Customers are buying more Vietnamese confectionery products as the quality and design have gotten increasingly better and it remains reasonably priced.

Many Vietnamese confectionery producers have done well with brand promotions that turn them into household names, Ho Quoc Nguyen, public relations director of Big C Vietnam told Phap Luat TP HCM (The HCM City Law) newspaper.

Domestic confectionery products accounted for 90 percent of the products sold in Big C supermarket systems, he said.

Nguyen Thanh Nhan, deputy general director of Saigon Co-op, noted that supermarkets are selling some 600 candy products from 25 domestic companies, accounting for 95 percent of their total inventory.

The reasonable price, good quality and clear origins of domestic products have won the trust of buyers, Nhan said.

A representative of Lotte Mart pointed out that in his supermarkets, Vietnamese sweet products accounted for 56.75 percent, while imported products, 43.25 percent, adding that the advantage held by Vietnamese products lies in their reasonable price.

Another reason for the popularity of Vietnamese confectionary items is that customers are buying fewer sweet products from China due to concerns about their alleged low quality and unclear origins.

Domestic confectionery producers should focus on improving and innovating technology and quality, which will make them stronger competitors, remarked Luu Huynh, marketing director at Pham Nguyen Confectionery Corp.

Huynh said foreign products are better than domestic ones in terms of technology and design. However, in terms of quality, domestic confectionery products are doing well.

Since mergers and acquisitions have recently become a popular trend, Vietnamese producers have the opportunity to re-evaluate their competitiveness and could re-design their plans for the future. By investing more in key products, rather than in advertising, they could boost their product value and increase added value, according to Huynh.

Phan Van Thien, deputy general director of confectionery maker Bibica, claimed that in terms of capital, the finances and marketing strategy of foreign companies surpass those in Vietnam . Therefore, for greater success in the domestic market, firms should introduce unique products.

Bibica is set to introduce a traditional line of products, named Lac Viet, for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday to reinforce its image as a Vietnamese brand, he revealed.

Producers agreed that non-tariff barriers are necessary to protect domestic makers and prevent the sale of low-quality products.

According to a report from the Business Monitor International, revenue earned by Vietnamese confectionery producers is expected to reach 40 trillion VND (nearly 1.9 billion USD) in 2018.-VNA