Brand discovery, How Does this work for Vietnamese Consumers?
Khám phá thương hiệu, Điều này có hiệu quả như thế nào đối với người tiêu dùng Việt Nam?
Introduction: Brand Discovery in a Scroll-First Economy
In Vietnam today, discovering a new brand doesn’t start with a billboard or a newspaper ad. It starts on a phone screen in a TikTok scroll, a Facebook group, or during a flash sale on Shopee.
Vietnamese consumers, especially Gen Z and Millennials, are highly connected, culturally tuned-in, and quick to explore brands that align with their interests, identity, or community. If you want to capture their attention, you need to understand where and how that attention is flowing.
Let’s break down how brand discovery actually happens in Vietnam and how your brand can show up where it matters.
Where Discovery Happens: The New Consumer Touchpoints
- TikTok: Discovery in Motion
TikTok isn’t just a place for dance videos anymore it’s become Vietnam’s one of the most important platform for product discovery among Gen Z.
- Viral videos like “TikTok made me buy it” drive instant interest.
- Influencers demonstrate how a product works in under 30 seconds.
- TikTok Shop allows users to go from interest to checkout without ever leaving the app.
Local Tip: Incorporate relatable Vietnamese slang or moments in your content to increase authenticity.
- Facebook: Still Powerful, Still Personal
While TikTok leads for trends, Facebook remains essential especially for Millennials and older demographics.
- Facebook Groups: Niche communities (like parenting, fashion, food, or tech) actively recommend and review brands.
- Facebook Live: Livestream sales and product demos are a major driver of impulse purchases.
Real example: During Tết (Lunar New Year), Facebook explodes with live selling sessions for clothes, cosmetics, and gift hampers (giỏ quà Tết).
- Shopee & Lazada: Not Just Shopping, but Browsing
E-commerce platforms like Shopee and Lazada are not just for transactions they’re search engines for brands.
- Trending tabs and daily deals highlight new or featured brands.
- Shoppers follow brand stores and watch flash sale livestreams hosted by creators.
Vietnamese consumers often browse deals for fun, making these platforms powerful for brand discovery.
- YouTube: Trusted Reviews and Deeper Learning
YouTube is where Vietnamese consumers go for in-depth reviews, comparisons, and tutorials.
- Tech and beauty categories benefit most from long-form explainers.
- Vietnamese vloggers have loyal followings and strong influence in driving consideration.
- Zalo: Local, Private, and Trusted
Zalo, Vietnam’s homegrown messaging app, may not be a discovery platform in the traditional sense, but it plays a huge role in trust-building and conversions.
- Small businesses use it for direct updates, customer support, and product catalogs.
- Consumers feel comfortable engaging and buying through Zalo because it’s part of everyday communication.
What Drives Brand Curiosity?
Vietnamese consumers are most likely to explore new brands when:
- They see a product used by someone relatable (friend, micro-influencer, peer)
- The brand is part of a trending moment or meme
- A product offers a local twist for example, a flavor, color, or feature that aligns with Vietnamese values
- They’re offered a flash deal, livestream demo, or exclusive bundle
🎯 Insight: Emotion and community matter as much as utility.
How AI Tools Are Helping Brands Get Seen
To keep up with fast-moving trends, brands are turning to:
- Human-centered research with deep understanding of cultural nuance
- AI assisted creative ad testing: Testing multiple ad formats or brand messages rapidly, to see which one resonates across segments
- Generative AI for qualitative data: Instantly analyzing consumer comments and videos for insight
- Supercharged Meta-Analysis: Combining survey data, social listening, and behavioral signals to predict what content will click
- Conversational surveys: Delivered via platforms like Zalo or Facebook Messenger to get organic, honest feedback
Cultural Context: Local Nuance = Big Impact
Vietnamese consumers pay close attention to symbols, colors, language, and values.
- Red and gold suggest luck (may mắn) and prosperity.
- Certain numbers or phrases carry positive meanings.
- Brands that participate in cultural events like Tết, Vu Lan, or Mid-Autumn Festival (Tết Trung Thu) gain attention and trust.
Brands that speak in context, not just in translation, win hearts.
FAQ: Q&A
Q: What platforms are most popular for brand discovery in Vietnam?
A: TikTok, Facebook, Shopee, and YouTube are the most influential. Consumers discover brands via short videos, livestreams, peer reviews, and flash sales.
Q: How important is local content in Vietnam?
A: Extremely important. Vietnamese consumers favor brands that reflect cultural values, speak the local language, and understand symbolic meaning.
Conclusion: Brand Discovery is Fast, Social, and Local
In Vietnam, brand discovery in 2025 isn’t a linear funnel it’s a series of rapid, emotional, and social touchpoints. From a swipe on TikTok to a livestream on Shopee, the window to capture attention is short but powerful.
To stand out, your brand needs to be:
- Present in the platforms where attention lives
- Emotionally and culturally relevant
- Backed by agile research and real-time insight
Want your brand to show up in the right scrolls and stories?
Let’s talk. Cultural Traits offer on-ground market research in Vietnam, cultural immersion, and AI-powered brand testing tailored for Vietnam’s ever-evolving consumer journey. Contact us or Request a quote today.
Disclaimer:
The insights shared in this blog are based on the Cultural Traits personal observation of current industry landscape. This blog is for informational purposes only and reflects general industry trends at the time of writing. It does not constitute legal, technical, or regulatory advice. Readers should consult relevant experts before applying any synthetic data or AI-based research practices.