Viet Nam Value' needs to focus on quality, branding

Last week, Viet Nam News asked its readers if they thought the national trademark programme "Viet Nam Value", launched in 2003 to boost sales through product branding, had helped to brand names among foreigners.

Raymond Nguyen, Vietnamese, Paris

Next week Sometimes when people visit a new country or experience a new culture they face challenges or even culture shock. I have an American friend who had a Thai girlfriend. When they started to think about "I do", the young American man discovered that according to Thai custom, he would have to present as much as $40,000 to his girlfriend's family. The total amount varies on the social status of the girl's family, and a portion can be returned to the newlyweds. However, it was impossible for my friend to come up with that much money. In your experience living in or visiting Viet Nam, have you had a crush on, or been in love with, a Vietnamese man or woman? Have you ever experienced any challenges that hinder your relationship because of cultural differences? Do you have any tips to help mixed couples overcome such difficulties? We welcome your opinions. Emails should be sent to:opinion.vietnamnews@gmail.com – or by fax to 84 (0) 43 933 2311. Letters can be sent to: The Editor, Viet Nam News, 11 Tran Hung Dao Street, Ha Noi. Replies to next week's question must be received by Thursday morning, July 22.

I have not noticed any Vietnamese brands in particular, apart from Trung Nguyen cafe, not because of its qualitym but because Trung is also my brother's name. Although I visited Viet Nam for only six weeks last summer, to me, Viet Nam is associated with good food and beautiful landscapes, pretty boats on Ha Long Bay, rice fields, conical hats, hazy big cities, motorbike jungles and bargaining in markets.

I don't think the French government has ever run a specific campaign to boost trade exports. Maybe companies making cosmetics and luxury goods spend a lot on advertising abroad, so there is no need to boost things.

Promoting the values of a country is an everyday task. The French Ministry of Tourism, for example, understands that so well.

Colin Perry, British, Ha Noi

I have been living in Viet Nam for three-and-a-half years, long enough to recognise several brands, including Vinamilk and Vietnam Airlines because they are widely advertised not for their quality or services.

I am a little surprised because Vinamilk was one of the brands thought eligible to put the stamp "Viet Nam Value" on its products. I have tried drinking it, but I am sceptical about its chances of successfully crossing the border to win foreign consumers.

However, I am quite impressed with local beers, including Halida and Saigon. Maybe Viet Nam can learn how Belgium develops brands into national trademark, such as Chimay, Leffe and Hoegarten.

In the United Kingdom, enterprises spend their own money to promote their brands. There's rarely a similar campaign run by the British government. We prefer to focus on quality and value for money.

Graham Bassett, British, HCM City

Sadly, no product enters my mind when the words "Viet Nam" are mentioned in relation to goods. Indeed, when I was looking at buying a motorcycle, all my Vietnamese friends told me not to buy one made-in-Viet Nam as it would quickly fall apart. They said Japanese motorbikes were the best. True or not, I ended up buying a Japanese Honda. It has been extremely reliable.

Then I bought a couple of Vietnamese made electrical items. Both broke down in a week. Being an electrician, I opened one up to see what was wrong. I was appalled at the standard of workmanship.

Certainly, if the manufacturers had been based in Europe, they would never have been allowed to sell them, simply because they would never have passed EU safety standards. I went and bought another brand made in Thailand.

As the British found out when they ran the Buy British campaign many years ago, people will only buy products if they feel they are of value.

If you do promote certain Vietnamese products, such as Viet Nam Value, they need to be top class, well made with proper regulatory controls in place. In short, the legislators need to be on the ball.

When products go wrong in Britain, all I do is take them back to the shop with my receipt and get my money back. How the shop deals with the broken item with their supplier is their problem.

This way, manufacturers are forced to accept responsibility for the quality of their goods. In essence, value and quality go hand in hand. If products are good, they will sell themselves without any additional gimmicks or buzzwords needed.

Pham Thanh Truyen, HCM City

Seven years ago, I was hopeful about the campaign called "Viet Nam Value" implemented by the ministry of Industry and Trade simply because it was the first time Viet Nam had done this.

However, the programme has so far let me down. In reality, few foreigners or Vietnamese know about it. I think the Ministry should have publicised the innovation on a bigger scale.

I see the logo "Viet Nam Value" put on products, but actually it does not catch the attention of consumers. Instead, it seems they favour Vietnamese products with the "Vietnamese High Quality Goods" logo. This is because there have been too many campaigns and consumers have lost track of them.

To build a prestigious "Viet Nam Value", I suggest that more effort be placed on disseminating information via all national and international events, especially in the tourism sector. We also need to have high criteria for enterprises wishing to participate in the campaign because they not only provide value but also become national ambassadors.

Ryu Hashimoto, Japanese, Binh Duong

Foodstuffs and garments come to my mind when I hear of Viet Nam, but they don't leave a strong impression. I have been here for 10 years, and little has changed.

Before pushing "Viet Nam Value", which direction would Viet Nam like to take? Heavy or light industry, travel or agriculture? I have not been able to find an answer.— VNS