VIETNAMESE FUNCTIONAL FOOD

MARKET STUDY
Case study: Raisio Benecol and Vietnamese Cardiovascular
Health Market

LAHTI UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED

SCIENCES
Degree programme in International
Business
Thesis
Spring 2014
Hoang Nguyen

Lahti University of Applied Sciences

Degree Programme in International Business
NGUYEN, HOANG

Vietnamese functional food market study

Case: Raisio Benecol and Vietnamese
cardiovascular health market

Bachelors Thesis in International Business, 95 pages, 2 pages of appendices

Spring 2014
ABSTRACT

Worldwide, there has been an explosion of consumer interest in the health

enhancing effect of functional foods. Vietnam is no exception to the phenomenon.
The Vietnamese market for functional food has been growing tremendously in the
last decade. This has attracted much attention from domestic companies as well as
foreign investors.
Raisio Benecol is a Finnish brand of cholesterol- lowering products. Proven by
many studies, Benecols patented ingredient Plant stanol ester can effectively
lower blood cholesterol levels. The company sells Plant stanol ester and licenses
its brand to other food manufacturers. Already engaging in some activities in
Vietnam, Benecol looks forward to find more opportunities in this market.
This becomes the inspiration for the author to study the Vietnamese functional
food market and several main players in order to find business opportunities
between these firms and the Case Company.
In this study, the qualitative method and deductive approach are employed. Data
are collected from both primary and secondary data sources. Primary data are
attained from Benecols guidance, the semi-structured interviews with several
prestigious people with knowledge about the market and the authors own
observation. Secondary data are gathered from books, journals, reports, websites
and previous studies.
Based on the thesiss findings, the author points out the opportunities of Benecol
with the food companies reviewed. This would help Benecol to start realising its
intention in the Vietnamese market.
Key words: Vietnam functional food market, cardiovascular health, lower
cholesterol, Benecol, licensing

LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE 1. THESIS FRAMEWORK ..................................................................... 3
FIGURE 2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ......................................................... 4
FIGURE 3. DEDUCTION AND INDUCTION APPROACH ............................... 5
FIGURE 4. THESIS STRUCTURE ........................................................................ 8
FIGURE 5. PROJECTED GLOBAL DEATHS BY CAUSE (US National
Academy of Sciences 2010) .................................................................................. 14
FIGURE 6. PESTEL MODEL WITH ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS
(DEMOGRAPHIC AND ETHICAL) (Jurevicius 2013)....................................... 17
FIGURE 7 MICRO-ENVIRONMENT FACTORS (Boundless 2014). ................ 20
FIGURE 8. PLANT STANOL ESTER'S CHOLESTEROL-LOWERING
EFFECT. ADAPTED FROM SOURCE (Miettinen et al 1995) ........................... 29
FIGURE 9 THE DOSE DEPENDENCY OF PLANT STANOLS/STEROLS
(Benecol 2011)....................................................................................................... 29
FIGURE 10 BENECOL PRODUCTS (Benecol 2014) ......................................... 31
FIGURE 11. AVAILABILITY OF BENECOL PRODUCTS GLOBALLY
(Benecol 2014)....................................................................................................... 31
FIGURE 12 BENECOL'S COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES ............................. 32
FIGURE 13. HOUSEHOLD FINAL CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE IN USD
(World Bank 2014) ................................................................................................ 39
FIGURE 14. GROWTH OF MIDDLE CLASS AND SPENDING (Nielsen 2013)
............................................................................................................................... 42
FIGURE 15 VIETNAMESE CONSUMERS' CONCERNS (Nielsen 2013) ........ 43
FIGURE 16. TOP CONCERNS OF BUSINESSES AND HOUSEHOLDS
(Nielsen 2013) ....................................................................................................... 52
FIGURE 17. BUYING HABITS ON FOODS, BEVERAGES AND MILK
(Nielsen 2013) ....................................................................................................... 52
FIGURE 18 SEVERAL PRODUCTS OF VINATEA (Vinatea 2014) ................. 58
FIGURE 19 PRODUCTS OF TH TRUE MILK (TH Milk 2014) ........................ 62
FIGURE 20. TH'S SOON-TO-LAUCH PRODUCTS (TH Milk 2014) ............... 63
FIGURE 21. FUNCTIONAL MILK PRODUCTS FROM VINAMILK (Vinamilk
2014). ..................................................................................................................... 66
FIGURE 22. SEVERAL TRUNG NGUYENS PRODUCTS (TrungNguyen
2014) ...................................................................................................................... 67

LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 1. LIST OF CONTACTS ........................................................................... 7
TABLE 2. TYPES OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS (Lau et al 2013) ........................ 12
TABLE 3. PESTEL FRAMEWORK (West et al 2010, 74).................................. 18
TABLE 4. TYPES OF PUBLICS (Armstrong & Kotler 2013, 97) ...................... 21
TABLE 5. PESTEL SUMMARY.......................................................................... 47
TABLE 6. BENECOL'S COMPANY SEGMENTATION ................................... 56
TABLE 7. NOTABLE CALOFIC PRODUCTS (Calofic 2014) .......................... 69
TABLE 8. MAJOR FUNCTIONAL FIRMS IN VIETNAM................................ 71
TABLE 9. THE THESIS FINDINGS ................................................................... 72

GLOSSARY

CALOFIC

Cai Lan Oils & Fats Industries Company

CVD(s)

Cardiovascular disease(s)

FF(s)

Functional food(s)

HDL cholesterol

High-density lipoprotein, good cholesterol

LDL cholesterol

Low-density lipoprotein, bad cholesterol

Phytosterol,

Includes plant sterols and plant stanols. Steroid

compounds similar to cholesterol

Plant stanol ester,

Plant sterol ester

Ingredients which can lower cholesterol

VAFF

Vietnam Association of Functional Food

TABLE OF CONTENT

INTRODUCTION

1.1

Thesis background

1.2

Research objectives and research questions

1.3

Theoretical framework

1.4

Research methodology

1.5

Thesis structure

1.6

Scope and limitation

THEORETICAL PREVIEW

10

2.1

Functional food

11

2.2

Cardiovascular health and cholesterol

13

2.3

Macro environment analysis

16

2.4

Micro environment analysis

19

2.5

Internal analysis

24

CASE COMPANY ANALYSIS

27

3.1

Case Company Overview

27

3.2

Plant stanol ester

27

3.3

Product portfolio

30

3.4

Competitive advantages

32

VIETNAMESE MARKET

36

4.1

Country analysis

36

4.1.1

Political factors

36

4.1.2

Economic factors

38

4.1.3

Socio-Cultural factors

40

4.1.4

Technological factors

43

4.1.5

Environmental factors

44

4.1.6

Legal factors

45

4.1.7

PESTEL Summary

46

4.2

Vietnamese functional food market

48

4.2.1

Cardiovascular diseases in Vietnam

48

4.2.2

Market size and development trend of functional foods

49

4.2.3

Publics

50

4.2.4

Consumerism

51

4.2.5

Distribution channels

53

4.3

Major functional food companies in Vietnam

55

4.3.1

VinaTea The Vietnam National Tea Corporation LTD

57

4.3.2

TH true milk

60

4.3.3

Vinamilk

64

4.3.4

Trung Nguyen Coffee

66

4.3.5

CAI LAN Oils & Fats Industries Company (CALOFIC)

68

4.3.6

Summary of functional food industry in Vietnam

70

CONCLUSION

72

5.1

Answers to Research questions and sub-questions

72

5.2

Reliability and validity of the thesis

74

5.3

Suggestions for further research

75

SUMMARY

76

REFERENCES

77

INTRODUCTION

This chapter starts with the background information about the study, specifying
the motives for choosing the Vietnamese functional food market as a subject of
research. There will be a brief overview of the food market followed by an
explanation of the objectives, questions and limitations of this study. A
description of the theoretical framework and the research approach are also
included.

