Cryptocurrency in Vietnam: A deep dive into adoption factors and their interactions

Abstract

While traditional behavioral finance theories such as the TRA, TPB, and TAM have provided substantial insights, their application to the rapidly evolving digital finance sector, particularly cryptocurrency markets, has been limited. Addressing this gap, our study integrates Digital Trust Theory (DTT) with these frameworks to examine the role of government support in Crypto Adoption (CA) within Vietnam's dynamic but unregulated market, a prominent emerging market in global crypto trading. Utilizing Structural Equation Modeling, we processed data collected from 255 participants using SmartPLS 4.0 to explore complex relationships among User Characteristics (UC), Technology Characteristics (TC), External Environment (EX), and their impacts on Crypto Trust (CT) and Crypto Adoption CA. This dataset, comprising responses from a diverse array of participants including tech-savvy youths, business professionals, and financial experts across various regions of Vietnam, provides a robust basis for understanding the nuanced influences on cryptocurrency behaviors. Our findings underscore the significant mediating roles of Crypto Trust and governmental regulation, highlighting the crucial influence of External Environment factors on trust dynamics. These insights not only contribute to academic discourse by refining traditional behavioral finance theories for the digital era but also offer practical guidance for fostering a sustainable cryptocurrency market, thereby supporting economic development and financial security in Vietnam.