Smartphone sales in Vietnam plunged 28 percent year-on-year in the third quarter as shops were shut and mobility restrictions blocked deliveries.
Sales started to fall in August and plunged deeply in September, a report by market research company Counterpoint revealed, without giving specific figures.
Around 70 percent of smartphone stores in Vietnam were closed in July, which increased online sales at one of the biggest smartphone chains in Vietnam by 5.9 percentage points to 17.5 percent between July and August, the report noted.
Electronics chain CellphoneS in July stated its sales had dropped by 70 percent at the time, while another chain Di Dong Viet switched to distributing food.
In the third quarter, Samsung led in sales with 49 percent of the market, the highest ever, up 13 percentage points year-on-year.
Oppo came second with 19 percent of sales, down 1 percentage point, followed by Xiaomi at 13 percent, down 4 percentage points.
5G smartphone sales accounted for 20 percent of the total in the third quarter, with the ratio expected to rise this quarter as network operators plan to expand their 5G services.
A media representative of Counterpoint said that as restrictions are relaxed, workers begin to return to industrial parks, and the vaccination ratio increases, smartphone sales in Vietnam could rebound before the end of the year.