Go-Jek kicks off maiden operation in Vietnam

Women drivers from Go-Viet take to the streets of Hanoi, Vietnam, on Wednesday. THE JAKARTA POST

HANOI — Go-Jek, the Indonesian ride-hailing app, kicked off its maiden operation in Vietnam on Wednesday, the first step of the company’s plan to expand into Southeast Asia.

In Vietnam, Go-Jek is collaborating with a local team led by digital entrepreneur Nguyen Vu Duc under the brand Go-Viet.

“We are very impressed with Go-Jek’s influence and we share the same vision,” Go-Viet CEO Vu Duc told journalists on Wednesday. He said Go-Jek was Go-Viet’s strategic partner in terms of technological and financial matters.

Go-Jek corporate affairs chief Nila Marita said it decided to collaborate with a local partner because local knowledge of the market was key to win the hearts of customers.

Vu Duc said the company was expected to have four services — Go-Bike, Go-Car, Go-Food and e-wallet – early next year.

Go-Viet launched a pilot operation on Aug. 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, which is home to around 3 million people. Since then, around 1.5 million have downloaded its application. As of Tuesday, Go-Viet has employed 25,000 drivers in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

The Indonesian startup unicorn said it was ready to invest US$500 million to operate in Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.