Southeast Asia is a market of nearly 700 million people with a popular culture of using social networks. Although Vietnamese products have been more or less known and loved in some major cities in Southeast Asia. However, marketing and branding activities of Vietnam in the international market are always one step behind. However, the popularity of the KOL network along with the proven power of influencer marketing in Southeast Asia has opened up an easier way to promote Vietnamese brands. Making Vietnamese products spread on social networks in Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, thereby creating a boost for Vietnamese brands, is becoming easier than ever.
Vietnamese brands are absent from Indonesian social media but are sparking viral content in Thailand and the Philippines
Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, has a unique coffee culture and an extremely active coffee-loving community on social media. Videos reviewing Korean, Japanese, and Italian coffee are constantly viral on TikTok and Instagram. However, one strange thing is: there is rarely any content about Vietnamese coffee. Meanwhile, iced milk coffee and filter coffee – symbols of Vietnam – have their own flavors and experiences, and are completely capable of becoming “internet phenomena” if properly exploited. The problem is not the quality of the product but the lack of presence in local review content.
While Thailand and the Philippines have more or less similarities in religion and culture with Vietnam, Indonesia has many differences as an Islamic country. Strict Halal standards applied to most products imported into Indonesia make Vietnamese consumer goods, which are already rare in the market, even less present in the media. With the government’s special focus on the Indonesian market and efforts to improve domestic production capacity to serve the Halal industry, all Vietnamese products that meet the standards for import into Indonesia have the potential to spread on social networks in Indonesia.
Unlike Indonesia, social networks in Thailand and the Philippines have many bright spots in communication for Vietnamese brands. We do not know that many Vietnamese products and brands have been loved by influencers in these two countries and actively shared on social networks, creating a lot of content promoting Vietnamese cuisine.
In Thailand, content about Vietnamese products started from Thai influencers traveling to Vietnam and reviewing domestic dishes and products. Then, many Vietnamese products were loved and created a wave of spread on TikTok. Tuk Little Monster – Influencer with 4.6 million followers on TikTok shares about Vietnamese mango gummies that she discovered and loves:
This product is also actively promoted by other micro influencers.
Top Fruit Mango Gummies Thai Viet Phuc – Vietnamese product loved by many Thai influencers and spread on social networks.
Unlike in Thailand, influencers in the Philippines embrace Vietnamese food products as solutions suited to a healthy lifestyle. Jeeca Uy, a leading vegan food blogger in the Philippines with 970,000 Instagram followers, frequently shares her love for and recipes using Vietnamese cuisine. For example, here is a video where she shares a vegan Vietnamese bún riêu dish. Her video has garnered over 150,000 views and more than 5,000 likes. [Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHO6d3Ks861/]
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, a balanced lifestyle and consumption of health-conscious food products have been on the rise in the Philippines. Snack products such as cashews, low-sugar dried mangoes, and those processed to retain their fresh taste are highly sought after on e-commerce platforms in the Philippines.
Social traction is not proof of regional demand
A Vietnamese product appearing in content from Thailand, the Philippines, or Indonesia can signal curiosity, creator interest, or cultural relevance. It does not prove sustained demand, distribution readiness, or profitability. Record the market, period, source, and customer action before describing the observation as commercial evidence.
Localize each market independently
The same video should not be treated as proof across Southeast Asia. Buyer questions, language, product requirements, channel economics, creator roles, and service expectations differ by market. A Vietnam result or a viral post in Thailand cannot establish delivery capability or consumer response in Indonesia.
Turn attention into a controlled test
- Select one market, customer segment, and product problem.
- Use a local creator brief with approved claims and rights.
- Link content to an accurate, serviceable point of sale.
- Measure orders, returns, margin, and customer questions—not views alone.
Made-in-Vietnam products become credible regional propositions when each market supplies its own demand and operating evidence.
