VIETNAM FOCUS: Top 10 brands by Nielsen

With the highest per capita motorbike ownership in the world, it is no surprise that Honda is the number one brand in Vietnam. The market leader of motorbikes came first in brand recall in the research done from 1 to 31 November, within the age bracket of 15 to 45 years old.

Nokia ranked second for overall brand recall and has the highest ownership level with a portfolio for all segments in the market, from economy to premium.

With several initiatives to cater to the local market, including higher quality and availability of fresh foods, pricing closer to consumer demand, higher standard for modern trade, French brand super-market Big C ranked third with increasing equity among Vietnamese consumers.

Mobifone, the government-owned mobile service provider in Vietnam, ranked fourth. In recent years, the telecom sector in Vietnam has boomed to reflect a high growth rate and attracted several investors in this field. The telecom industry is expected to become a new power in Vietnam’s economy in the next decade.

Vietcombank, the market leader for banks, ranked fifth followed by Saigon Co-op Mart the biggest local trade-chain reputed to have lower priced products in the sixth position.

Viettel, the market leader for mobile phone service providers and subscribers with a relatively lower pricing position over Mobifone, ranked seventh while Sony, the most popular brand in home appliances and AV equipment, ranked eight for its high brand equity among consumers through the brand’s heritage.

Vinamilk, the biggest milk manufacturer in Vietnam with diverse beverage categories including fruit juice and drinking yogurt, ranked ninth, while Coca-Cola, claimed the 10th position for its high brand equity through its heritage.

VIETNAM'S TOP BRANDS

Top car brands: Cars are generally still aspirational as ownership is limited to the upper income class. Brand heritage would be the key factor driving preference.

1. BMW
2. Mercedes Benz
3. Toyota
4. Honda
5. Audi
6. Lexus
7. Ford
8. Hyundai
9. Kia
10. Suzuki

Top beverage brands: Vinamilk has been taking advantage of its lower price strategy and in the past three years has been diversifying its product line for beverage. Most recently, the government has launched its 'Buy Vietnam' campaign and Vinamilk is one of the local companies that have benefitted from that campaign.

1. Vinamilk
2. Coca Cola
3. Heineken
4. Tra Xanh 0 do
5. Dutch Lady
6. Pepsi
7. Trung Nguyen
8. Red Bull
9. Hanoi Beer
10. Number 1

Top personal care brands: FMCG giants Unilever and P&G dominate this category. However, local brand X-men paved the way to more appreciation for male-specific products.

1. Colgate
2. X-Men
3. P/S
4. Clean & Clear
5. Nivea
6. Pantene
7. Pond’s
8. Dove
9. Sunsilk
10. Olay

Top mobile phone brands: This category is dominated by Nokia with its portfolio for all income classes, active marketing and innovation.

1. Nokia
2. iPhone
3. Samsung
4. Blackberry
5. Sony Ericsson
6. HTC
7. Motorola
8. LG
9. Mobell

Top retailer brands: Big C provided a good alternative to Saigon Coop in terms of modern trade retailing. The continuous improvements from both players helped propel modern trade growth with better facilities, competitive pricing  and variety of products.

1. Big C
2. Saigon Co-op Mart
3. Metro
4. Nguyen Kim
5. Best Buy
6. 24h ~ Shop & Go
7. Circle K

Top home appliances brands: Vietnam still holds high value for Sony. They see the brand as having the highest quality available although for most, they usually resort to lower priced brands available.

1. Sony
2. Panasonic
3. Samsung
4. Electrolux
5. LG
6. Toshiba
7. Sanyo
8. Philips
9. Sharp
10. Daewoo

Top PC and laptop brands: Nielsen has found no predominant brand for PCs / laptops due to variety of brands and models available in the market.

1. HP
2. Sony
3. Dell
4. Apple
5. Acer
6. IBM
7. Samsung
8. Lenovo
9. Compaq

Top mobile phone service operators and internet service providers:

1. Mobifone
2. Viettel
3. FPT
4. Vina phone
5. VNPT
6. Mega VNN
7. EVN telecom
8. Beeline

Top motorbike brands: This category is dominated by Honda. The brand has a good variety of models catering to different consumer segments – from economy to premium.

1. Honda
2. Yamaha
3. Piaggio
4. SYM

Methodology

Sample size n=1003
Coverage Urban Vietnam
Age range 15-45 years old  
Income class ABCD (at least 3mil VND HH income per month)
Gender Male/ Female
Data collection methodology Online survey

Respondent was presented a list of brands for different categories. Listing was generated from previous studies and Nielsen databases. The brands were chosen based on market position, consumer awareness and usage levels. Smaller brands were not included to provide focus on key market players.

Respondents were asked the question, “What is your most favourite brand from the list?”

Ranking was then determined through the number of respondents who chose the brand.

Number of mentions were weighted based on their relationship with the brand to minimize bias towards fast moving categories.

Weighted count incorporated relationship level with the brand.

The following disposition statements were the basis for the weighting factors:

1. I haven't used this brand and will not try in the future (lowest level of relationship indicative of aspiration)
2. I haven't used this brand but will try in the future  
3. I have used this brand before but not anymore
4. I don't use this brand regularly
5. I use this brand frequently up to now (highest relationship level)

The final weighted count determined the final ranking for the brand. Ranking is provided for each category covered. Total ranking accounted for the weighted count of brands across categories.