A survey done by market research firm Q&Me, found 75 percent of Vietnamese respondents in Hanoi and HCMC saying they used online food ordering services during the social distancing campaign.

Twenty-four percent said they were using food delivery services for the first time.

The survey covered 840 respondents in Hanoi and HCMC in April as the country entered a 15-22 day social distancing campaign as a preventive measure to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Those not using food delivery services said they did their own cooking (66 percent), were concerned about food quality (28 percent), high shipping costs (17 percent), time-taken for delivery (14 percent) and high food costs (14 percent).

GrabFood proved to be the most popular delivery app in Vietnam with 79 percent of users, followed by Now (56 percent), Go Food (41 percent), Baemin (15 percent) and Loship (12 percent).

The survey found 79 percent of respondents ordering food online at least once a week. Most of the respondents (51 percent) ordered food and drink delivery at lunch and teatime, 43 percent did so at dinner while 16 percent used food delivery for breakfast.

The potential of food delivery services remains strong, observers said. A recent survey of 600 food delivery app users showed 99 percent ordered food online 2-3 times a month, according to local market research firm GCOMM.

Vietnam’s food delivery market was estimated to top $38 million in 2020 by market research firm Euromonitor, which also predicted an annual growth rate of the market at 11 percent.

The post pandemic period could see greater growth with more consumers opting for safety and convenience, some market observers have said.