Vietnamese brands face an uphill battle in foreign markets

Vietnamese brands face an uphill battle in foreign markets

According to Brand Finance, the country ranked 32nd in 2024 among 193 assessed economies, with a brand value of US$507 billion.

Workers at an electronics factory in Hà Nội. VGP Photo

While Việt Nam’s national brand has gained increasing recognition on the global stage, the journey to establish strong, protected Vietnamese brands in international markets remains fraught with challenges.

Experts said that despite growing export volumes and rising product visibility, Vietnamese businesses still face significant difficulties in brand building and protection, leaving many vulnerable to foreign misappropriation. 

Over the past few years, Việt Nam’s national brand value has climbed steadily. According to Brand Finance, the country ranked 32nd in 2024 among 193 assessed economies, with a brand value of US$507 billion.

Việt Nam was also identified as the fastest-growing national brand between 2019 and 2022. Leading Vietnamese names like Viettel, Vinamilk, Trung Nguyên coffee, ST25 rice, and Lộc Trời have made their mark internationally, but these achievements are the exception rather than the norm. 

Brand development remains a weak link for most Vietnamese enterprises. Director of the Institute for Brand Strategy and Competition Võ Trí Thành has pointed out that 80 per cent of businesses neglect brand building entirely. This leads to a paradox where high-quality Vietnamese products secure a strong presence in global markets due to the lack of identifiable, protected brands.

The consequences are evident. Vietnamese brands have increasingly become targets of foreign appropriation. Trung Nguyên was registered in the United States by a foreign company. The Vinataba tobacco brand has faced competing claims in multiple Asian countries by an Indonesian firm. Even national brands like Phú Quốc fish sauce have appeared on supermarket shelves in Europe, produced in Thailand but labelled as Vietnamese.

Such misuse creates confusion for consumers and damages the reputation of authentic Vietnamese products. It also exposes the limitations of Việt Nam’s brand protection infrastructure, particularly international enforcement.

Small and medium-sized enterprises are particularly vulnerable, but even large corporations often lack the necessary legal resources and international reach to effectively defend their brand rights. Nguyễn Thu Anh, Vice President of the Việt Nam Intellectual Property Association (VIPA), said that brand registration abroad is costly and legally complex. 

To address these issues, several initiatives have been launched. The Ministry of Industry and Trade is promoting early brand registration for exporters and advising firms to work with reputable legal services. The Go Export programme, run by the Centre for Informatics and Digital Technology, has helped businesses like Đồng Tháp’s Nam Huy successfully register their trademarks overseas.

Meanwhile, Việt Nam's accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and the Madrid system has enabled domestic firms to seek international brand protection more efficiently across over 150 countries. Amazon's Brand Registry, for example, offers Vietnamese exporters tools to fight counterfeits and control product listings.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Sinh Nhật Tân said the national brand strategy through 2030 includes stronger monitoring of trademark infringement and more support for brand promotion abroad. However, officials stress that long-term success depends on Government assistance and businesses investing in their brand identity, legal protection and strategic positioning in foreign markets. 

Bizhub