Moloco Data Reveals Vietnam Leading Global Trend in Diversified User Acquisition Spending

HANOI, VIETNAM, 24 APRIL 2025 — Vietnam-based mobile gaming publishers are leading the way in diversifying global marketing spend with 75% of their user acquisition budgets directed outside of the US, well above the global average of 60%, according to new insights shared by Moloco, a leader in operational machine learning (ML) and performance advertising. The data was unveiled during a media briefing held today in Hanoi. Moloco’s research also highlighted that leading global gaming publishers are reliant on the US for as much as 48% of their revenue. 

By diversifying outside of the US, Vietnamese publishers may provide strategic advantages in today’s evolving digital landscape, potentially helping them discover growth opportunities across various markets while reducing dependency on one single region. 

These insights set the stage for deeper discussion at the event, themed “Transforming Vietnam’s Digital Advertising: A Machine Learning Approach”. The session featured Paul D’Arcy, Chief Marketing Officer at Moloco; Jason Le, Director of New Business Development for Southeast Asia; and Mr. Truong Duc - Vice President of Capital Advertising Association (CAA), who explored how advanced ML technologies can help local advertisers develop more balanced strategies that capitalize on both international high-value markets and emerging domestic opportunities with greater efficiency.

With Vietnam’s digital economy projected to reach US$45 billion by 2025, digital advertising is expected to be a pivotal role in fueling that growth. According to Industry estimates, Vietnam’s mobile app publishing sector drove more than 5.6 billion downloads worldwide, placing the country in the global top 3 for app downloads. The sector has become a major economic contributor, estimated to employ more than 100,000 people across the country. However, advertisers are under increasing pressure to maximise impact amid shrinking budgets, recent trade policy shifts and rapidly shifting consumer behaviors. In this landscape, the need for smarter, automated advertising solutions is more urgent than ever.

During the session, Mr. Truong Duc - Vice President of Capital Advertising Association (CAA) highlighted the untapped potential of the country’s advertising market. “In today’s mobile-first landscape, Vietnamese consumers expect more relevant and personalized digital experiences. Traditional advertising approaches may no longer deliver the performance brands need. To thrive, Vietnamese businesses must embrace smarter technologies that enable real-time optimization, deeper audience insights, and more meaningful customer engagement,” said Mr. Truong Duc - Vice President of Capital Advertising Association (CAA).  

Attendees also gained valuable insights from Paul D’Arcy, Chief Marketing Officer at Moloco into how ML is driving advertising outcomes for Vietnamese businesses. Jason Le, Director of New Business Development for Southeast Asia, then spotlighted compelling success stories of how Moloco is empowering Vietnamese businesses to grow. 

“Vietnam’s digital economy is experiencing remarkable growth, creating both opportunities and challenges for local businesses,” said Jason Le, Director of New Business Development, Southeast Asia at Moloco. “By applying advanced ML technologies to their advertising strategies, Vietnamese businesses can identify and capitalize on growth opportunities both internationally as well as the untapped potential within the domestic market. Our technology empowers brands to strike that balance – scaling efficiently across borders while unlocking growth domestically. We’ve seen this in action with partners like Viettel Money, VTC Mobile, and Falcon Game Studio, who are leveraging ML to drive smarter, more sustainable growth.”

Outside of Vietnam, Moloco continues to gain momentum globally and across Southeast Asia. The company has partnered with brands such as global e-commerce leader Wayfair, social networking and dating app, Bumble and telecommunications giant, Jio to deliver ML-powered performance advertising at scale. Moloco also recently appointed Nopparat Yokubon, as Moloco Ads Lead for Southeast Asia (SEA), Australia, and New Zealand (ANZ), and Jason Bagg, as Moloco's Commerce Media Lead for ANZ, strengthening its leadership in emerging markets like Vietnam.

About Moloco
Moloco’s mission is to empower businesses of all sizes to grow through operational machine learning. With Moloco’s machine learning platform for growth and performance, every app publisher, commerce marketplace, and streaming business can now unlock the value of their unique, first-party data. Moloco Ads helps mobile apps acquire and retain high-value users while giving transparency and control back to marketers. Moloco Commerce Media is an enterprise software solution that enables retailers and marketplaces to build their own ad business with a flexible solution that delivers relevance, results, and automation for scaled and streamlined ad operations. Moloco Streaming Monetization enables streaming media companies to revolutionize their monetization strategy by building an outcomes-based ad business that delivers relevancy for users and results for advertisers. Moloco was founded in 2013 by a team of machine learning engineers and has offices throughout the US, the UK, Germany, Korea, China, India, Japan, and Singapore.