Technology and data become competitive capabilities
At the Brand and Competitiveness Strategy Forum held recently, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quoc Thinh, a branding expert and member of the expert panel of the Viet Nam National Brand Programme, said it was necessary to clearly distinguish between two concepts: the overall image of a country in the eyes of the international community and the outstanding products and businesses representing that country. Since 2003, the Viet Nam National Brand Programme has adopted an approach centred on product and business brands to gradually build prestige.
However, currently, the country's branding strategy, which is being reshaped towards 2035 with a vision to 2045, is based on a six-dimensional model comprising exports, investment, national governance, culture, people, and tourism. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quoc Thinh said that to establish a sustainable position, both the country and businesses need to focus on three pillars of soft power: reputation, credibility, and trust.
“Trust is built not only on product quality but also on delivery methods and social responsibility. Meanwhile, innovation needs to be implemented comprehensively, from products, processes, and technology to organisation, cooperation, business models, and tools. Culture should also be regarded as a resource, with local culture and knowledge serving as materials for creativity,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quoc Thinh stressed.
From the business perspective, Le Tung, Strategy Director of Sunhouse Group, said Viet Nam's advantage of low labour costs in the international market was almost gone. Therefore, businesses must proactively create new competitive advantages. To take Vietnamese brands global, Le Tung proposed a “three-legged stool” strategy comprising developing proprietary brands, upgrading research and development (R&D) capabilities, and optimising large-scale production.
Accordingly, businesses can directly enter neighbouring markets and the US with their own brands through official trading and distribution channels, while cooperating with international corporations on R&D and original equipment manufacturing (OEM) to learn about technologies and improve their R&D capabilities. At the same time, they can expand large-scale contract manufacturing for global corporations to improve production efficiency.
Citing Sunhouse's experience, Thanh Tung, Strategy Director of Sunhouse Group said that after five years of international manufacturing cooperation, the company had optimised its processes and reduced the basic production cost of a product from 50 USD to 25 USD.
In the digital business environment, technology and data are playing an increasingly important role in building brands and reaching consumers. Nguyen Lam Thanh, General Director of TikTok Technology Viet Nam Co., Ltd., said that stronger requirements for content management, origin transparency, and the identification of buyers and sellers had increased businesses' compliance costs, but at the same time helped clean up the market and curb counterfeit goods.
“E-commerce is shifting from a model in which consumers actively search for products to a model of ‘discovery commerce’, creating new shopping experiences and opening up additional growth space for businesses,” Nguyen Lam Thanh affirmed.
Preserving local values to strengthen Vietnamese brands
Meanwhile, Dang Thuy Ha, Business Director of market research firm NielsenIQ Viet Nam, stressed that branding strategies should be based on data on customer behaviour.
She noted that two customer groups were opening up notable market gaps: older and retired people with financial savings and good pensions, and Gen Z, who have recently entered the workforce in the digital environment, such as content creators and online businesses.
Alongside data, mastering core technologies has also emerged as a requirement for businesses. Chu Mai Hoang, Chief of Office of the National Technology Innovation Fund of the Ministry of Science and Technology, said businesses could not continue to “borrow” technology indefinitely, but needed to gradually master core technologies and develop their own data.
According to him, the approach to supporting technological innovation is shifting from “push” to “market pull”, with businesses at the centre. The National Technology Innovation Fund offers forms of support including R&D grants, preferential loans, and financial assistance to help new products improve their competitiveness in the market.
A strong national brand is built not only on large businesses or exported products, but also on the distinctive values of each locality. Economist Pham Chi Lan noted that following the merger of administrative boundaries, many localities face the risk of losing names, heritage, and local resources associated with their culture and history. Values such as Ben Tre's coconut and Ninh Kieu Wharf need to be preserved, as geographical indications and local brands are significant not only culturally but also to tourism development and the regional economy.
Pham Chi Lan also stressed the role of agriculture in the structure of Vietnamese brands. While most industrial export turnover belongs to the FDI sector, agriculture remains an area where Viet Nam's domestic capabilities are clearly evident, with FDI accounting for only around 1.5%. Agriculture not only ensures livelihoods for the majority of the population but also embodies many local values. Therefore, bringing innovation into agriculture can create added value while helping bring distinctive Vietnamese characteristics to international markets.
From the experts' perspectives, building a national brand cannot be limited to promotional activities. It is a process of strengthening competitiveness from within, starting with institutions, businesses, technology, and data, through to culture and local values. This requires resources, knowledge, and solutions to be connected and translated into practical action. When institutions create a favourable environment, businesses enhance their self-reliance, technology is mastered, and cultural values are promoted, Vietnamese brands will have a stronger foundation to enhance their position in international markets.
