Its growth score was 44.96, significantly higher than the global average of 24.27, according to a report by German mobile measurement firm Adjust. The report assessed data from nearly 3,500 apps released in 2018 and 31 countries based on four industry verticals, e-commerce, entertainment, gaming, and utilities.   

Adjust’s Mobile Growth Map uses the growth score, a new metric it developed, to chart the rise of apps in global markets. It is calculated by dividing the total app installs per month by the number of monthly active users for each vertical and country to reveal the rate of growth.

The growth of entertainment apps in Vietnam was fueled by the demand for video streaming services, the report said.

The country was seeing a trend of people switching from traditional TV to over-the-top media services which allowed them to watch movies and other shows online.

Video streaming services, karaoke and music apps engaged users for long stretches of time, and presented an opportunity for diverse, relevant advertising, the report said. 

Russia was second behind Vietnam with a growth score of 44.21, followed by Thailand (36.61) and Colombia (34.87). 

Vietnam had also experienced robust growth in gaming apps with a growth score of 51.40 against the global average of 42.85 to place sixth in a list topped by Colombia. 

"The Asia Pacific is a perfect place to soft launch a new app without the heavy lifting of full localization. Indonesia, Singapore and India, as well as Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand represent great opportunities."

Vietnamese spend an average of four hours a day on their smartphones, 65 percent of that time on apps, according to a survey done last July by HCMC market research firm Q&Me. 

Around 64 million people, or over half of the country’s population, are online.