The start of 2025 inherited a seemingly bright economic picture from 2024, with Vietnam’s GDP exceeding the government's GDP target. This resilience was initially reflected in high consumer confidence at the end of 2024, signalling optimism fo

🍜Vietnam Instant Noodle - From Childhood Cravings to Pandemic Necessity

🇻🇳For many Vietnamese, instant noodles are the ultimate comfort food - hot, filling, and nostalgic. They bring back memories of childhood, student days, picnics, journeys, and simpler times.

Like all comfort food, they offer pleasure more than nutrition - something we all turned to, and probably overindulged in, during the pandemic.

🍛Home-cooked meals once defined family life, especially dinner gatherings. But as lifestyles quickened, sitting down for a proper meal became a rarity 🧑‍💻

Cheap, convenient, and everywhere, instant noodles filled that gap, a quick, flavorful fix that only needs boiling water.

🛒Now found in every convenience store, supermarket, and sidewalk stall, a pack of mì gói fuels those always on the move. To many, it’s survival food in a fast-paced life.

Take a closer look at how a humble bowl became Vietnam’s cultural staple in the infographic below

Source: Vietcetera, Vietdata, Asia Plus Inc, Saigoneer, Vietnamnews, Thế Giới Tiếp Thị, Báo An Ninh Thủ Đô, World Instant Noodle Association (WINA)

*While information from Asia Circles is publicly accessible and derived from third-party sources, its verification and validity are not guaranteed.

#ConsumerInsight #MarketInsight #InstantNoodle #AsiaBusiness #VietnamCulture #InstantNoodles #FoodIndustry #ConvenienceFood #FMCGVietnam | 11 comments on LinkedIn

At the flagship Hyundai Department Store in Seoul, a limited-edition bottle of Macallan whisky sold out in under ten minutes. In the lobby, young customers queued for what many described as a “different kind of shopping experience.”

The mayor of Hanam City in South Korea turns his city in the world capital of K-Pop now together with fashion and attracting the film industry.

In Korea, "Stage Hanam," hosted by Hanam City and Hanam Cultural Foundation, launched its second half of the year with a splendid opening performance last week.

The outspoken mayor of Hanam City, Lee Hyeon-jae, has a vision for his city as the global capital of K-pop, reaping the economic and tourism benefits that come with it.

📢 IMPORTANT UPDATE: Vietnam Implements New Administrative Map – Effective July 1, 2025 🇻🇳

Starting 1 July 2025, the Vietnamese government has officially enacted a nationwide restructuring of its administrative boundaries. This major change includes:

✅ Merging of several provinces and cities
✅ Adjustments to district and commune-level jurisdictions
✅ Standardisation of names and borders for more efficient governance

🔍 This update aims to streamline administrative processes, improve public service delivery, and support long-term socio-economic development.

💼 For the tourism and business sectors, it’s essential to review updated maps, addresses, and official place names in your communications, logistics, and travel itineraries.

At Vietravel Australia, we’re monitoring these changes closely and will continue to keep our clients, partners, and travellers informed to ensure smooth travel planning and coordination.

📍 Stay tuned as we share updated destination content and helpful tools reflecting the new administrative layout of Vietnam.

#Vietnam #AdministrativeUpdate #Vietnam2025 #TravelUpdates #VietravelAustralia #

🇻🇳Hao Hao - Vietnam’s No.1 Instant Noodle in Mind & Market

The name Hao Hao comes from Sino-Vietnamese, meaning “good” or “kind”, reflecting the brand’s promise of delivering a trusted, high-quality instant noodle.

🍜 With iconic flavor, everyday affordability, and deep cultural roots, Hảo Hảo is more than just a noodle, it’s a familiar comfort woven into daily life and generations of Vietnamese households.