1.1

Thesis background

It has been 39 years since Vietnam gained independence from the US. Along with
the ultimate prize, there were ruins, poverty and other destructive traces. Once,
there were millions of deaths caused by starvation. Since then, Vietnam has
struggled greatly. The efforts paid off, as the country has been enjoying a decent
growth rate for many years. (CIA Factbook 2014.)
Nowadays, as Vietnam is a leading agricultural exporter, starvation is no longer a
threat. Concerns have shifted towards the safety of digestion (Euromonitor 2014).
For years, people had been fed with unhealthy, filthy or even fake products, which
are evidently harmful to the human body (Deetz 2013). Today, with great efforts
from media, science, health organizations and other concerned people, the
Vietnamese have been changing the way they consume foods (Mergenthaler et al
2013). Not only have they looked forward to food produced in safe and hygienic
processes but also functional food that helps promote the well-being of the human
body. The market for functional foods in Vietnam has been rocketing in the past
12 years (Vtown 2013). One of the most potential areas for functional foods in
Vietnam is for cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular health refers to the heart
and blood vessels. (DanTri 2013.)
This thesis is conducted about Benecol, a brand of Raisio. Raisio is based near
Turku, Finland. Raisio sells cereal, animal feeds and engages in life-science.
Generally, the Benecols business model is licensing the brand and selling the
patented ingredients Plant stanol ester to other food companies. Plant stanol
ester can be incorporated in many food products. Daily intake of these foods has

been proven by many studies to effectively lower the blood cholesterol in just two
or three weeks. (Benecol 2014.)
As stated above, Vietnam has risen up as a very promising market for Raisio
Benecol. This thesis is inspired by the authors intention to provide the Case
Company with a better view on the market as well as an inspection of the main
players on the market. Subsequently, this thesis can be utilised as a benchmark in
terms of partnership for Benecol when the company decides to operate in the
market.

1.2

Research objectives and research questions

The main objective of this thesis is to evaluate the Vietnamese functional food
market, narrowing down to the field of cardiovascular health industry.
Cardiovascular health industry refers to the functional food products which aim
to improve the wellbeing of the human cardiovascular system. The thesis also
explores the major functional food companies in Vietnam. Based on the findings,
the Case Company can find more opportunities in the Vietnamese market.
Business opportunities here is defined as selling the unique ingredient Plant
stanol ester. Additionally, local companies can lease the rights to the Benecol
brand for incorporation into their merchandise.
The main research question: Is there any business opportunities for Benecol with
major functional food companies in Vietnam?
The sub-questions are formed to facilitate answering the main question:

What are the Case Companys competitive advantages?

What are the external factors that may affect the Case Companys
intention in Vietnam?

What are the characteristics of the Vietnamese functional food market?

What will be the future development of the Vietnamese functional food

market?

What is the consuming trend in Vietnam?

Who are the main players and what are their strategies in the functional
food market in general and cardiovascular health in particular?

1.3

Theoretical framework

This thesis is the Vietnamese functional food market research. In the market
research, both internal and external factors that affect the Case Company are
analysed.
The success of an internalisation plan is closely related to a detailed target market
research. Only by receiving precise and up-to-date data about the target market,
can a company make an accurate decision. During the process of study, the author
selected relevant theories and came up with his own framework as below:

Country analysis
Politics
Economics
Socioculture

Technology
Environment

Industry Analysis
Market
Characteristics

Internal Analysis

Players Analysis

Competitive
advantages

Legal

FIGURE 1. THESIS FRAMEWORK

As can be seen from the figure above, there are three levels of analyses included
in the thesis. The foremost level is country analysis, which utilises the PESTEL
analysis tool. It is used to investigate the macro environmental factors that can
affect any organisation.

Next, a more in-depth inspection is performed at the industry- level. This step
contains the review of the Vietnamese market characteristics as well as the
analysis of the major functional food companies in Vietnam the decisive factor
of this study. Players analysis is highlighted in the figure above to emphasise its
significance.
A more detailed description of these analytical tools mentioned above will be
explained in the Literature Review part.

1.4

Research methodology

To achieve the thesis objectives, the author designed a suitable research method. It
is comprised of the selections made in the research approach, research method and
data collection methods. Observable in the figure below, these choices of research
will, afterwards, be explained.

Research
Approach

Deductive

Research
Method

Qualitative

Collection
Methods
FIGURE 2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Interviews and
observations
Books, journals,
reports, articles

Research approach
In science, there are two ways of arriving at a conclusion: Deductive reasoning
and inductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning works from the more general to the
more specific. Sometimes, this is called the top-down approach. The conclusion
follows

logically from the premises (available facts).

Reversely,

inductive

reasoning works from the specific observations to broader generalisations and

theories. It is also called bottom-up approach; the conclusion is likely based on
premises. However, this approach involves a degree of uncertainty (Burney 2014).

Deduction

1. Theory
2. Hypothesis
3. Observation
4. Confirmation

Induction

1. Observation
2. Pattern
3. Tentative hypothesis
4. Theory

FIGURE 3. DEDUCTION AND INDUCTION APPROACH

The research approach can be chosen based on the nature of the study. The
intention of the author initiates with a general idea to encourage the Case
Company to invest into Vietnam. This purpose becomes more specific in the end
with a market study especially in major functional food firms. Accordingly, the
deductive research approach was selected.
Research method
Depending upon the desired outcome of the study, scientists may select between
quantitative or qualitative design. Quantitative study establishes statisticallysignificant conclusions about a population by studying a representative sample of
the population. It provides a broad view of a phenomenon that can be generalised

to the population. (Lowhorn 2007.) In contrast, qualitative research gains deeper

understanding of the meanings and perspectives of the targets studied. It aims at
seeing the world from the targets point of view, rather than from researchers
view (Maxwell 2013, viii).
This thesis aims to contribute to the Case Companys knowledge of the
Vietnamese functional food/cardiovascular health market. The key information is
obtained through interviews with few managers from major functional food
companies. Logically, the Qualitative method is adopted.
Data collection
In this thesis, the combination of both primary and secondary data is necessary to
fulfil the requirement of the market research.
Primary data are firstly collected from the authors open discussions with the Case
Companys Area Director, Asia and Australia, Mr Olavi Erkinjuntti. Secondly, the
author interviewed the CEOs or the representatives of major functional food
companies in Vietnam. Among five chosen food companies with noticeable shares
in the market, the author only managed to interview 2 companies managers. In
addition, some prestigious people were contacted via emails. They have
knowledge about certain fields in the market. The information gathered adds
credibility to the work. All of these contacts are semi-structured. Below is the
complete list of contacts:

TABLE 1. LIST OF CONTACTS

Name

Position

Reason to contact

Date

Olavi

Benecols Area Director

Thesis supervisor

In contact since

Erkinjuntti

of Asia and Australia

Nguyen Thi

Vietnam Minister of

Minh Tien

Health

Nguyen Thuy

December 2013
Broad view over the market

20 March 2014

Deputy Director of the

How Vietnamese hospitals look at

20 March 2014

Vinh, Prof.

