A slogan "Proud of Vietnamese products" in supermarket

At the peak of the pandemic, Nguyen My Linh’s family in Ho Chi Minh city followed social distancing rules and avoided crowded places. Now the “new normal” for her involves more cautious spending.

“During the pandemic, my job and income were impacted and we had to tighten spending. We still buy necessities such as food and household products, but we have limited spending on clothes and footwear.”

In a survey by the Association of Vietnamese High-quality Products 93% of respondents said that in the second half of the year, they will buy mostly food. The survey also found a change in the way people choose products. Previously they paid close attention to appearance and packaging. Now they care more about food safety, place of origin, nutrition, and similar information.

Le Duy Toan, Director of the Duy Anh Foodstuff Company, which sells dragon fruit noodles and watermelon noodles, said: “I’ve seen many places selling watermelon which could not be exported due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I thought about how we could use watermelon in our products. We produced some samples and two weeks later introduced them to the market.”

Since the pandemic, food hygiene and health issues have been top priorities for consumers. People now shop more at supermarkets and convenient stores and online shopping is a growing trend. Nguyen Phuong Nga, Director of Kantar Vietnam, a global market survey company, says consumers have changed their habits to adapt to the situation. Businesses should focus on branding and registering their product’s place of origin.