Tag: vietnam

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam – Indonesia super-app has inked a strategic partnership with Vietnamese e-wallet MoMo, entailing MoMo to be integrated in the Gojek super-app in the local market. 

Through the partnership, Gojek and MoMo will combine their technological strengths and large ecosystems to jointly raise the level of use of cashless payment methods among Vietnamese people, and at the same time provide a better customer experience.

MoMo will support Gojek’s ecosystem of millions of users who are using online technology ride-hailing services such as GoRide, GoCar, and online food delivery GoFood. This then gives Gojek customers the option to pay via MoMo’s e-wallet in addition to credit, debit and cash payments.

Gojek will have the opportunity to reach out to MoMo’s ecosystem of more than 31 million users, and at the same time meet the growing demand of customers who want more payment options on the app, especially the use of contactless payments amid the COVID-19.

Speaking about the partnership, Nguyen Ba Diep, co-founder and vice president at MoMo, said, “I firmly believe that this partnership will bring optimal payment options and experience. for users. With this cooperation, we hope to partly help technology drivers and partners of Gojek and MoMo to reach more customers, increase sales and quickly recover from the pandemic.”

Meanwhile, Pham Huu Thanh, operations director of payments division at Gojek Vietnam, commented, “Through the integration of MoMo e-wallet on the Gojek application, our users will have more choices when paying for services, thus having a smoother, more convenient, and safer experience when paying for services. use Gojek. Together with MoMo, we are delighted to continue to contribute to the promotion of cashless payments in Vietnam, by influencing to change user habits and constantly expanding the payment ecosystem.”

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam – Jio Health, a provider of human-centered, technology-powered healthcare, has recently completed a US$20m Series B investment led by Singapore-based healthcare investor, Heritas Capital. Other investors in the round included Fuchsia Ventures, Kasikorn Bank Group, and existing investor, Monk’s Hills Ventures. 

The fundraise represents the largest in the company’s history and will build on Jio Health’s aggressive growth, with plans to expand its Smart Clinics and omnichannel ecosystem across its primary market of Vietnam and pave the way for expansion into regional markets over the coming years.

“We’re excited to welcome a high-impact, high-conviction cohort of investors to join us on our mission to become the most consumer-centric healthcare company in Vietnam and across Southeast Asia. We plan to boldly invest into expanding our geographic footprint across Vietnam, enhancing our clinical and digital capabilities, and regionalizing the playbook for our ‘quality care, anytime, anywhere’ value proposition,” said Jio Health’s Founder & CEO Raghu Rai.

The Series B investment in Jio Health will extend its clinical service offering to more consumers and employers, support the launch of additional Smart Clinics in existing and new geographies, expand provider and clinical support teams, and further advance technology platform innovation.

Jio Health’s vertically integrated consumer healthcare value chain enables it to provide quality and affordable care wherever consumers shop, work, and live. The uniqueness of Jio Health’s model is that access to care is part of a larger omnichannel strategy that integrates prevention, multi-speciality care management, and ancillary diagnostic and pharmacy benefits to deliver better healthcare outcomes. Jio Health’s technology encompasses telemedicine, e-prescription fulfilment, digital medical records, and machine-learning for clinical decision support. 

“Our team of 300+ care providers, engineers, and operators have each encountered the unpredictable impact of COVID at front-line hospitals, across their communities, and within their families. Their personal experiences have further validated the importance of our vision and deepened our commitment to transforming the access and delivery of care for millions of people across Southeast Asia. Our Series B funding will substantially accelerate our growth and scale the reach, impact, and affordability of our consumer healthcare ecosystem,” concludes Rai.

Singapore – Live streaming solutions BeLive Technology has piloted a live shopping campaign with Southeast Asian super app Grab called ‘Grab Live Beta’. The said campaign is now first available in Vietnam as well as Thailand. 

‘Grab Live Beta’ will allow participating merchants on Grab to engage with consumers in real-time, while increasing their overall visibility and brand awareness. Some of the features available in the live shopping campaign include addressing enquiries via the chat function and a new virtual gifting beta feature that allows consumers to show their support for content or influencers that interest them.

Commenting on the new partnership between BeLive Technology and Grab, Kenneth Tan, CEO and co-founder at BeLive Technology, said, “BeLive Technology is delighted to power live streams for Southeast Asia’s leading super-app, Grab. Merchants on Grab Live would be able to build meaningful connections with their customers and order directly on lossless, low-latency live video. This collaboration reinforces our commitment to empowering brands around the world.”