Vietnam Central E

functional foods

Dr.

Hospital

Tran Huu

President of the Vietnam

Laws and regulations related to

Huynh,

International Arbitration

Benecols investment into

Lawyer

Centre, former Deputy

Vietnam

18 March 2014

Head of the Legislation

Department
Thai Huong

CEO of TH true milk

In-depth information about TH

22 March 2014

true milk and her perception about

the market
Nguyen Huu

Deputy Managing

In-depth information about

Tai

Director of Vinatea,

VinaTea and his perception about

President of the Vietnam

the market

4 March 2014

Tea Association

(Note: Besides Mr Olavi the supervisor, the interviewees are Thai Huong and
Nguyen Huu Tai. The others were contacted via emails)
Secondary

data

source is another source of information acquired

from

publications such as books, journals, articles, reports, previous studies and

electronic sources.

1.5

Thesis structure

This thesis contains six chapters with two key parts: theoretical and empirical. The
allocation of these two main themes is presented below.

Chapter 1
Introduction
Chapter 2
Theoretical preview
Chapter 3

Ba ckground information
Res earch methodology, research scope a nd limitation

Ba ckground knowledge
Bus iness analytical tools

Benecol analysis

Case Company analysis

Chapter 4
Vietnamese market

Empirical
Vietnamese functional food market
Major functional food companies

study

Chapter 5
Conclusion

Chapter 6
Summary

Concl usion a nd recommendations for the Ca se Company

Summa ry

FIGURE 4. THESIS STRUCTURE

After the introduction, there are five chapters presenting in the order above.
The theoretical part is accessible in chapter two, which presents background
information about functional food, cardiovascular health and cholesterol. And
then, an overview of marketing tools is offered. This knowledge serves as
fundamentals for the empirical part to develop later.
Subsequently, the empirical part is written in the third and fourth chapters. In the
third chapter, the Case Company is introduced in terms of history, products and
competitive advantages. Next, the Vietnamese functional food market as a whole
and major functional food companies are examined.

All of the information collected is a basis for the author to point out available
business opportunities for Benecol in the Vietnamese market. This will be
presented in chapter five. The sixth chapter summarises the study at the end.

1.6

Scope and limitation

By now, the Case Company has had activities in Vietnam and appearance in many
of its neighbouring countries. Besides basic knowledge about the market, the
thesis offers a more close-up look on the industry: current activities and future
plans of the main players in the Vietnamese functional food/cardiovascular health
market. This information is of deep interest.
This thesis is a market research only. The conclusion does not include any plans
or actions. Rather, it attempts to draw a current picture of the Vietnamese
functional food market. In the industry level, the competition is deemed
unnecessary by the Case Company. Furthermore, other methods to lower
cholesterol such as medication and surgery are also not mentioned. Therefore,
only two elements namely the publics and customers are analysed. The major
players in the market are the core subjects of illustration. Recommendations for
the Case Company will be stated shortly at the end. Further research and planning
are required to apply appropriate actions onto the Vietnamese market.
During the process of writing thesis, the author has the opportunity to have Mr
Olavi Erkinjuntti, Area Director, Asia and Australia, as his mentor. Mr Olavi
agreed to supervise this work, providing however, Benecols public information
only. No legal agreement is made and both parties are free of obligations.

10

THEORETICAL PREVIEW

In order to conduct a study which is logical and scientifically reliable, the author
selected relevant theories and tools that serve as fundamentals for the research to
develop. This chapter explains in detail what those fundamentals are and why they
are compatible to achieve the thesis objective.
Initially, the first half of this chapter shares the knowledge about functional foods
and cardiovascular health issues.
The second half focuses on the marketing tools. As a market research, this thesis
is suitable to employ situational analyses. These analyses allow the author to fulfil
his purpose of demonstrating the current condition of the target market.
Referring back to figure 1 (page 3), the foundation to create the framework can be
seen in the citation below:
To be successful over time, an organization must be in tune with its
external environment. There must be a strategic fit between what the
environment wants and what the organization has to offer, as well as
between what the organization needs and what the environment can
provide. (West et al 2010, 72.)
In another word, the success of a company is defined by two elements: (1) forces
created by the external environment; (2) its own resources and capabilities.
The external environment is further divided into two sub-environments: the
macro or remote environment; and the micro or competitive environment
(West et al 2010).
Therefore, the content of this chapter is presented in the following order:

Functional foods

Cardiovascular health issues

Macro environment level analysis

Micro environment level analysis

Internal level analysis

11

2.1

Functional food

Definition
"Let medicine be thy food and let food be thy medicine."
-HippocratesThe idea of functional food was originally introduced in 1984 by Japanese
scientists who studied the relationships between sensory satisfaction, nutrition,
modulation of physiological systems and fortification. In 1991, the Ministry of
Health issued rules for approval of a specific health-related food category called
FOSHU (FOod for Specified Health Uses) which included the establishment of
specific health claims for this type of food. (Sir et al 2008.)
So far there has been no universally accepted definition for the term functional
food (Alzamora et al 2005). However, to give a basic understanding about this
group of food, the author can list a few definitions as below:
According to Hasler et al (2002), functional foods is regarded as whole, fortified,
enriched or enhanced foods that bring health benefits beyond the provision of vital
nutrients (e.g., vitamins and minerals) when they are consumed at efficacious
levels as part of a varied diet on a regular basis.
On the other hand, the European Commissions Concerted Action on Functional
Food Science in Europe (FuFoSE) defines functional food as a food product can
only be considered functional if together with the basic nutritional impact it has
beneficial effects on one or more functions of the human organism thus either
improving the general and physical conditions or/and decreasing the risk of the
evolution of diseases. The amount of intake and form of the functional food
should be as it is normally expected for dietary purposes. Therefore, it could not
be in the form of a pill or capsule just as normal food form. ( Sir et al 2008.)
Types of functional food
According to Lau et al (2013), there are several types of functional food, and the
most prominent ones can be seen in the table below:

12

TABLE 2. TYPES OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS (Lau et al 2013)

Functional Food types

Definition

Example

Foods naturally
Non-altered products

containing increased

Natural foods

amounts of nutrients

Altered products

Fortified products

Enriched products

Unwanted components

Milk or meat skimmed

reduced/removed

off the fat

Existing nutrients

Fruit juice fortified with

fortified

Vitamin C

New nutrients added

Benecols margarine with

plant sterol ester

One component has been

Enhanced products

naturally enhanced by

Chicken eggs with

special growing/feeding

enhanced Omega-3 fatty

conditions, genetic

acids

modification etc.

The Market for Functional Foods

Globally, functional food category accounts for a great value and currently
growing on a fast track. According to the Leatherhead Food Research (2011),
from 2003 to 2010, the functional food market expanded 1.5 times, with a
Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14%, reaching $24.2 billion in 2010.
Comparatively, in 2003, it was only $9.9 billion. The value of 2014 is expected to
be 29.8 billion, representing 22.8% of growth.

13

Detail about the Vietnamese functional food market will be informed later in the
empirical parts.

