Market research is an important operation. If the market research is well done, it provides accurate information to help marketers make an appropriate strategy and then, bring high efficiency in business. In other words, if the result of market research is inaccurate information and does not correctly reflect the actual market situation, marketing activities will be inefficient.

Companies would fail if underestimating the importance of market research before entering a new market.

Therefore, market research activity is so important for whomever needing success. Namely, the market research is considered an active approach to enter into the market. The market research also helps you understand the latest development in the target market, thereby making marketing decisions quickly. The international business environment is quite volatile, that‘s why you need a proactive approach like that and it is really your competitive advantage.

Through the market research, you can form the idea of developing a new product and choose the correct strategy for that product in each specific market. Through research, you also do not have to waste money and effort for the false hope, especially when you export the products to oversea for the first time. On the other hand, it should be noted that although the market research does not make sure success in business, it will help you avoid many wrong decisions.

Market research service can:

• Help find the biggest market for your products, the fastest growing market, trends and prospects of market, conditions, business practices and opportunities for your product on the market.
• Allow to make efforts effectively in a field or a certain range. After that, you can set the priority for a specific target market and plan for the future market.
• Help understand the competitors, including strengths and weaknesses, mistakes and their causes of success.
• Help find ideas to develop new products.
• Helps strengthen business relationships with partners.

  In recent times, the investment shift out of China is being carried out by many international investors. Vietnam is a country that has enough factors to receive investment shift, especially in the manufacturing sector with low-cost labor and low expenses. However, at present, Vietnam has changed its method of attracting FDI, instead of taking advantage of low expenses and low-cost labor, Vietnam now aims to take advantage of highly skilled workers and many incentives in research and development activities.

Recently, many Korean investors have plans to change production lines, invest in research and development (R&D) company in Vietnam. Previously, Korean businesses mainly invested in industries such as apparel, bags, and footwear, however, recently many Korean investors have made investments in industries such as high electronics, information technology, automotive and construction equipment, distribution and service industries.

Currently, Korea is the leading country in the list of countries investing in Vietnam. Previously, a joint venture between Korean and Vietnamese businesses proposed to the Dong Nai province government to invest and build a Vietnam-Korea Hi-Tech Park with an area of ​​300 hectares, total investment capital of 150 million USD. The project aims to attract high-tech enterprises from Korea as well as other developed countries to set up company in Dong Nai in order to create quality product values ​​in the fields that shape the industrial revolution 4.0. The project is expected to attract 2 to 3 billion USD of investment capital in about 6 – 9 years after it is put into operation.

In addition, Korean investors have also cooperated with Vietnamese partners to build a Science and Technology Industrial Park with an area of ​​900 hectares in Binh Duong. In addition, many Vietnamese investors have actively worked with high-tech manufacturing partners to promote the participation of key partners as well as prepare the first customers.

With the policy of attracting investment in high technology and in particular the Investment law 2020, there are special investment incentives for newly established investment projects (including the expansion of the establishment project), the centers for innovation, research and development centers with total investment capital of 3,000 billion VND (about USD 150 million) or more, disbursing at least 1,000 billion VND within first 03 years from the date of issuance of the Investment Registration Certificate or the approval of the investment policy; a national innovation center established by decision of the Prime Minister; Investment projects in sectors or trades specially given investment incentives with an investment capital of VND 30,000 billion (about USD 1.5 billion) or more, with a minimum disbursement of VND 10,000 billion within 03 years from the date of issuance of the Investment Registration Certificate or the approval of the investment policy” will be given special incentives in accordance with the provisions of corporate income tax and land law.

As the investment attraction and investment shift preparation of Korean R&D enterprises, Vietnam hopes to become an investment destination for Korean high-tech enterprises in the future to establish company.

Finding the right business partner in Vietnam is also important. We recommend doing research on the reputation of the company and individual shareholders, corporate or individual, gathering publicly available company information, and performing background checks on key personnel to find potential risks in cooperation. Working with a reliable partner can help achieve economic benefits, saving time and money in business.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/vietnam-attracts-korean-investment-in-research-and-development.html

  The top concern of foreign investors seeking to expand their business in Vietnam is the growing middle class, an important part of the Vietnam consumer market.

The middle class is not only an important part of the market, they are becoming the loyal customers of many foreign businesses, operating in all kinds of sectors in Vietnam. According to UPS Vietnam Managing Director, Vietnam's middle class is buying more and more cross-border goods. This company invests in vehicles to deliver the items that these middle-class customers ordered from US, UK to their houses.

Accordingly, cross-border e-commerce is growing fast. More and more e-commerce companies are sourcing in Vietnam. In contrast, the middle class of Vietnam also shopping online at foreign websites.

According to experts, Vietnamese middle class people have monthly income of 15 million VND (equivalent to about 700 USD) or more. By 2020, the country is expected to have 44 million middle class people. According to the Center for Consumer Studies and Customers of Boston Consulting Group (US), the "middle class and wealthy" of Vietnam are people who earn an average of 714 USD a month or more.

