Residents of Ho Chi Minh City seek quality, branding when buying rice
Residents of Ho Chi Minh City seek quality, branding when buying rice
Many supermarkets and wet markets in Ho Chi Minh City are witnessing residents prioritizing ‘eating well’ rather than just ‘eating enough’ as they did in the past.
Bags of high-end rice are on display at a food store in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Thao Thuong / Tuoi Tre |
Consumers' interest today is shifting toward purchasing rice that is high-quality and reputable.
At a high-end supermarket on Hai Ba Trung Street in District 1, an array of rice varieties such as ST25 rice, a South Korean brand, Gao Huyet Rong (Red Rice), and organic rice, with prices ranging from VND35,000 (US$1.4) to VND170,000 ($6.7) per kilogram, are in demand.
A Co.opmart supermarket on Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street in District 3 displays a selection of ST25 rice varieties, priced from VND189,000 ($7.4) to VND228,000 ($9) per bag of five kilograms.
A supermarket representative noted that most shoppers are opting for high-quality rice, particularly ST25, recognized as one of the world’s best rice varieties.
The outlet has reported a noticeable increase in daily rice sales.
Similarly, rice stalls at various wet markets across the city are also stocking a wide selection of premium and fragrant rice varieties.
Particularly, at Nguyen Dinh Chieu Market in Phu Nhuan District, many stores display a wide range of rice types with the lowest price at VND17,700 ($0.7) per kilogram and the highest at VND38,000 ($1.5) per kilogram.
Bui Thi Hoa, owner of a rice stall at Nguyen Dinh Chieu Market, said most customers buy glutinous or fragrant rice, and rarely purchase mid-end varieties.
A store on Tran Khac Chan Street near Tan Dinh Market in District 1, which vends only the ST25 rice, sees its products sell like hot cakes.
Nguyen Thi Anh Xuan, a market-goer at Vuon Chuoi Market in District 3, shared that her family has been consuming high-quality rice over the past few years.
“I prefer well-known rice brands and focus on the quality of the grain rather than the price. It must be tasty and sticky,” Xuan explained.
Pham Thi Be, a resident of District 7, shared that she started purchasing ST25 rice only after it was recognized as the world’s best rice variety in 2019 and 2023.
"At over VND36,000 [$1.40] per kilogram, it’s quite expensive, so I initially bought just five kilograms," she said.
"But its fragrance and taste won my family over, and we’ve now switched to this brand."
Regardless of high prices, foreign rice sells like hot cakes
Many consumers in Ho Chi Minh City are willing to spend more on imported rice despite its sky-high prices.
At a retail store on Nguyen Van Troi Street in Phu Nhuan District, Japanese rice Hokkaido Nanatsuboshi sells for VND303,000 ($12) per two-kilogram bag, while Italian Arborio rice is priced at VND280,000 ($11) per kilogram.
“The high-end rice targets affluent customers,” an employee of the store said.
“Though their rates are much higher than local brands', these foreign varieties are extremely sought after."
Similarly, a luxury food store on Hai Ba Trung Street in District 1 sees South Korean Ottogi rice priced at VND169,000 ($6.6) per kilogram favored by the sheer number of shoppers.
Phan Van Co, marketing director at Vrice Group Company, said that imported rice is costly as it is subject to an import tax of 45 percent.
He also elaborated that foreign rice with a higher price does not mean that its nutritional value is greater than that of Vietnamese rice.
“Among many local rice varieties, ST25 rice and some provide fairly rich nutritional values,” he said.