2.2

Cardiovascular health and cholesterol

This part shares common knowledge about the cardiovascular health issue and
cholesterol at a global level. In-depth information regarding the target country
Vietnam is specified later in the fourth chapter.
Key facts
Heart disease or cardiovascular disease (CVDs) is the leading cause of deaths
worldwide. It accounts for around 30% of all global deaths. According to World
Health Organisation, in 2008, an estimated 17.3 million people died from CVDs.
80% of those taking place in low and middle-income countries. It is forecasted
that, by 2030, more than 23 million people will die annually from CVDs. (WHO
2014.)

14

FIGURE 5. PROJECTED GLOBAL DEATHS BY CAUSE (US National

Academy of Sciences 2010)

Definition
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a group of disorders of the heart and blood
vessels. Strokes and heart attacks are typically acute events and are mainly caused
by a blockage that stops blood from flowing to the brain or heart. The primary
reason behind this is a build-up of fatty substances (cholesterol) on the inner walls
of the blood vessels that nourish the brain or heart. Strokes can also be triggered
by bleeding from a blood vessel in the brain or from blood clots. (WHO 2014.)

15

The factors contributing to the damage to the cardiovascular system include high
amount of blood fats and cholesterol, high blood pressure, high amounts of blood
sugar, blood vessel inflammation, overweight and obesity (US National Institute
of Health 2014). These are caused by unhealthy diet and physical inactivity,
tobacco and alcohol abuse (WHO 2014).
Cholesterol
Around one-third of CVDs is attributable to high cholesterol (WHO 2010).
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that exists in all cells of the body. It
helps to build new cells, insulate nerves and produce hormones. Usually, the liver
produces a sufficient amount of cholesterol. However, cholesterol also enters the
body through digestion. It comes from animal-based foods like milk, eggs and
meat. (WebMD 2014.)
Cholesterol travels through the bloodstream in small packages called lipoproteins.
These packages are formed by proteins on the outside and fat (lipid) on the inside.
(NIH 2012). There are two types of cholesterol: low-density lipoproteins (LDL)
and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). LDL is considered to be bad cholesterol,
as it leads to a build-up of cholesterol in arteries, and HDL is considered as
good cholesterol, as it helps clearing cholesterol out of the body. (Dvorsky
2013.)
Therefore, to lower risks of CVDs, it is clear that the LDL level should be
lowered. It is reported that a 10% reduction in serum cholesterol in men aged 40
results in a 50% reduction in heart diseases within five years. 70-aged men with
the same serum cholesterol reduction are 20% less likely to be affected by heart
diseases in the next five-year period. (WHO 2010.) Globally, the prevalence of
raised total cholesterol among adults (aged 25 and over) is 39%, which means
four out of ten adults are exposed to the risk of getting CVDs (WHO 2010).
Preventive Care
According to the Medical Center of the University of Maryland (2013),
medications such as Statins could be prescribed to treat high cholesterol.
However, it is strongly recommended to eat a well-balanced diet, exercise

16

regularly, and avoid gaining excess weight. Nutrition and dietary supplements can
help reduce cholesterol as well as promoting overall health. Plant stanol ester is
among the best choices of the preventive care. (Ehrlich 2013.)

2.3

Macro environment analysis

The macro environment is, according to the online Business Dictionary (2014),
the major external and uncontrollable factors that influence an organization's
decision making, and affect its performance and strategies. These factors include
the economic factors; demographics; legal, political, and social conditions;
technological changes; and natural forces. According to Manktelow (2005),
PESTEL is a useful tool which can not only analyse this big picture but also
comes with opportunities and threats lying with it.
Definition
PESTEL is a simple yet effective tool in identifying the main forces (macro level)
that might affect an organisation. Usually beyond control, such influences can
create both opportunities and threats to a firm. (Mohammed 2014.) Besides,
PESTEL ensures that the performance of a company is associated with the forces
of change that can affect the business environment (Porter 1985).
There are several variations of this model, including PEST, PESTLE and
STEEPLED etc. However, these variations share the same characteristics with
PESTEL. All the names originate from the acronym of the following factors:

P Political

E Economic

S Social

T Technological

E Environmental

L Legal

Additionally, the STEEPLED has the extra Demographic and Ethical

factors, which can nonetheless be grouped inside the core factors.
(West et al 2010, 74.)

17

FIGURE 6. PESTEL MODEL WITH ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS

(DEMOGRAPHIC AND ETHICAL) (Jurevicius 2013)

18

The detailed framework of PESTEL that will be used in this thesis can be seen
below:

TABLE 3. PESTEL FRAMEWORK (West et al 2010, 74)

Political

Government stability and likely

changes
Government involvement in
trade unions and agreements
Relations with Finland

Economic

Socio Cultural

Population growth rate

Demographic dividend
Lifestyle
Middle class growth
Health consciousness

GDP growth rates

Inflation and interest rates
Stock market trends
Household expenditures

Technological

Basic infrastructure level

Technological development

Environmental (Ecological)

Weather
Climate change
Air and water pollution

Legal

Law on foreign investment

Tax policy (rates and
incentives)
Tariffs

Outcome
The outcome of PESTEL is an understanding of the whole picture surrounding the
company. It is also done to evaluate the potential of a new market. The result of
the analysis enables the company to respond accordingly:

Recognise existing external factors that have an impact on the firm

19

Predict external factors that may change in the future

Exploit the opportunities or defend against threats

However, if the threats in a new market are too significant, a company might
decide not to engage in any activity in it. (Byars 1991; Cooper 2000; Jurevicius
2013.)

2.4

Micro environment analysis

In order to gain deeper knowledge about the marketplace and the consumers, it is
vital to thoroughly examine the micro environment. Micro environment refers to
the forces that are close to the company and affect its ability to serve its
customers; it includes the company itself, its suppliers, marketing intermediaries,
customer markets, competitors and publics. (Boundless 2014.) An analysis of an
industry and competitive conditions is a starting point in evaluating a companys
situation and market position (Thompson et al 1999). It helps a company to find a
suitable position in the market where the company can best defence itself from
threats in the industry (Hollensen 2011, 110).
The figure below demonstrates the major actors in the marketers
microenvironment.

20

Suppliers

Marketing
intermediaries

Customers

The
company

Publics

Competitors

FIGURE 7 MICRO-ENVIRONMENT FACTORS (Boundless 2014).

As can be seen from above, a companys performance is often affected by five

factors. However, due to the scope and the limitation of this thesis, only two
relevant factors namely the publics and customers are mentioned in the Literature
review. The company itself is also a factor that needs to be examined. The other
three factors: marketing intermediaries, suppliers and competitors are not
considered as the key concerns of the Case Company.
Publics
"Publics" are groups that can significantly affect marketing activities formulated
to enhance customers' satisfaction with a product and an organization (Armstrong
& Kotler 2013, 97). According to Armstrong and Kotler (2013, 97), there are
seven types of publics:

21

TABLE 4. TYPES OF PUBLICS (Armstrong & Kotler 2013, 97)

Type of publics

Definition

Examples

Financial publics

A group which has

influence on the companys
ability to obtain funding.

Bank, investment
analyst, stockholder.

Media Publics

A group which carries

news, features and
editorial.

Newspapers, magazine,
television, Internet
media.

Government publics

Governments issues of
product safety, truth in
advertising and other
matters.