The Brookings Institute studies showed that the growth rate of the Vietnamese middle class in the period from 2005 to 2015 is more than 14% per year. It is estimated that in the period from 2016 to 2020, this number will continue to increase by 4 percentage points, equivalent to over 18% per annum.

Compared with other Southeast Asian countries, the growth rate of the Vietnamese middle class is among the highest. For example, in the period from 2016 to 2020, the middle class in Malaysia and Thailand increased by more than 4%, Indonesia increased by nearly 12%, and Singapore only increased by 3% per year.

By 2015, the total consumption of the global middle class is 34.8 billion USD. Brookings Institute estimates that by 2030, this number will almost double. By 2030, the global middle-class consumption may increase by 29,000 billion USD compared to 2015. The today's low-income countries such as India, Indonesia and Vietnam will create a market with total consumption increased by 15 trillion USD compared with the current rate.

Not only increasing in number, the change in the money and spending perspectives of the middle class is also an attractive point. This creates a change in many industries, from food to banking.

Vietnamese consumers are changing their lifestyle very fast and they are increasingly willing to spend on large items aimed at improving their lives. According to a Nielsen report, the percentage of people saving money in quarter II/2017 decreased more than 13% from the previous quarter and just behind Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.

According to PwC Vietnam, the fast-growing middle class in the country will accelerate the demand for more sophisticated banking services, such as insurance through banking and asset management. Along with that, cashless payments will have the opportunity to grow.

Moving from cash payment to cashless is an indispensable trend. We see many banks in Vietnam are shifting their focus to retail banking thanks to the increased spending of young people. The developing technological infrastructure facilitates the transition from a cash economy to a cashless economy.

We, ANT Consulting company, support you with the service of setting up a company in Vietnam, Risk management in Vietnam, Employee background check in Vietnam... to help you shorten the implementation time.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/the-middle-class-of-vietnam-increased-sharply.html

  According to the plan of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), by 2020, the number of visitors coming to Can Gio will reach 6 million. That is really a good sign for the Vietnam tourism industry.

HCMC welcomes 30 million tourists a year. Just to find out how to bring these visitors to Can Gio as Pattaya attracts visitors from Bangkok, Can Gio will boom over Nha Trang, Vung Tau, Phan Thiet to become the leading tourist center of Vietnam.

Located only 50 kilometers from the center of Saigon, the four sides are covered by rivers and sea, and owns more than 30,000 hectares of mangroves that have been recognized by UNESCO as the world biosphere reserve. Can Gio is considered to have the potential to become a leading tourist center of the area.

If compared to the leading paradise of the Thai region such as Pattaya, Can Gio is not inferior in terms of natural conditions, such as the quality of the beach, the area of forest, river and mountain... Even Can Gio has more advantages in geographic location: While Pattaya is 100 km far from Bangkok - Thailand's largest tourist center, Can Gio is just 50 km from Ho Chi Minh City.

However, to date, the "billion dollars" potential of Can Gio has not been awakened. As if every year HCMC welcomes about 30 million visitors, Can Gio attracts only 3% of visitors from HCMC (1 million visitors).

Starting from 2017, the obstacles of Can Gio real estate and tourism have begun to be resolved.

On traffic, Can Gio Bridge started construction will solve traffic congestion connecting HCMC with Can Gio. When the two bridges were completed, the time to travel from the center of Saigon to Can Gio was only about 30 minutes instead of 1.5 - 2 hours as before.

In terms of entertainment, the two billion-dollar entertainment complexes of Vingroup and Tuan Chau with a scale of up to thousands of hectares with five-star resorts, golf courses, casino, entertainment area... will become two destinations attracting millions of tourists from HCMC to visit and spend money. In addition, there is La Maison De Can Gio project of Phuoc Loc Company.

We can see that the number of visitors coming to Can Gio as planned in 2020 will be up to 6 million guests. But the number of large scale hotels in this area is not available now, so investing in resort complexes is seen as an opportunity for investors.

Finding the right business partner in Vietnam is also important. We recommend doing research on the reputation of the company and individual shareholders, corporate or individual, gathering publicly available company information, and performing background checks on key personnel to find potential risks in cooperation. Working with a reliable partner can help achieve economic benefits, saving time and money in business.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/can-gio-the-potential-land-for-tourism-investors.html

  The number of renewable energy projects with total investment capital of about 1,200 - 1,400 billion VND is constantly increasing, confirming that investment in Vietnam renewable energy is an attractive trend.

Recently, the People's Committee of Binh Thuan Province has handed the decision and received commitment to invest in renewable energy of 20 enterprises in order to diversify the form of energy production, step by step achieving the goal of becoming a large national energy center of the country in the next few years.

Currently, Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan are the two leading provinces in attracting investment in renewable energy because most of the area has an average radiation intensity of about 5 kWh per square meter, less rainfall and hours of sunshine always maintained at an ideal level.

