Jack Ma has Alibaba, Vietnam has…40tencuop.com

(Baonghean.vn) - The billion-dollar acquisition of Ladaza by Alibaba is currently the hottest news in Vietnam's e-commerce industry. The acquisition of Ladaza demonstrates the ambition of the world's largest e-commerce group to enter Vietnam and the Southeast Asian region. However, while Alibaba has yet to make any new moves to serve Vietnamese users, it has already received a declaration of war from '40 thieves'.

Just one day after Alibaba took control of Lazada, a website with the domain name 40tencuop.com appeared. Upon accessing it, one sees the prominent message "We declare war on Alibaba!" along with an English line stating that 40tencuop is a new e-commerce platform about to launch.

Images and messages displayed when accessing the website 40tencuop.com.

The 40tencuop.com website interface also features icons for online payment, purchasing via smartphone or laptop, delivery, delivery location, etc., which are characteristic elements of e-commerce.

Billionaire Jack Ma named his company Alibaba, after the character in the famous fairy tale "Alibaba and the Forty Thieves," because he wanted international customers to be able to buy Chinese goods as easily as Alibaba's magic words, "Open Sesame!" He also wanted to liken his goods to treasures hidden behind a door. Alibaba's nemesis in the story is none other than the 40 thieves – the 'threat' from the person behind this domain name is clear.

The question is: Is this really a Vietnamese e-commerce platform aiming to 'counterbalance' the Chinese giant, or is it just a joke to react to Alibaba's 'debut' in the Vietnamese market? If the person behind this domain name is serious about entering the e-commerce game, then this is certainly a highly creative and initially successful marketing strategy.

Information from Who.is indicates that the administrator of 40tencuop.com is currently in Hanoi.

It remains unclear who created the domain name 40tencuop.com. Information from the Who.is website indicates that 40tencuop.com was registered on April 16th, and the registrant is from Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi. Amid predictions by many experts that Alibaba will dominate e-commerce and threaten traditional retail in Vietnam, 40tencuop.com could be a glimmer of hope to alleviate the anxieties of Vietnamese businesses. Let's wait and see what the 40 thieves will do to "welcome" Alibaba?

Thanh Hien