Citizen-action
publics

Local Publics

A group which includes

neighbourhood residents
and community
organisations.

General public

A company should take

into consideration the
general publics attitude
toward its products and
activities.

Internal publics

Environmental groups,
minority groups

Workers, managers,
volunteers and the board
of directors.

Customer
Customer is considered to be the most important factor in the companys
microenvironment as the target of the entire value delivery network is to serve the
customers and create a strong relationship with them (Armstrong & Kotler 2013,
97-98). Raisio Benecol serves two types of customers: the end consumers and the
business customers. Benecol sells ingredients and leases its brand to the business

22

customers. Afterwards the business customers transform them into complete

products and sell to the end users. The final products may be branded as Benecol.
This is, as mentioned previously, a business model called licensing. Further
discussion about licensing can be perceived underneath.
Licensing
According to Root (1994, 26), there are two ways a company can arrange an entry
strategy into a foreign country. First, it can export its products to the target market
from a production based outside that country. Second, it can transfer its resources
in technology, capitals, people and enterprise in the target country and start
manufacturing by itself or combine with local companies. (Root 1994, 26.)
The Case Company chose the second way and applies the entry mode as
Licensing to enter a new market. Hollensen (2011, 386) considered this entry
mode is one of the Intermediate modes, where ownership and control are shared
between partners across countries. Licensing is a contractual arrangement where
the licensor provides technology, know-how, patents, or a successful brand to the
licensee in exchange for a licensing fee and an amount of profit based on a
negotiated percentage of the licensees sales that use the licensed technology.
(Keegan 2014, 248.) This method of entry mode is recommended for companies
which have low transportation resources, low capital investment, but popular
branded-product with modern technology applied during operation (Albaum &
Duerr 2008, 278).
Customer Segmentation
As stated above, the Case Company licenses the brand Benecol to other
companies. These licensees are viewed as B2B (Business-to-Business) customers.
Choosing a licensee can be based on the theory of B2B Segmentation. According
to Art Weinstein (2014), there are five B2B segmentation dimensions:
Geographic, Firmographics, Product Usage, Benefits Desired and Purchase
Behaviour. Each dimension answers a different question about the market and the
target audience: where, who, how much, why and how.

23

A compact list of variables within these five segmentation dimensions can be seen
as follows:

Geographic answers the question where are we going to operate?

o Market scope: describes the geographic scope of the market, e.g.
Global or Regional
o Measurement units: explain how geographic dimension will be
measured, e.g. Trade area, climate etc.

Firmographics answers the question who are potentially the target

customer?
o Companies are selected based on their years in business, size,
financial strength, position, technology etc.

Product Usage answers how much do they sell question

o This observes the production of selected companies
o Component variables are product volume, variety, trends, share

Benefits desired answers why should they choose us? question

o Buyer motives
o 4 major benefits: Service, Quality, Image, Price

Purchase Behaviour answers the question How would they buy from
us/other suppliers?
o It includes purchase policy, risk attitude, order size, loyalty etc.
o Psychographics: this is the cultural component of purchase
behaviour. In this component, there are variables such as corporate
culture (attitudes, values, beliefs, interests, etc.) and product
adoption curve (are they innovators/early adopters or late
majority?)

(Brassington & Pettitt 2007, 133-144; Weinstein 2014.)

The Company
The company is a part of the micro environment. Hence, it is crucial to understand
the company mission, objectives, strategies and policies. Only by then, a company
can take advantage of its strength and find available opportunities in the market to

24

gain more profit. The internal analysis or company analysis will be examined in
detail in the following section.

2.5

Internal analysis

Knowledge about the resources and capabilities or competitive advantages is very

important to any company. Hence, internal analysis is one of the first concerns for
the company to consider sustaining or strengthening competitive advantages. (Hitt
et al 2009, 71.)
Competitive Advantages
Delivering more customer value and understanding customer needs more than
competitors do are the ultimate targets of marketers ( Kotler & Armstrong 2012,
234). Hence, it is important for a company to build its own competitive
advantages. According to Grant (1991, 118), an evaluation of the internal factors
can identify the conditions that create and sustain a competitive advantage.
Competitive advantage is an advantage over competitors gained by
offering greater customer value, either by having lower prices or
providing more benefits that justified higher prices. (Kotler &
Armstrong 2012, 234)
On the other hand, Michael Porter, with his theory of generic strategies, argues
that competitive advantages can be derived from three strategies: cost leadership,
differentiation and focus (Stonehouse & Snowdon 2007). However, the theory
was invented long ago in the 1980s. Nowadays, it might be different when
corporations think about gaining competitive advantages. Rita Gunther McGrath
(2013) argues that the traditional competitive advantage is dying. Thanks to
globalisation, innovation and so on, a companys competitive advantage can only
last shortly. Firms need to repeatedly try to create new advantages to compete
effectively.
Next, the descriptions of these strategies are briefed in the following order:

Overall cost leadership

25

Differentiation

Focus

Innovation

Overall cost leadership

Cost leadership is a low-cost competitive strategy that targets at achieving the
lowest production and distribution cost to cover a broad mass market (West et al
2010, 119). The cost reduction can come from the overhead control, avoidance of
marginal customer accounts and cost minimisation in areas such as R&D, service,
sales force and advertising. As a result, this strategy allows the company to set the
price lower than its competitors and win a larger market share. (Kotler &
Armstrong 2012, 560.)
Cost leadership strategy helps company earn aboveaverage return on investment.
First, the strategy gives the company a great bargaining power with its suppliers
because it buys in larger quantities. Second, as the low cost serves as a barrier to
entry, few new entrants will be able to enter the market and compete with the
leaders cost leader. (West et al 2010, 120.)
Differentiation
By differentiating products or services, channels, people or image, a company
might gain a competitive advantage (Kotler & Armstrong 2012, 235). Product
differentiation strategy aims to alter some features, performance, or style and
design of a product. This offers consumers with alternatives in the industry.
Moreover, the differentiated products can be some unique merchandise that
cannot be found elsewhere. Consequently, consumers are likely to choose this
companys product over the competitors. (Holcombe 2009, 17.)
Likewise, the service associated with a product can become a winning point. It
comes from quick, convenient or careful delivery (Kotler & Armstrong 2012,
235). Other types of service differentiations include training service, consultant
service and counselling services.

26

Other than that, competitive advantage can be obtained through channel

differentiation and people differentiation. Channel differentiation is the method
firms apply to their channels coverage, capability and performance in order to
improve the way they reach customers. People differentiation is about having
higher-quality employees through training or hiring. (Kotler & Armstrong 2012,
235.)
Lastly, image differentiation is the strategy which incorporates distinctive benefits
and positioning into the brand images. This strategy requires a long time to
successfully invade customers minds. It involves creativity and hard work.
(Kotler & Armstrong 2012, 210)
Focus
Focus strategy means the company sets its effort on serving a few particular
market segments rather than conquering the whole market. With this strategy, a
company can apply Cost focus or Focused differentiation. In certain segments,
Cost focus exploits differences in cost behaviour, whereas Focused differentiation
exploits the special needs of buyers. This strategy is valued because it is believed
that a company which focuses its efforts can serve its narrow strategic target more
effectively and efficiently than its competitors. (West et al 2010, 120)
Innovation
Companies must innovate to keep ahead of their competitors (Olofson 2013).
Innovation strategy is important in claiming success (Hemmatfar et al 2010). It is
sometimes considered as the best way for companies to achieve a competitive
advantage (Shqipe et al 2013).
According to Rita Gunther McGrath (2013), innovation means that companies
should build up temporary or transient advantages where they grab opportunities,
exploit them, and then move on fast when the opportunities are depleted.

