'Umbrella brand' model for Vietnamese agricultural products

During a trip to Europe, I had the opportunity to stop by a supermarket and stop in front of the rice shelf. What caught my attention was the large, clear words on the packaging: “Thai Hom Mali Rice - Jasmine Rice of Thailand”.

Vietnamese agricultural products are displayed for sale in a supermarket in Bangkok, Thailand - Photo: N.BINH

There, consumers not only buy rice for cooking, but they also buy trust in quality, buy the story of a country.

Right next door, Vietnamese rice was also present, but appeared modestly with small packaging, scattered labels, lacking unity. At that moment, I suddenly realized that the products may be the same, but the brand has created a big gap.

In the short term, we can sell a lot of products, but in the long term, if we do not work together to build a brand, Vietnamese agricultural products will find it difficult to reach the status of national symbols.

Brand value

A brand, after all, is more than just a name or a label. It is the image, reputation and trust that the international community as well as domestic consumers associate with a country through its key agricultural products.

Walter Landor, a famous brand researcher, once said: “Products are made in factories, but brands are created in the minds of customers”. Today’s world not only buys products, but also buys emotions, buys trust. With agricultural products, brands are only truly sustainable when they are planted from the roots, from farmers, fields, cooperatives, and even indigenous cultures.

Building a national agricultural product brand is not only for the purpose of selling at a higher price. It is a way to increase value, expand the market, and improve the competitiveness of the economy . At the same time, this is also a way to bring a worthy position to farmers, arouse national pride and promote Vietnamese culture, cuisine, and lifestyle to the world.

The national agricultural brand can even become a testament to a green, low-emission, environmentally friendly agricultural Vietnam. It is a kind of “intangible asset” but has a longer lifespan than price or output.

Umbrella branding model

To do that, we need to identify key industries such as rice, coffee, pepper, cashews, and tropical fruits. On that basis, an “umbrella brand” model needs to be built.

We can imagine a common brand called “Vietnam Agriculture - Green Growth” and under that umbrella are individual brands such as “Vietnam Rice”, “Vietnam Coffee”, “Vietnam Fruit”. This approach not only helps avoid fragmentation and dispersion but also creates a synergistic strength, so that each product contributes to shaping a unified national image: modern, integrated, sustainable Vietnamese agriculture.

But this journey is not easy. Brand building cannot be done by following trends. Just one food safety incident is enough to destroy the trust built up over many years. The risk of conflicts of interest between localities and businesses is always present. Without a consensus mechanism, the national brand can easily be divided, each person goes their own way, and eventually lose its collective strength.

Vietnamese coffee products are sold in American supermarkets - Photo: KH

Challenges also come from outside such as climate change, fierce competition, increasingly dense technical barriers and the appearance of counterfeit and fake goods. However, the world has also left many valuable experiences.

Japan has turned Koshihikari rice into a cultural quintessence. Thailand has made Jasmine rice a national symbol thanks to strong government sponsorship. Colombia has associated coffee beans with the image of farmer Juan Valdez, creating closeness and trust. New Zealand has made Fonterra milk and kiwifruit symbols of a clean, green country.

What they have in common is that the product always comes with a story, and behind it is the support of the state, associations, businesses and farmers.

Suggestions for Vietnam

From these experiences, Vietnam can start with 1-2 strategic products, such as rice and coffee as pioneering seeds. The brand story must be told in a consistent manner, domestically and internationally.

A slogan like “Vietnam Rice - From Mekong to the World” can be both simple and evocative. In addition, we need to establish a National Agricultural Product Branding Council, bringing together stakeholders from the State, associations, businesses, media and farmers.

Technology must also be fully utilized to make product origins transparent, from QR codes to blockchain. Packaging, labels and geographical indications must be carefully invested in so that each product has a clear “birth certificate”. And above all, the communication campaign needs to evoke emotions, linking the product to the story of the land, people and culture of Vietnam.

This is not the job of an individual or a single organization. The State must take the lead in policy making and brand protection. Industry associations are responsible for connecting and controlling quality. Enterprises need to boldly invest in deep processing, bringing products to the international market with methodical marketing strategies.

Farmers and cooperatives are the ones who directly maintain the quality and the soul of the brand. The press and media must sow trust and create a spread. And finally, consumers also play an important role, because their responsible choices will contribute to nurturing the national brand.

Building a national agricultural brand cannot happen overnight. It is a long journey, starting from very small things, from each field, each cooperative, each farmer. But when everyone goes under a common umbrella, Vietnam will not only sell rice, coffee or fruit, but also sell the trust, identity and image of a green, civilized and integrated agricultural country.

And one day, when we enter a supermarket anywhere in the world, we will clearly and proudly see the words: “Vietnam Rice”, “Vietnam Coffee”, “Vietnam Fruit”. At that time, Vietnamese agricultural products will not only be products, but also national symbols.

Vietnamese goods need a strong brand story to conquer the international market.

ST25 rice products are sold in supermarkets in the US - Photo: KH

Ms. Jolie Nguyen, CEO and founder of LNS International Company, which is distributing and promoting more than 100 Vietnamese specialty products to the international market, said that the common point is that all products are standardized according to international standards such as FDA, USDA, EU..., targeting the mainstream segment, not just limited to the Asian or overseas Vietnamese community.

* So what criteria does LNS use to choose products to put on its platform?

- We have four core criteria.

First , quality and safety: products must meet food hygiene and safety standards in the importing market, from machinery and equipment, production processes, finished products, packaging, to hazard control systems and recall plans. Licenses from the importing country must also be carefully prepared before exporting.

Second, Vietnamese identity: each product needs to tell its own story, representing the flavors, values ​​and culinary culture of Vietnam.

Third, international competitiveness: including packaging, logistics, cost, ability to meet large orders and ability to standardize according to each market's needs.

And finally , businesses must be willing to invest in domestic marketing and coordinate with LNS to build their brand in the international market.

* In your opinion, what is the current level of brand recognition of Vietnamese products in the US?

- Frankly speaking, Vietnamese products in the US do not have as strong a recognition as Thai, Japanese or Korean products. American consumers easily remember “Thai Hom Mali Rice” or “Made in Korea” associated with the K-Food wave, but rarely think of a specific Vietnamese brand. The reason is not because our quality is poor, but because there is no unified strategy for national branding as well as attractive storytelling.

Currently, Vietnamese products are still recognized mainly by the Vietnamese community or a small part of the Asian community. While reality shows that when given the opportunity to enjoy them, local consumers really like the taste of Vietnamese products.

* If we do a good job of branding, will international sales of Vietnamese products be more favorable?

- The answer is definitely yes. International trade is not just about selling products, but also about selling the beliefs and emotions associated with those products. If each coffee bean, each box of cakes, spices or Vietnamese fruits carries a consistent story about quality, origin and sustainability, then businesses like LNS will easily bring their products into the global distribution system.

When the Vietnamese brand is clearly positioned, we do not just sell a product, but also introduce a “Vietnamese choice” - a reliable, distinctive and different choice from Vietnam.

Performed by N.BINH

VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY LE MINH HOAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/mo-hinh-thuong-hieu-o-du-cho-nong-san-viet-20250830100809509.htm