GrabFood is the easier visitor default in Vietnam, while ShopeeFood is the essential local comparison. Both reach far beyond the main metropolitan markets, but the delivery pin still decides what can actually be ordered.
Install Grab before arrival and add ShopeeFood if the store region allows it. Compare the complete basket at the exact address, not the headline discount. GrabFood is the clearer fallback when an English interface or existing account matters, and cash remains valuable when a payment authorisation fails.
| What matters | Best move |
|---|---|
| The simplest setup for a short visit | Use GrabFood first with the exact entrance pin and compare card with cash at checkout.495 |
| More restaurants or a lower final total | Check the same address and basket in ShopeeFood before paying.210 |
| A foreign card is declined or adds too much | Select cash where offered and have close to the displayed amount ready.48 |
| GrabFood and ShopeeFood show a weak selection | Test beFood or Green SM Food at the pin, then compare the full checkout total.1213 |
A dominant local delivery service with extensive restaurant coverage and different prices and promotions from GrabFood.
A practical visitor option inside Grab, with broad national coverage and an officially documented cash checkout.
Food delivery inside the Be app, useful as a smaller local comparison in supported cities.
The Green SM app's newer Food service, with live availability that still needs to be checked by address.
Not available here Uber Eats does not operate in Vietnam. GrabFood and ShopeeFood are the two dominant delivery services, with beFood and Green SM Food as smaller alternatives.
A full-year 2025 market report estimated GrabFood and ShopeeFood at 48% each of Vietnam's food-delivery platform GMV, with beFood at 4%. That makes the two leaders the useful first comparison, not interchangeable copies. The same restaurant can show different promotions, fees and delivery estimates in each app.1
A separate 2025 consumer survey found a different pattern by city. ShopeeFood led in Hanoi at 56%, while GrabFood reached 50% in Ho Chi Minh City. Treat those figures as a reason to compare locally, not as a promise that one app wins at every hotel or apartment.2
On 5 March 2026, Grab said it had expanded to all 34 Vietnamese provinces and centrally administered cities, with at least three services, including GrabFood, in each. Older guides that restrict GrabFood to a short list of major cities now understate its reach.7
National presence doesn't guarantee door-to-door coverage. GrabFood filters restaurants by distance from the delivery address and marks closed or unavailable merchants in the live list. A beach resort, industrial edge or rural homestay can therefore show far fewer choices than the nearest city centre.4
Grab’s service information, updated in July 2026, says Moca adds a 4% processing fee when payment uses a card issued outside Vietnam. It is calculated on the final amount shown in the app, excluding the tip, and the fee is subject to 10% VAT. The issuing bank can still add its own conversion charge.89
Cash is an official GrabFood checkout option. It is the practical second method, not a workaround arranged in chat. Grab asks customers with large notes to warn the delivery partner through GrabChat so the courier can prepare enough change.4
ShopeeFood’s current website displays more than 40 locality labels, including Huế, Cần Thơ, Hải Phòng and many names from the pre-2025 provincial map. Treat that directory as a list of service markets, not as the country’s current 34-unit administrative map. Enter the address before deciding that a locality label means useful coverage.107
ShopeeFood’s public payment page lists Visa, Mastercard and JCB, but it still uses legacy Now.vn, AirPay and Now Credits labels. Treat it as evidence of the published card networks, not a current guarantee that the same screen or every overseas card will work. Use the methods shown in the live checkout and keep another route available.11
For a hotel or apartment, pin the entrance a motorbike courier can actually reach. Use the delivery note for a specific entrance, parking point, nearby landmark or unit number. A pin in the middle of a block can send the courier to the wrong side of a wall or complex.46
Ask reception whether the courier may enter or must meet the guest outside. Then watch the live order and keep the registered number active. Use the platform chat for corrections so the address and handoff remain attached to the order record.49
BAEMIN stopped operating in Vietnam on 8 December 2023. Gojek then ended GoFood, GoRide and GoSend on 16 September 2024. Restaurant pages and travel posts that still recommend either app are stale, even if an old listing can still be found online.314
beFood’s April 2026 coverage page says it remains focused mainly on Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Green SM publishes a current Food service page and rate table, but the app still decides whether the service is live at the address. Both are real comparisons, not nationwide replacements for checking GrabFood and ShopeeFood.1213
If no platform serves the pin, ask the accommodation to name a nearby restaurant that accepts direct delivery or pickup. Confirm the total, payment method and reachable meeting point before the kitchen starts.410
GrabFood is the easiest first choice for most short visits because it sits inside the international Grab app and now has broad national reach. ShopeeFood is the comparison worth adding, particularly in Hanoi and other cities where its restaurant list or final total is better.
GrabFood officially offers cash at checkout. Prepare close to the exact amount and message the courier before arrival if only a large note is available. Other apps decide the available methods for each account and order.
Sometimes. GrabFood does not publish one nationwide closing time because the available list depends on the delivery address and each restaurant’s hours. Enter the pin and use the live Open or Unavailable status for that night.
There is no single nationwide total. Grab’s July 2026 table lists delivery rates by province, service fees of VND4,000 or VND6,000, small-order fees of VND2,000 or VND3,000 depending on the area, and optional priority delivery of VND5,000 to VND15,000. Use the final checkout total for the exact address.
Usually, if the hotel allows outside deliveries and the entrance falls inside the live delivery zone. Ask reception where couriers should stop, pin that entrance, add the hotel name and room or guest name, and keep the registered phone reachable.
These apps need data
Guac eSIM covers Vietnam with plans from $0.58 per GB. Install it before you land and activate instantly.
Use official entry portals, keep cash, and match each island with the right app
Use local ride apps, official entry portals, and current border advice
Compare rides by city, keep Lao kip, and expect the official railway app to be fallible
Check official warnings, plan every route, and keep cash and offline backups
Use Grab widely, treat Touch 'n Go card and eWallet as separate tools, and verify every terminal
Register eTravel, keep pesos, and download maps before moving between islands