27

CASE COMPANY ANALYSIS

The purpose of this chapter is to provide insights into the Case Company. Firstly,
the companys profile is introduced. Secondly, its products selling points are
brought into discussion. These factors contribute to the companys competitive
advantages.

3.1

Case Company Overview

Benecol is a brand of cholesterol- lowering food products. It is owned by Raisio

Group, a Finnish company founded in 1939. Besides Benecol, Raisios main
products are plant-based foods and value-added feeds. They focus on healthy
plant-based products, with an ecological concern. The company is financially
sound with the turnover of 584 million EUR in 2012 (Starling 2014). In 2013, the
earning before interests and taxes improved by 14% (Raisio 2014).
Raisio possesses strong brands in different market areas. In the UK, Raisio owns
Honey Monsters, The Dormen, Foxxs and Poppets. In Finland, there are Elovena
and Sunnuntai. In the Baltic countries, Russia and Ukraine, Raisio has a brand
called Nordic. Among all, Benecol is Raisios most internationally-recognised
brand. International revenue from 30 countries worldwide accounts for 95% of
Benecols turnover. Currently, more than 120 products are sold under the label of
Benecol. (Raisio 2014.) The key ingredient of all Benecol products - Plant stanol
ester - is what made Benecol as of today. It was invented in-house by Raisio in
1989. A further description of Plant stanol ester can be found in the next section.
(Benecol 2014.)

3.2

Plant stanol ester

As mentioned earlier, cardiovascular disease is the worlds major cause of

premature death. A third of this is triggered by high levels of blood cholesterol.
Worldwide, high cholesterol is affecting 40% of grown-ups. In Vietnam, the
figure is lower but still is an alarming rate of 36.1%. (WHO 2008.)

28

Thus, lowering cholesterol becomes the most direct solution. According to World
Health Organisation (2010), 10% reduction in serum cholesterol in middle-aged
men lowers half the chance of getting heart diseases within five years. The same
serum cholesterol reduction in men aged 70 years prevents averagely 20% CVDs
occurrence in the following five-year period.
Motivated by those facts, in 1989, Dr. Ingmar Wester, from the Finnish food
company Raisio, successfully created the worlds first effective cholesterollowering ingredient called Plant stanol ester. In 1995, it was incorporated into
the first Benecol food product - a cholesterol-lowering margarine. Today, the
cholesterol- lowering food category is estimated to be worth more than one billion
EUR. (Benecol 2013.)
The effect of Plant stanol ester in lowering cholesterol is scientifically backed up
by more than 70 studies. Fundamentally, Plant stanol ester is a cholesterol- like
compound, with only slight differences in the molecular structure. In the digestive
tract, it significantly reduces cholesterol absorption. The amount of Plant stanol
ester obtained from a typical Western diet (30 50 mg) is insufficient to lower
cholesterol. (Benecol 2011.) According to research, two grams of plant stanols per
day (as Plant stanol ester) is enough to produce a clinically relevant cholesterollowering effect. Normally, the absorption of cholesterol into the body ranges
between 300 to 500mg. The 2g of Plant stanol ester can reduce 50 80 %
cholesterol absorption in the body. (Roy et al 2005.)
One of the earliest studies about Plant stanol ester was published in the New
England Journal of Medicine on November 16, 1995. It verifies that Plant stanol
ester, if consumed frequently for a daily basis of 2g, can reduce serum LDL
cholesterol by 10-15%. (Miettinen et al 1995.) The figure hereafter summarises
the experiments and findings:

29

FIGURE 8. PLANT STANOL ESTER'S CHOLESTEROL-LOWERING

EFFECT. ADAPTED FROM SOURCE (Miettinen et al 1995)

More impressively, another research concludes that the cholesterol-lowering

effect of plant stanol ester is dose-dependent. Daily intakes of 9g plant stanol ester
can reduce LDL cholesterol by 17.1% after 10 weeks (Gylling 2011)

FIGURE 9 THE DOSE DEPENDENCY OF PLANT STANOLS/STEROLS

(Benecol 2011)

30

3.3

Product portfolio

Besides the cholesterol-lowering effect, Benecols product line contains a number

of advantages:

Tasteless and odourless

Lactose-free

Vegetarian

Kosher and Halal certified (Suitable for Jewish and Islamic dietary laws)

The wide range of foods and beverages of Benecol can be seen hereunder:

Benecol margarines and spreads

Benecol milk and soy-based yoghurts

Benecol milk and soy-based yoghurt

Mini drinks

Benecol cream cheese style spread

Benecol oatmeal porridge

Benecol bread

Benecol smoothie

Benecol instant drink powder

Benecol white cheese

Benecol milk

Benecol smart chews

According to Mr Olavi Erkinjuntti, Plant stanol ester can also be incorporated in

other products such as coffee, soya or powdered milk, supplements and so on

31

FIGURE 10 BENECOL PRODUCTS (Benecol 2014)

More than 70 clinical studies show that Plant stanol ester lowers cholesterol
effectively. This is why Plant stanol ester is endorsed by food safety authorities
worldwide and is trusted by millions of consumers. Benecol has its presence in
more than 30 countries worldwide. The company is frequently looking for
business opportunities in new markets for expansion.

FIGURE 11. AVAILABILITY OF BENECOL PRODUCTS GLOBALLY

(Benecol 2014)

32

Recently, Benecol has been testing on its capability of managing on its own. The
business in Hong Kong market is directly operated by Raisio. The majority of
foods in Hong Kong is imported. Benecol Yogurt Drinks for Hong Kong market
are manufactured by Raisios long-time partner Emmi. (DGAP News-Service
2013)

3.4

Competitive advantages

Raisio Benecol is the first in the market to make cholesterol- lowering food
products. They created the category. That was attributable to the companys
innovation strategy. Nowadays, Benecol still remains at the top despite other
brands joining the market. This result is derived from the speciality in Benecols
products and services/supports. The figure below illustrates three main elements
that stay behind Benecols success: Market leader, Unique ingredient and Sharing
success.