With 40% market share, Hảo Hảo remains Vietnam’s leading instant noodle brand:
🔹2023 Revenue: 14.000 billion VND (+15% YoY)
🏆No.1 Most Chosen Instant Noodle Brand
🏆No 1 Brand Recognition in Vietnam

📊Vietnam Instant Noodles Market 2025
🔸Market Value: US$ 8.68 USD Billion
🔸No 3 Instant Noodle Consumption globally
🔸CAGR: 6.99% (2025–2032)
🔸Growth drivers: Urbanization, Gen Z & Millennial demand, rising interest in regional & global flavors, and healthier noodles

📌  What Makes Hao Hao a Market Leader in Vietnam

💕Authentic Vietnamese Flavor: Hảo Hảo's iconic spicy-sour shrimp flavor has dominated the Vietnamese instant noodle market, remaining the unbeatable national favorite for over 20 years
🛒 Omni-Channel Mastery: From school canteens to to major retailers, Hảo Hảo is on every shelf
🛍️ Affordable & Familiar: Offer diverse flavors crafted for Vietnamese taste
👀 Consistency Over Novelty: Long-term brand equity through relevant, purpose-driven branding

🔍 What Global Brands Can Learn
✅ Localization Matters: Tailor products to regional tastes and noodle habits.
✅ Distribution is key to penetrate into retail networks
✅ Affordable Access: Balance quality with  competitive pricing

Source: Data Bridge, StrategyHelix, 6Wresearch, Brands Vietnam, Navee, The Investor

#VietnamMarket #FMCG #HaoHao #InstantNoodle #ConsumerGoods #MarketInsight

⚡ STING Energy Drink – Vietnam’s Youthful Powerhouse. Launched by PepsiCo in 2002, STING has grown into a category leader in Vietnam’s energy drink segment.

📊 As of mid-2013 (Nielsen Report):
Sting: 52% market share
Number 1: With 23% share
Others (Samurai, Red Tiger, etc.): 25%

🥇 Key Drivers of Success:
- Bold local flavor innovation
- Gen Z-focused branding
- Affordable daily pricing
- Ubiquitous presence: street shops → supermarkets
- Safety assurance: Ingredients certified by PepsiCo Global & Ministry of Health & FDA-approved colouring.

🎯 Why STING Works in Vietnam:
🔺 Bold Flavor = Emotional Hook
A sweet fizz + caffeine kick = instant energizer.
🔺 Brand Built for Youth
“Sting” echoes “teen” — naturally resonates with Gen Z.
🔺 Mass Access at a Daily Price
Convenient, practical, and within reach — everywhere.
🔺 Cultural Relevance Over Global Badge
STING feels Vietnamese in taste, tone, and experience.
 
🎮 Campaign Highlight: “Where I Don’t Live”
To reinforce Gen Z loyalty, STING launched a mobile-first gamified experience:
- Discover hidden Vietnamese locations
- Play via web app, win branded merchandise
- AI-powered social listening kept gameplay fresh and local
🔥 Results: 24M+ engagements, 40K+ players, 30% market share increase

🛵 Campaign Highlight 2: STING Stopover (Sting Café Espresso)
- Targeted GrabBike drivers with time-triggered free trial coupons.
- 7-day reward streak via mobile
- Strategic tie-up with Grab & 7-Eleven
 +328% daily sales at 7-Eleven, 🚀
 WARC Media Bronze Award 🏆

 🌏 What Global Brands Can Learn :
✅ Time + Context Matter
Targeted mobile nudges at the right moment outperform traditional media blasts.
✅ Mobile-First Markets Need Mobile-First Campaigns
Vietnam’s smartphone-driven culture demands real-time, native experiences.
✅ Consistency Builds Habits
STING built daily rituals, not just product awareness.

 Key Takeaway
🧠 STING isn’t just a drink — it’s part of Vietnam’s Gen Z rhythm. From gaming stations to street corners, it’s fun, fast, and energy-packed — empowering youth to keep going, whether in a match or on the move.

🇻🇳 Because in Vietnam, brands that act local don’t just fit in — they lead.