Although the natural conditions are not as favorable as Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan, some neighboring provinces such as Khanh Hoa, Quang Tri, Binh Dinh... also attract many domestic and foreign enterprises committed to pour capital.

Most recently, Fujiwara (Japan) also received license to invest in solar and wind power plants in Binh Dinh with total capital of 1,446 billion VND. According to the investment registration progress, the project will be implemented right in 2017 and is expected to complete the first phase in the first quarter 2019.

Recently, more and more businesses outside the industry have not hidden their ambition to enter the renewable energy sector. According to Deputy General Director of Bamboo Capital, the company plans to raise 300 million USD through issuing bonds and certificates with rights to buy shares held in period from 2017 to 2020. In which, about 100 million USD will be poured into renewable energy projects.

According to this year's plan, the company will promote the procedure to build a 140 MW solar power plant in Long An province. In addition, the company is seeking investment opportunity in solar power projects in Phu Ninh (Quang Nam) and Ninh Thuan, while taking advantage of international relations to attract capital and experiences from foreign investors.

Furthermore, Bamboo Capital expects to officially sell electricity and record revenue from the energy segment by 2018. By 2020, this segment will be able to deliver significant revenue streams to the company.

Explaining the fact that businesses are racing to plan, commit to invest and directly invest in renewable energy sector, the Renewable Energy Center (under The Energy Institute) thinks that it comes from many factors. First of all, the demand for energy is rising, while the supply of fossil fuels is becoming more expensive and exhausting.

In addition, the technology enters the ripe stage, making business easier to access, while reducing the difference in levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) compared to thermal power. A few years ago, the cost of producing wind electricity was about 3,500 VND per kWh and now it drops to 2,200 - 2,500 VND.

Moreover, the incentive mechanism for the development of solar power projects issued in April this year has also influenced the investment decisions of enterprises. Currently, the purchase price of electricity at the power point is 2,086 VND (equivalent to 9.35 cents/kWh).

In addition, investors are also entitled to many tax incentives such as import tax exemption for imported goods to create fixed assets, exempt from land use fees, land rent, water surface rent at the construction location, lines, substations connected to the grid. In the short term, it is likely that the Government of Vietnam will also consider increasing wind power prices to assist businesses, boosting investment to achieve a total capacity of 6,000 MW by 2030.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/vietnam-welcomes-trillion-renewable-energy-projects.html

  In response to the China Government’s initiative to build the 21^st Century Silk Road running across the Eurasian, the Chinese’s construction enterprises are actively coming to Vietnam.

Chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) Vincent HS Lo has just led a delegation of 40 investors and experts to visit Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The delegation includes large domestic firms (including Hong Kong) in the fields of finance, consulting, architecture, energy, water and waste treatment, engineering and construction, law and accounting, transportation...

According to Mr Vincent HS Lo, the delegations have goal to invest in areas that specially focusing on the implementation of the "Ring Road and Route", which is implemented by the Chinese government to develop the infrastructure of the area. Vietnam is determined locating in a critical position to invest in infrastructure, so that is the key to promote trade and commerce among nations.

The delegation also has meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Hong Truong and leaders of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Along with that, they also have meetings with many Vietnamese businesses, including big names such as Van Thinh Phat Investment Group or Sunny World Real Estate Development Company.

According to Mr Johnson Choi - CEO of Sunwah Group, with a very flexible policy of the Government of Vietnam, he believes that investment in infrastructure in Vietnam is quite feasible in comparison with other countries in Asia. Together with many businesses introduced by the HKTDC, Sunwah will work with other partners to express special interest in the 1,000 km North-South Expressway project.

Also according to Mr Choi, the Vietnamese Government is showing their support to businesses as committed. Compared with other countries in the region, the liquidity of the Vietnamese currency is at a better level. Over the past twenty years, Chinese investors have moved overseas remittances to Hong Kong quite easily.

Chairman of HKTDC Mr Vincent HS Lo believes that businesses in Hong Kong and China will have strength on infrastructure investment and set-up company in Vietnam thanks to the abundant capital and good experience. Hong Kong is the financial center of the world, so it's easy for them to raise funds from everywhere to invest. At the same time, they have experience in most services, from consulting to construction and operation.

According to Mr Vincent HS Lo, businesses in Hong Kong and China are open to the investment and cooperation models with Vietnamese enterprises. However, the Chinese are particularly interested in the form of PPP. At the same time, the joint venture model is also considered more than the 100% capital investment to take advantage of local market knowledge of Vietnamese enterprises.

On May 14^th, Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted the "Ring Road and Route" forum, with nearly 30 leaders in the world. This is an action to promote the "Ring Road and Route" initiative, in order to revive the "Silk Road" connecting Asia and Europe. Accordingly, Credit Suisse Group forecasts that China could pour more than 500 billion USD into 62 countries over the next five years to implement plans to promote its soft power.

We, ANT Consulting company, support you with the service of setting up a company in Vietnam, Risk management in Vietnam, Employee background check in Vietnam... to help you shorten the implementation time.