Unique
Ingredient

Competitive
advantages

Market
learder

Sharing
success

FIGURE 12 BENECOL'S COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

33

Unique ingredients
The superior characteristics found among Benecol products have been renowned
for a long period of time. Plant stanol ester is one of the first ingredients to be
granted a regulatory approval for the use of a disease risk reduction health claim
under the Nutrition and Health Claim Regulation of the European Union.
(FINNFACTS 2009.) It enables consumers to trust the solid scientific evidence
behind Benecols health claims. The company is allowed to print the following
onto their products: "Plant stanol ester has been shown to lower/reduce blood
cholesterol. High cholesterol is a risk factor in the development of coronary heart
disease". (FINNFACTS 2009.) This distinctive ingredient has been endorsed by
food safety authorities in Europe, US, China, Japan and Russia. In USA, Benecol
has received the 'Generally Recognized as Safe' (GRAS) status. Additionally,
Benecol products have been on the market until today with no report on any
adverse effect. (Benecol 2014.)
Impressively, in January 2009, the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition has
selected Plant stanol ester as one of the ten greatest nutritional innovations
worldwide for the last 30 years (Katan 2009 et al). This article, reviewed by
leading international nutrition scientists, chose the top nutrition discoveries based
on solid research data (Charters 2010).
Market leader
Ever since its introduction, Benecol has been the global leader in cholesterollowering market. It is reasonable to recognise Benecol as one of the first
functional food brands and the inventor of cholesterol-lowering functional food
category which is now worth around one billion EUR. (Raisio 2014.)
The partnerships with other leading corporations also contribute to Benecols
success. Benecol is cooperating with prestigious firm like Johnson & Johnson,
Emmi and Kalbe International. Johnson & Johnson is a multinational medical
device, pharmaceutical and consumer package good manufacturer. In 1998, its
subsidiary McNeil Consumer Healthcare concluded an agreement with Benecol
for international marketing of Benecol products (Raisio 2014). This huge
corporation was ranked as the worlds most respected company (Santoli 2008).

34

The revenue in 2013 is proclaimed to be 71 billion USD (Johnson & Johnson

2013).
Emmi is one of Benecols long-time partners. It is the largest Swiss milk
processor, one of the most innovative premium dairies in EU and a worldwide
well-known specialist for Swiss cheese. Its net sales were around CHF 2,684
million (more than 2 billion EUR) in 2010 and employs over 3,500 people
globally (Emmi AG 2010). Notably, Emmi produces yogurt drinks for Rasio to
manage its own Benecol business in the Hong Kong market.
Another noteworthy partner of Benecol is Intellectual Ventures. Together, they
started a joint venture called Benemilk Ltd in 2013. This aims at promoting safe,
efficient and environmentally responsible food production (Intellectual Ventures
2014).
Last but not least, Kalbe International, an international marketing corporation, is
Benecols partner in Indonesia and the Philippines (GlobeNewswire 2013). Kalbe
has expertise in distribution and development of pharmaceutical and consumer
products. The company also specialises in coordinating marketing activities in
South East Asia, South Asia, South Africa and West Africa. In 2012, it was
named as the 2nd best company for investor relations by the magazine Asia
Money. Moreover, Kalbe is regarded as the most admired company in Indonesia.
(Kalbe 2012.)
Overall, the partnerships with other multinational corporations help to solidify the
companys position as the market leader.
Sharing success
Of the top consumer brands in cholesterol-lowering market, Benecol is the only
one available for licensing. Benecol promises to deliver an opportunity to achieve
higher profit margins, sales growth and a competitive advantage. (Benecol 2014.)
First, since Benecol products are able to deliver proven health benefits to end
consumers, a licensee launching these products may have its brand image
improved. Consumers and investors may regard the company as a responsible

35

business that cares for its social well-being. The cholesterol- lowering business is
based on customers need. Consumers seeking to reduce their cholesterol tend to
be loyal. They might spend an extra amount to get the effective cholesterollowering benefit by dietary means. (Benecol 2014.)
Second, Benecols licensees are eligible to receive support and rights in various
aspects, such as training, marketing, planning, or coordinating local regulatory
approvals, etc. Furthermore, as Plant stanol ester can be incorporated in various
food products, Benecol can assist its partners to develop a cholesterol- lowering
product that is suitable for their markets. (Benecol 2013.)
Apart from licensing, a company can choose to buy the ingredient Plant stanol
ester only. Business customers will receive sufficient training in science and
technical topics, but will not have the right to use or refer to Benecols trademark
or any other intellectual property. The support in the business field is limited.
Still, both models guarantee non-stop deliveries of the ingredient, based on
forecasting. (Benecol 2013.)

36

VIETNAMESE MARKET

This chapter provides analyses of the Vietnamese market, both in macro and
micro level, from general to specific. The first sub-chapter inspects the country
under the model of PESTEL. As previously introduced, PESTEL is the model for
analysing the external environment - the forces shaping the market. Subsequently
a more close-up examination of the functional food industry is performed to
illustrate its characteristics.

4.1

Country analysis

Generally, Vietnam attracts foreign investments by its solid economic growth,

political stability, an inexpensive workforce, a gradually more open and
transparent market, abundant natural resources and a good geographic position in
the region. However, there is a number of challenges in Vietnam such as
corruption, low levels of education and skills, poor infrastructure, bureaucracy and
the lack of transparency and predictability. (CTCS 2011.)
The following sections investigate further into these aspects by utilising PESTEL
analysis, concentrating on the points mentioned in table 3 (Chapter 2: Theoretical
preview). All information is filtered to find relevant factors which are likely to
affect Raisio Benecol. The result provides the Case Company with a broad view
over its new challenge.

4.1.1

Political factors

Officially called The Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Vietnam is one of the few
countries to follow the Communist ideology. It is a single-party state which has
been maintaining tight grip on power since the mid-1975s. The governmental
intervention was considered excessive and there was an international isolation
before the political and economic reforms in 1986. (HKECIC 2013.)
Since the structural reforms in 1986, Vietnam's politics has gradually advanced
towards greater openness and space for civil participation. This is necessary to
support Vietnam's long term vision of becoming a modernised and industrialised

37

nation. (World Bank 2010.) The country is highly appreciated for its political
stability compared to other countries in the region. There is little political turmoil
or threat of terrorism. (VOV 2010.) The political stability is considered to be a
key to growth (Shepherd 2014).
In recent years, Vietnam has been attempting to join the worlds movement. It was
accepted as a member of United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary
Fund, Asian Development Bank, Association of Southwest Asian Nations, AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation forum and World Trade Organisation etc. These
opportunities have further increased the attractiveness of Vietnam as a trade and
investment partner. The Free Trade Agreement that is currently being on
negotiation between the EU and Vietnam is likely to further enhance Vietnams
position in the global level. Undeniably, the trade barrier is being lowered.
(Vietnam Business Forum 2013.)
Vietnams Relation with Finland
Vietnam has established the relation with Finland for more than 40 years. On 25th
January 1973, a mutual announcement on the establishment of normal diplomatic
relations between the two governments was issued. Soon after that, two
governments started to negotiate on long-term development assistance. From 1979
to 2012, Finland has supported an approximately of 260 million EUR to Vietnam.
(Finnish Embassy in Hanoi 2014.)
Despite good political relation, trade and investment flows between Vietnam and
Finland are still rather modest, as the bilateral two-way trade was valued at only
212 million EUR in 2012. However, there has been a moderate increase in the
trade figures lately. Finnish exports to Vietnam grew 13% and Vietnamese
exports to Finland simultaneously improved 18% in the year 2011. (Finnish
Embassy in Hanoi 2014.) About 60 Finnish companies are represented in
Vietnam, and Finland ranks 26th among 96 foreign investors in Vietnam. The sum
of projects value between two countries is estimated at USD 335 million.
(Vietnam Business Forum 2013.)

38

The endorsement of mutual trade and investment is a shared interest of Finland

and Vietnam. The structural reforms and the fast growth of the Vietnams
economy together create more chances for developing trade and investment
relations. (Finnish Embassy in Hanoi 2014.) To do so, Finland has employed four
tools namely Finpro, Finnfund, the Finnish Business Partnership Program and the
Innovation Partnership Program (Vietnam Business Forum 2013).