#EnergyDrinks #VietnamMarket #StingEnergy #YouthMarketing #FMCGStrategy #BrandLocalization #PepsiCo #VietnamBusiness

Sources:
Statista for Energy Drink in Vietnam 
- Revenue at and out of home in 2025
Nielsen (2013) 
– Sting got 52% market share
MMA Global 
- Campaign Highlight: “Where I Don’t Live”
Brands Vietnam
 – STING Stopover (Sting Café Espresso)

With a total income of around US$450,000 a year in Boston, Massachusetts, my wife and I only needed about two years' worth of income to buy a house. - VnExpress International

GLOBALink | Border port in China's Yunnan sees surge in Vietnamese tourists-

Vietjet Aviation Joint Stock Company reported a 24 percent year-on-year (YoY) increase in consolidated profit for Q1 2025.

British aviation services company Collinson International released its travel benefits and customer engagement report on April 7, revealing that South Korean c

Over the past decade, both China and South Korea have shaped influential cultural movements, but the engines behind them, and the way they expand globally, are fundamentally different.

🎬How Guochao and Hallyu diverge:Guochao has moved from domestic cultural confidence to early global ambition, driven largely by consumer brands aiming to export design and aesthetics. Hallyu, meanwhile, builds on two decades of entertainment-powered soft power, from K-pop to K-dramas, giving it a more unified and global cultural reach.

📱 What they share in common: Both waves are fueled by young consumers. China’s Gen Z shows strong confidence in local brands, while Korea’s MZ Generation is driving global interest in Hallyu, reflected in a rising share of young foreign visitors.

📺Hallyu’s spread: K-dramas and films continue gaining massive traction worldwide, including in China, influencing trends from F&B to lifestyle. This global audience makes product placement in Korean content a strategic tool, even for Chinese brands.

⚠️When Guochao marketing misses the mark: Recent missteps by luxury brands show the sensitivity required when referencing Chinese cultural symbols.Cases involving Dior and Fendi illustrate how misinterpretation or cultural ambiguity can trigger strong public backlash.

Guochao and Hallyu both shape consumer culture, but their foundations differ: one is brand-driven and still evolving globally, while the other is entertainment-driven with established soft-power momentum. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for brands navigating Asian markets and cultural influence.

Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gtVVQRbi

#Guochao #Hallyu #CulturalTrends #DaxueConsulting #Daxuestories

South Korea is one of the few countries that groups Millennials and Gen Z into a single consumer block — the “MZ Generation.” But what does this actually mean for brands?

👥 Who are Korea’s MZ consumers?: South Korea’s uniquely defined “MZ Generation” blends Millennials and Gen Z, a grouping that reflects shared digital behaviors and cultural patterns. Making up 33% of the population, they have an outsized impact on trends, spending, and societal shifts.

🪞Self-awareness drives consumption: MZ consumers prioritize understanding themselves and choosing what fits them, not what society prescribes. Identity-based trends like MBTI-inspired products, including GS25 x Jeju Beer’s “BeerBTI” selling 170K+ units in five days.

🌱 The “meaning-out” lifestyle：This generation expresses values publicly through their purchasing choices, from preferring ESG-focused brands to participating in boycotts like the 2022 SPC case. Consumption has become a key channel for signaling ethics and social identity.

🔎 Why “MZ” isn’t enough: While widely used, the MZ label oversimplifies diverse consumer behaviors. More accurate segmentation comes from examining values, attitudes, and lifestyle tribes — not just birth years.

The MZ Generation offers powerful insights into how digital-native, value-driven, and identity-focused consumers are reshaping Korea’s market. But understanding them requires going beyond generational labels, and looking deeper into what they believe, how they express themselves, and what they expect from brands.

#SouthKoreaConsumerTrends #MZGeneration #GenZMarketing #Daxueconsulting #Daxuestories

Wine25Plus has generated ₩500 million (US$365,000) in sales within just seven months of launching its “Négociant Direct” programme.

With the United States struggling with a tourism downfall due to political changes, Korea has been gaining. Airlines such as Lufthansa are taking flight equipment off the US market and allocating it to destinations such as Seoul and Tokyo, reflecting a new trend in tourism.

🍫 Maison Marou’s Recipe for Success in Every Bite

Founded in 2011, Maison Marou has transformed Vietnamese cacao into a world-class chocolate brand, blending French technique with local authenticity - and winning hearts (and markets) along the way.

