Phuong Nayen, Josh Ye

HONG KONG/HANOI – Four sources familiar with the matter stated that TikTok had been testing its users’ ability to use their video-sharing app in Vietnam as part of a larger push into gaming.

It would increase advertising revenue and the time spent on the app, as well as boost its popularity with over 1 billion active monthly users.

Vietnam boasts a technology-savvy population, with 70% of the citizens below 35 years old. This makes Vietnam a desirable market for social media platforms like TikTok and Meta Platforms Inc’s Facebook (NASDAQ 🙂 and Alphabet Inc’s YouTube (NASDAQ 🙂 Inc’s Google and YouTube.

The people claimed that TikTok (owned by China’s ByteDance) plans to spread gaming further in Southeast Asia. According to two people, this could be as early as the 3rd quarter.

Because the source information is not yet publicly available, they declined to identify themselves.

TikTok’s representative stated the company tested HTML5 games through tie-ups and collaborations with third party game developers, studios, such as Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:) Inc., however, he declined to comment about its Vietnam plans or wider gaming ambitions.

In an email statement sent to Reuters, the representative stated that they are always exploring ways to enhance our platform. She also said that new integrations and features were being tested regularly to add value to our community.

ByteDance has not responded to our request for comment.

Reuters couldn’t learn the plans of TikTok for expanding gaming services in other regions. TikTok users are able to watch live games, but they cannot play the TikTok apps in many regions. Only a few games are available in the United States.