HO CHI MINH CITY/SINGAPORE -- For Nguyen Ngoc, a merchant in Ho Chi Minh City selling blouses and wallets, a typical way to reach online customers is through Facebook. But these customers often ask to switch to online marketplace Shopee for payment.

Shopee is now Vietnam's most-visited e-commerce site, followed by Mobile World, Tiki and Alibaba's Lazada. (Source photos by Kentaro Iwamoto, Reuters and courtesy of Tiki)
COVID triggers tie-ups and investment as region's tech battleground shifts