📊 Vietnam’s Chocolate Market: A Hidden Gem
🇻🇳 Top 5% cacao quality globally (Olivier Nicod)
💰 $35M exports (2023) + $35M local market (2024), growing at 9% CAGR
🍫 4,000 tons/year (small-scale, premium)
🌍 Global market set to hit $133B by 2028 (Mordor Intelligence)
📈 Cocoa prices surging 30–40% - Vietnam stands strong as a premium origin

💡 Why Maison Marou Wins:
🔸 100% Vietnamese cacao within French patisseries. Local meets global appeal
🔸 Open-kitchen micro-factories = transparency & craftsmanship. Innovative cafe & retail spaces
🔸 Retail Product: Seasonal collection every month with customized packaging and special treats only at stores
🔸 Workshops featuring tasting and baking classes designed for new experiences and deeper consumer connection
🔸 Sustainable by design: plastic-free, recycled packaging

Result?
🏆 Winner of global accolades like the International Chocolate Awards
✈️ Exported globally - making Vietnamese cacao internationally recognized

🔑 What Can Global Brands Learn?
Maison Marou proves that:
✅ Local sourcing + cultural relevance + retail storytelling = sustainable success
✅ Modern luxury is about authenticity, experience, and integrity

🔗 Source: Thanh Nien, VnExpress, Vietcetera, . For information only – Asia Circles is independent of brands shown.

*While information from Asia Circles is publicly accessible and derived from third-party sources, its verification and validity are not guaranteed.

#ConsumerInsight #MarketInsight #MaisonMarou #VietnameseChocolate #BrandStrategy #RetailInnovation | 21 comments on LinkedIn

South Korea’s tourism would benefit from lower prices and a wider offer.

🇻🇳 OFÉLIA – The Homegrown Brand Winning Vietnam’s Beauty Race

Established by beauty influencer Changmakeup in 2016, OFÉLIA has become a standout name in Vietnam’s competitive beauty market, achieving an impressive annual growth rate of 140%.

😍The name Ofélia signifies both "help" and "beauty" in Greek, which define Ofélia's core mission: to honor beauty and enhance women's self-assurance.

📈 Vietnam Beauty & Personal Care (2025 forecast)
🔸 Market Value: US$2.79 Billion (Statista 2024)
🔸 CAGR: 3.26% (2025–2030)
🔸 Online sales: contribute 44.5% of total revenue
🔸 Growth drivers: Urbanization and a growing Gen Z’s demand for natural and organic beauty products

💄Consumer behavior of Vietnamese Gen Z girls
▪️51% research the ingredients and effects of cosmetics when purchasing (Statista)
▪️69% confirm buying after seeing posts online (Statista)
▪️Prefer brands that reflect shared values and attitude
▪️Embrace K-beauty trends, influenced by local influencers and Hallyu culture, viewing it as their beauty ideal

🎯 Why Ofélia Wins Gen Z' girls’ hearts:
🔸En-trend, diverse products for Vietnamese preferences 
🔸Safety assurance: Made in ISO-certified Korean factories, cGMP-compliant, skin-safe, and cruelty-free
🔸Digital-First Distribution: Sell via official website, thrive on Shopee, Lazada, and Tiki, and drive conversions through TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, all powered by influencer and affiliate marketing
🔸High quality with Affordable price
Ofélia: 175K VND - Affordable, Gen Z-focused beauty
Maybelline: 179K VND - Global brand, strong drugstore presence
3CE: 245K - Higher due to imported status
-> Ofélia has a price advantage 🔥
🔸 Purposeful Product Design: Cute, mood-based, and nostalgia-packed items

#1 Best-seller of OFÉLIA: Lolli Liquid Blush 
▪️Perfectly tailored for Asian undertones and K-Beauty Inspired Trends
▪️Skin-Loving Formula: Hydrates and softens with Vitamin E, jojoba, and rosehip oils
🚀 Results: 12K+ units sold on Shopee, VND 2.8 billion in Q1 2024, 14%+ growth (Metric 2025 & Forbes Vietnam 2020)