The new campaign follows after BeLive Technology has recently raised S$6m in a bridge funding round, bringing the company’s total funding to S$10m. BeLive Technology operates from Singapore and Vietnam, and has delivered 3.7 billion minutes of live video to over 100 million viewers worldwide.

Vietnam — The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) has announced the launch of PRCA Vietnam and PRCA Thailand, as part of its expansion plans in the Southeast Asian region. The PRCA’s launch of both sub-groups owes to these countries’ fast-growing economies and a proven base of talented communications professionals.

A team of founding members in Vietnam and Thailand has been established to help deliver the association’s mission to create a professional, ethical, and efficient PR industry in the region. Founding members of the Vietnam Group include EloQ Communications, Vero, and The Vietnam Public Relation Network. Meanwhile, founding members of the Thailand Group include ABM Connect, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Midas PR, Moonshot Digital, MSL, and Vero.

Francis Ingham, director general of PRCA, commented that they are delighted to announce the latest stage of their global expansion, launching PRCA Vietnam and PRCA Thailand. Ingham added that as part of PRCA Southeast Asia, this new grouping of practitioners joins the world’s largest PR association, opening up a whole range of services, insights, and connections. Ingham continues by saying that their industry has never been more international, and this latest development will be welcomed by our members across the 70 countries in which they live and work.

Through the expansion, PRCA will provide local professionals with access to local, regional, and global events, training, and professional development opportunities.

Tara Munis, general manager of PRCA SEA, said, “The launch of PRCA Vietnam and PRCA Thailand is an exciting chapter in our growth across the region. The PR industry has a very important role to play in helping companies not only say the right thing but more importantly, to counsel businesses on doing the right thing in what is a complex world. PRCA’s mission is to deliver world-class support and representation to PR professionals across the world. Among our priorities is to ensure the business community understands how vital PR is to succeed in today’s marketplace. Today’s news brings us one step closer towards that goal.”

Duy Ly, head of external relations at EloQ Communications MPRCA, said that as the first Vietnamese agency to join PRCA, and now a founding member of PRCA Vietnam, EloQ Communications understands the importance of having a professional body to grow and move forward together.

“We continue to spread this spirit to other local agencies. We hope that PRCA Vietnam will bring PRCA’s global standards and training closer to Vietnamese PR practitioners through localized materials and events, access to universal PR ethics, knowledge, and practices to the local professionals while overcoming the language barrier. We have no doubt that PRCA Vietnam will contribute great values to leverage Vietnam’s PR industry to a higher standard than we are now,” Ly said.

Singapore – GosuGamers, a portal for esports information, has announced that it now has a domain in Southeast Asia market Vietnam. The recent expansion, which is part of its growth and future plans, also included Thailand and India. 

The move is being supported with new appointments to provide even more expertise for the publication. Hung Do Viet, the general secretary of the Vietnam National Esports Federation, is now part of the Vietnam team as an advisor, while Thong Kai Xuan, a media industry veteran, will operate as the group’s chief operating officer.

“We have been monitoring the region’s interests in esports for a while now, and this latest move makes perfect sense for us as an organisation and for the many fans that are looking for refreshing and quality content,” explains Samson Oh, CEO of GosuGamers.

The digital media said that with the emergence of esports as an important pillar of content in Southeast Asia, especially with India becoming the global leader for mobile games downloads, it looks to provide relevant and localised esports content for said markets with the help of global and local partners.

“Localised content will speak to our audience and relate to them. It is vital to put the interests of our audience at the heart of our content, not just in the region, but also globally,” shared Kai Xuan.

In addition to the latest esports updates and extensive tournament coverage across various popular esports titles such as Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Valorant, and League of Legends, the organisation also leverages data to provide GG (GosuGamers) Live Stats, an innovative feature where users are able to view heat maps and real-time predictions during live tournaments.

The team said it hopes to build on its growing audience by reaching at least 50 million fans by 2023, starting with the three new regions.

Hanoi, Vietnam — Southeast Asian data-driven loyalty platform Society Pass Incorporated, also known as SoPa, announced its buyout of Dream Space Trading Company, the operator of Handycart, an online grocery delivery service based in Hanoi, Vietnam. Dream Space will be integrated into SoPa’s F&B delivery vertical with SoPa’s existing merchant software platform HOTTAB.

