. Obvious.

Regulation proved a hurdle. Shocking, right?

• Governments favored local companies. Protectionism lives.
• Uber’s aggressive tactics backfired. Imagine that.

Cultural differences mattered. Who knew?

• Localization was weak. The app felt foreign. Uncool.
• Ignoring local customs never works. Learned that the hard way.

Grab bought Uber’s Southeast Asia operations in 2018. $7.8 billion. A fire sale? Or smart business? You decide. It was a calculated move. Smart indeed.

My aunt used to say, “Pride goeth before a fall.” Maybe Uber should’ve listened. Or maybe they just did not care, honestly.