Within the framework of the Forum on Viet Nam Marketing and Consumption 2025 held in Ha Noi on September 11, chaired by the Institute for Brand and Competitiveness Strategy (BCSI), Dr Vo Tri Thanh, Director of BCSI, stated that despite economic growth, people still maintain a cautious spending mentality due to their unsteady confidence in income and the market after the pandemic.

Agreeing with Dr Vo Tri Thanh’s viewpoint, Dr Tran Thi Hong Minh, Director of the Institute for Policy and Strategy Studies, further emphasised the importance of sustainable consumption and green economy in the context of Viet Nam’s development. According to Minh, the promotion of sustainable consumption is not only a trend but also an inevitable requirement for Viet Nam to integrate deeply and develop sustainably in the future.

Statistics from the General Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance in the first half of 2025 show that e-commerce and digital payments will make a breakthrough, reflecting a shift in consumer behaviour, especially among young people — a group of customers who increasingly prioritise green and transparent products.

Experts and delegates attending the forum also agreed with the assessment that social commerce is becoming the “key to revenue breakthrough” when platforms such as Shopee and TikTok Shop combine entertainment, content, and user experience. The digital marketing trend has emerged as a key solution to help businesses adapt, from applying Big Data to artificial intelligence (AI), to personalise experiences and enhance competitiveness.

At the forum, Associate Professor, Dr Nguyen Quoc Thinh, a branding expert from the University of Commerce, said that there needs to be a more comprehensive and sustainable approach to marketing, consumption, and intellectual property management activities. Reality has also placed higher demands on businesses, forcing them to review their entire value chain, from production to consumption, to ensure transparency and responsibility.