In addition to the buyout, Handycart Founder and CEO Seo Jun Ho have been named head of the new business unit, managing both Handycart and #HOTTAB in Vietnam.

Handycart, founded recently in 2019, is an online grocery delivery app with its own fleet of delivery vehicles that focuses on the Korean restaurant market and F&B sector in Hanoi. Vietnam has embraced the ‘Korean Wave’; a recent survey by market research firm Q&Me found that 58 per cent of Vietnamese favour Korean cuisine.

Ngo Thi Cham, country general manager of SoPa Vietnam, commented on the strategic step, saying that they are excited to welcome Handycart to the larger SoPa ecosystem which will enable it to harness integrated marketing and technology proposition while also strengthening its collective senior management resources.

“We endeavour to combine the robust technology and operational efficiency of a speciality e-commerce brand like Handycart with our brand-building experience. SoPa has witnessed, with our runaway success of Leflair, in Vietnam, that this move will lead to immediate returns in terms of cost optimization and increased revenue generation. We are determined to increase merchant coverage to 500 restaurants in Hanoi by the end of 2022 and look to expand to HCMC in 3Q 2022​,” Cham said.

With Handycart leveraging on SoPa’s integrated technology platform to drive operational efficiencies and business performance, the platform will focus on increasing on-demand grocery shopping services to more consumers in the country, while empowering speciality F&B restaurants to transform business models and further increase reach in online markets.

Seo Jun Ho, CEO of Handycart, said, “Handycart was established in 2019 with a mission of connecting Korean patrons seeking a taste of home through its established network of authentic Korean restaurants right here in Vietnam. Providing businesses with speedy access to authentic Korean products has helped us gather a loyal user base of over 3000 with more than 26,000 orders in 2021 alone. SoPa will now be able to accelerate Handycart’s growth given our well-established positioning as a go-to online grocery delivery service. Partnership with Society Pass will enable us to unlock growth opportunities within the industry and I am glad that Handycart can now avail itself of SoPa’s synergistic ecosystem.”

Vietnam has been one of the fastest-growing economies within SEA over the past two decades. The country’s e-commerce is growing tremendously, valued at 13.2b USD; it is expected to grow steadily from 2021 until 2025.

Recently, SoPa entered the Philippine market with its acquisition of Pushkart.ph as the loyalty platform is an acquisition focused e-commerce holding company with focuses in Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam – To highlight the success stories of the growing number of female entrepreneurs in Vietnam, global finance company Mastercard and humanitarian organisation CARE Vietnam has unveiled its initiative to spotlight the stories of these female entrepreneurs: all through umbrellas.

The initiative, known as ‘Umbrellas of Pride’, has each umbrella telling the story of the woman behind the business, and informing readers of the support, tools, and training that the CARE Ignite program can provide for them thanks to their women’s economic empowerment partnership with the Mastercard Centre for Inclusive Growth.

For Le Kim Dung, country director for CARE in Vietnam, the ‘Umbrellas of Pride’ are an ingenious way to lift fellow women up.

“Fear of failure is the number one barrier among female entrepreneurs in Vietnam – by celebrating and displaying success stories that women can identify with so clearly in the open, we hope to inspire a whole new wave of female entrepreneurship,” Dung said.

The umbrellas are gifted to the female business owners already enrolled in the CARE Ignite program. Each business owner becomes an Ignite ambassador, helping build a network of support and mentorship.

Furthermore, the initiative also highlights access to resources and support provided by the CARE Ignite Program for women in Vietnam, namely providing financial support, skills training, education, and a vast network of experienced entrepreneurs and mentors, made possible through the partnership with Mastercard.

For Winnie Wong, country manager for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and Mastercard, their company is honoured to be part of the campaign that acknowledges the strength, perseverance and success of women entrepreneurs – a vital initiative in creating an equal world post-COVID.

“The pandemic has set back recent gains made towards women empowerment, and there is a high risk of women getting left behind. Mastercard is committed to creating an inclusive world that works for everyone, especially women. Women-owned businesses are the heartbeat of every economy and are critical to boosting recovery efforts in Vietnam,” Wong said.

