Vietnam mobile phone market heats up

The Vietnam mobile phone market is heating up, with major retailers pushing smaller businesses to the wall as new branded stores open almost every week.

With limited marketing budgets, smaller retailers, the traditional mainstay of the mobile phone business, are unable to complete, reports TalkVietnam.com.

Mobile World, which has a 39 per cent market share with its 603 Thegioididong outlets nationwide, has unveiled a plan to open a further 400 stores.

Other retailers such as FPT Shop, VienthongA and Viettel Store are also scrambling to open more shops. FPT has more than 250 outlets already, VienthongA has more than 200, and Viettel Store has more than 300.

FPT and VienthongA aim to open 50 to 100 stores this year, and new player VinPro plans to double it 100 outlets this year.

Meanwhile, small phone retailers are now focusing on selling top-up cards for mobile phones, accessories and used phones. Some also sell such products as portable speakers, Wi-Fi transmitters and sports cameras to stay solvent.

Small mobile phone shops hold between 30 and 35 per cent of the market, but their share will shrink, says FPT Retail Digital general director Nguyen Bach Diep.