Vietnam tourism industry in the digital era from the viewpoint of sharing economy

In the context of the explosion of digital era, one of the changes has created a new turning point in the world economy is the impact of information technology via mobile platforms, social networking sites and mobile payments, this impact has formed a new revolution in the connection between the supply of goods, services and consumers in the economy. In the face of an upward trend of information technology and the use of electronic systems such as the Internet and computer networks to conduct business activities, the online shopping activity is increasing. In parallel, the consumers are more and more prefer online shopping habits which has made a significantly effect on businesses in many different fields. The development of digital era created conditions for the appearance and development of sharing economy in various areas. In simply understanding, sharing economy is an economic model in which consumers can share and use assets, goods and services of others (which the owners are not currently use or are using, but with the poor capacity and efficiency), through hiring or sharing for the use of assets, goods and services. The interaction between owners and consumers are made via an intermediary platform, which are software or applications on the Internet. The essence of sharing economy model is the share for the common use of properties. Such assets may be goods, services or experiences in life. In Vietnam, the sharing economy has presented and is quite popular in many realms, including tourism industry. Specifically, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is the considerable tourist center of the country with full of favorable conditions for tourism development. However, the activities of this model in the field of tourism in HCMC still have many challenges besides advantages and great development opportunities. In front of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, the formation and development of sharing economy model is inevitable. However, during the advancement process, there is unfair competition with traditional businesses. Therefore, there should be much more intensive researches in this field in order to finalize the model and get rid of unfair competition.