Vietnam – Vietnam’s banking and financial services provider, HD Bank, has announced its strategic partnership with Thought Machine, the UK-headquartered core banking technology company, aimed at deploying modern technology as part of its transformation programme, starting with its core platforms and internal workflows. 

HD Bank said that it has selected Thought Machine for collaboration due to its unique flexibility and control which will enable the bank to both migrate existing systems and design highly innovative financial products and services at scale.

The partnership will see HD Bank implementing Thought Machine’s core banking platform Vault to reinvent the financial services ecosystem in Vietnam, and accelerate financial inclusion across the country.

Pham Quoc Thanh, HD Bank’s CEO, shared that there is a clear need in the Vietnamese market for financial services which are real-time, always-on and forever adapting to the customers’ needs.

“With Thought Machine, we intend to fill this gap and push digital banking innovation in unexpected ways. We are proud to be joining forces with Thought Machine as they have built a product that is transforming the industry,” said Thanh.

Meanwhile, Nick Wilde, Thought Machine’s managing director for APAC, noted that their clients are unlocking incredible gains in innovation and efficiency as they combine advanced technology with clear vision. 

“HD Bank joins a rapidly expanding family of clients who can leverage the advanced capabilities and products available with Vault to redefine the future of banking. We are looking forward to working with HD Bank in their mission to significantly improve financial services in Vietnam,” said Wilde.

Vietnam – The Vietnam Payment Solution Joint Stock Company or VNPAY has entered into a partnership with global payments company Visa to improve the digital payment experience in Vietnam.

Through the partnership, Visa and VNPAY will bring digital payments closer to Vietnamese users by strengthening and expanding the network of partners accepting electronic payments, and cooperating to deploy new services to users as well, including a solution to accept contactless payments via mobile phones (Tap to Phone), Visa prepaid virtual cards, Visa Direct money transfer and receipt services and instalment solutions Visa Installment Solution (VIS).

In addition, Visa and VNPAY will launch several payment solutions in the local scene, typically a solution to accept contactless payments via mobile phones (Tap to Phone). When merchants deploy this solution, any Android smartphone or tablet can become a contactless payment acceptor, operating on a software application and no hardware support is required.

Nguyen Tuan Luong, vice chairman of the board of directors at VNPAY, said, “Visa is the world’s leading multinational payment technology company. VNPAY believes that the strategic partnership with Visa will continue to promote digital payment trends, bringing many useful solutions to users and business partners in VNPAY’s network. This also makes the digital transformation process of businesses easier, creating stronger and more sustainable growth through electronic payment solutions.”

Meanwhile, Dang Tuyet Dung, director of Visa Vietnam and Laos, commented, “The strategic partnership with VNPAY will accelerate the ongoing digital transformation and cashless payment process in Vietnam. Along with making VNPAY partners and users a part of Visa’s secure and reliable digital payment ecosystem, the deployment of digital capabilities of both sides also helps to expand the electronic payment network. death of Visa and drive adoption of contactless payments.”

Vietnam – A new report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), in partnership with the United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and M&C Saatchi, has unveiled how aggressive marketing tactics have drastically changed how mothers decide as to what formula milk they would like to buy.

In Vietnam, around 92% of Vietnamese respondents say that they have been exposed to marketing tactics related to formula milk in the preceding year. In regards to the top channels where formula milk marketing is seen or heard among mothers, the top three channels in Vietnam were TV (86%), YouTube (35%), and social media (35%).

Another type of marketing tactic mothers often see are free samples, with 28% of respondents saying they receive free samples of formula milk in hospital, 22% receiving free samples of formula milk outside hospital, and 35% from either of them.

Almost one in five women in Vietnam (19%) reported seeing promotional booths in a health setting, offering women promotions, ‘advice’ and free samples, often in exchange for women’s contact information to allow companies to follow up later with consultation calls and promotions. Following that, formula milk representatives contact consumers online, through social media, and on the phone, and present themselves as legitimate sources of advice and support for women.

The report also noted that marketing campaigns in several countries focused on how domestic products are more “tailored to local stomachs” than international products to counter the influence of foreign brands gaining traction with women and health professionals.

“Formula milk companies use sophisticated techniques and misleading messaging to market their products, including scientific language and imagery, pain points, and emotional and aspirational appeals. They also assume a friendly, supportive role to pregnant women and mothers, exploiting vulnerabilities to gain access and increase sales,” the report said.