🌏 What Global Brands Can Learn: 
✅ Quickly adapt and launch products with viral, social media-driven beauty trends 
✅ Partner with relevant, trusted influencers genuinely resonating with Gen Z
✅ Balance quality with competitive pricing
✅ Maximize Digital-Channel to drive sales

🔗 Source: Forbes Vietnam, Statista, Metric, Global Market Surfer, L'Officiel, The Influencer, ELLE | 28 comments on LinkedIn

Korean reality TV show 'Love After Divorce' is filming in Queensland! 🎥🇰🇷

A collaboration between Tourism and Events Queensland, Tourism Australia, Experience Gold Coast and Korean Air will see seven to eight episodes of the 12-episode season filmed in Queensland, predominantly in the Gold Coast.

Scheduled to air in the second half of 2025, the popular dating reality show attracts 23 million viewers in Korea – over 45 per cent of the population.

It follows record levels of Korean tourism to Queensland, as the latest data from TEQ shows 77,000 Koreans came to Queensland in 2024 – up 81.9 per cent over the past three years.

Minister for Tourism Andrew Powell MP, said: “Hosting ‘Love After Divorce: Season 7’ on the Gold Coast is a fantastic opportunity to showcase Queensland’s unique appeal to a vast Korean audience.”

Read more 👉 https://lnkd.in/gBAU4uYz

Vietnamese rank as the 4th largest foreign homebuyers in Australia, showcasing strong demand and influence in the real estate market.

Vietnam hosts many of the advantages of the mainland’s industrial boom, and Chinese investors have taken note.

🏙️ Vietnam’s Urban Future Is Now - And It’s Branded.. From smart cities to eco-transport, Vietnam isn’t just catching up - it’s leapfrogging into the future of urban living.🐸

👷 At the heart of this transformation? Developments like Vinhomes Grand Park. Vinhomes is the largest commercial real estate developer operating across 40 cities with a landbank of 16,000 hectares & contracted sales reported in 2025 of VND 150 Trillion.

🌱 With integrated green spaces, smart infrastructure, and digital-first amenities, this is a real estate blueprint with lifestyle, retail, and mobility ecosystems built in.

👀 It’s reshaping what Vietnamese consumers expect from the places they live, shop, and spend time in. A rising Digital Native middle class.

🛍️ Why this matters for Western brands?
Where people move, brands follow. But in Vietnam, the move is toward connected, curated urban environments — and that opens new doors.

For consumer brands, retail, mobility & wellness players:

🛒Physical presence is now digital by design - in such urban environments the infrastructure for Out Of Home (OOH) media is more developed & connected to residential specific shopping centres.

💸Infrastructure = distribution, brand visibility, and access.

🖐️This is Vietnam’s urban leap — and it’s a moment Western brands can’t afford to miss.

📊 Dive into the market insight below to see how Asia Circles helps brands land where the future is being built 🤓

Sources : Vinhomes, .baotinguyenmoitruong.vn

#vinhomes #realestate #advertising #OOH #vietnam #consumer

🇻🇳 Vietnam: A Digital Powerhouse in the Making 🤓

📈With 78 million internet users and a mobile-first population, Vietnam isn’t just online — it’s thriving in a hyper-connected ecosystem, where social commerce meets rising middle classes with disposable incomes.

🌏From influencer-led marketing to growing ad spends, this fast-growing digital economy is reshaping how brands engage, sell, and build loyalty in Southeast Asia.

💡 Social media isn’t just entertainment — it’s commerce, community, and conversion all in one. Vietnamese consumers aren’t passively scrolling; they’re actively buying, recommending, and influencing.

🔥 Why this matters for Global brands?
Digital-first is a key entry point. KOL's shape culture and consumption, being more trusted than traditional ads. Authenticity is more important than just pumping ad spend.

🎯 For brands entering Vietnam:
- Think mobile-native, creator-powered campaigns.
- Optimize for social proof and virality.
- Build for Zalo, Facebook & TikTok, not just Google.

📊 Explore the full digital landscape in our latest infographic below. 🤓