4.1.2

Economic factors

Vietnam is a story of success. It is one of the fastest growing economies

worldwide (World Bank 2010). The country has set its sights to become a
developed country by 2020 (BBC 2013). This section delivers more specific
information about the economy of Vietnam, relatively the increase in income per
capita, the foreign direct investment, stock market, consumer expenditure in
general and particularly the spending on food.
Fast growing GDP per capita
The economy of Vietnam has been transforming robustly from the rigidities of a
centrally-planned economy since 1986. In the past, the country was one of the
poorest countries in the world, with income per capita below 100 USD.
Nowadays, Vietnam is a lower-middle income country with the income per capita
reached 1130 USD by the end of 2010. (World Bank 2010.) Most recent data
shows that GDP per capita in Vietnam already reached 1755 USD in 2013 (World
Bank 2013).
Growth in Foreign Direct Investment
A decade ago, the foreign direct investment (FDI) into Vietnam was almost
nothing. In the recent five years, Vietnam has emerged as a very attractive
destination for FDI. The FDI level has been sustained for around 10-11 billion
USD per year (US Bureau of Economic and Business affairs 2013; GSO 2014.)
Emerging stock market

39

Year-to-date, Vietnams stock market has been among the worlds leaders. It is
the result of an economic environment that is rather stable in terms of politics,
inflation and currency compared to the U.S. dollar. It has been happening for 24 to
36 months. As of 20th Feb 2014, the year-to-date foreign net inflow has been 108
million USD. (Springer 2014.) Theoretically, the rise in the stock market is
believed to be a good sign of the future economy (Comincioli 1996).
Consumer spending
Consumer spending in Vietnam increased from 37,572 billion VND in 1990 to
2,093,261 billion VND in 2012 (slightly less than 100 billion USD Google
converter) (Trading Economics 2014). It can be observed in the chart below:

FIGURE 13. HOUSEHOLD FINAL CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE IN USD

(World Bank 2014)

Within consumer expenditure, the value spent on food has also been experiencing
a substantial increase, from 23,105 million USD to 31,545 million during the
years 2010-2013 (Euromonitor 2014). According to Nielsen (2013), Vietnam is
the fastest growing FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) market in the region. It

40

grew 21.5% from 2011 to 2012, in which three fastest growing categories are:
beverage (28%), dairy products (21%) and foods (19%).
Inflation and interest rate
The rapid economic growth has caused high inflation in Vietnam. Averaging
around 7.31% from 1996 to 2014, the inflation rate climbed to an all-time record
of 28.24% in August 2008. This called for actions by the government and
consequently the inflation rate was successfully reduced to below 6% in 2013.
(Trading Economics 2014.) To reduce the inflation rate and simultaneously target
at an economic growth of 5-6%, the Central Bank of Vietnam increased the
interest rate to 15% and tightened lending policies (Bloomberg 2012). This was a
difficulty for foreign investors to access fund in Vietnam. Recently, however, the
Central Bank is gradually cutting interest rates down. This is to support business
and bolster the economy. (Bloomberg 2013;Vietnam News 2014.)

4.1.3

Socio-Cultural factors

Vietnam is the 15th most inhibited country in the world. Today, its population has
reached approximately 93 million. Of which, 56.1% are aged 25 and over, in
equivalent to more than 52 million people. The urban population is estimated to
be nearly 30 million.
According to the United Nations Population Fund, Vietnam is entering an era
called Demographic Dividend. This means that there are two or more
individuals of working age (15-60) for every individual of dependent age (under
15 or above 60). Approximately, by 2020 the number of working age people will
be increased by 1 million per year. The abundant human resource helps boosting
the economic development. Additionally, it indicates a higher degree of saving
and investment.
(UNFPA 2013.)

41

Lifestyle
In Vietnam, the modern lifestyle has caused many health problems to the
population. This harmful lifestyle includes fast-food consumption, tobacco use
and drinking habits.
Along with the growth of the economy, people are becoming busier. People have
less time to cook, creating opportunities for food service to grow, especially fast
foods. (Euromonitor 2014.) Over the years, many fast food businesses have
penetrated into the Vietnamese market. The industry has grown with a healthy rate
of 17% in the recent years. (Euromonitor 2014.) These types of foods are mostly
unhealthy. A diet high in saturated and trans fats raises blood cholesterol. Too
much sodium can raise blood pressure and too much fat and sugar can lead to
obesity, both of which may as well contribute to heart disease. (American Heart
Association 2014.)
Tobacco use in Vietnam is very high, which contributes largely to heart diseases.
Alarmingly, in 1997, the male smoking prevalence rate in Vietnam was the
highest in the world. (Jenkins et al 1997.)
In 2012, Vietnam consumed three billion litres of beer. Consumption per capita
was 32l, ranked first in the ASEAN region and third in Asia, only after China and
Japan. Beer consumption in Vietnam increases about 15% a year, considerably
one of the fastest worldwide. (TuoiTre 2014.)
In a nutshell, fast food, tobacco and alcohol consumption have been associated
with a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases (Mukamal 2014).
Middle class growth
Middle class is the largest customer base of Benecol (Benecol 2013). In the recent
ten-year period, the middle class consumer represents the fastest growth in
household expenditures. Middle class is defined as households with daily
consumptions between 10 and 100 USD. According to a research done by
Nielsen, Vietnam is about to witness a massive escalation in its middle class
consumer segment and spending. From 2012 to 2030, the middle class is predicted

42

to rise from 8 million to 95 million. Relatively, the consumption of the middle

class in 2012 was 46 billion USD and is expected to reach 940 billion USD in
2030. (Nielsen 2013, 31.)

FIGURE 14. GROWTH OF MIDDLE CLASS AND SPENDING (Nielsen 2013)

Health concerns
At the moment, health is one of the top five concerns of Vietnamese end
consumers. A Nielsens research suggests that it ranks only after the concerns
over the economy, utility bills, job security and food prices. The graphic below is
extracted from the Nielsens research.

43

FIGURE 15 VIETNAMESE CONSUMERS' CONCERNS (Nielsen 2013)

4.1.4

Technological factors

Vietnam develops fast in terms of technology. The country is currently at the

beginning phase of the strategic plan to become a developed country by 2020.
Improving infrastructure is considered as one of the main targets. Annually,
Vietnam spends 10% of its GDP, which is very high compared to international
standards, to invest in transport, telecommunications, energy, water and
sanitation. (World Bank 2014.) The construction of new highways and the

44

upgrade of the local transport network are the requirements to industrialise and
modernise the country (VGP News 2009).
Furthermore, Vietnam aims to narrow the scientific and technological gap with
the world in several key fields by 2020. Particularly, the government is focusing
on scientific and technological renovation to strengthen the competitive factor of
local products and support businesses to purchase patent in some prioritised areas
such as: automation, manufacturing and information technology. (Vietnam
Government Portal 2013.)
Food processing is also one important sector that needs improvements. At the
moment, 80% ingredients of functional foods in Vietnam are imported. The
current level of technology for food processing is rather undeveloped. Therefore,
most of domestic manufacturers cannot produce high-quality functional foods.
(VietQ 2013.)

4.1.5

Environmental factors

Although the entire of Vietnam lies in the tropics and subtropics, its climate is so
diverse. When the south of Vietnam has the year-round summer warmth, the
weather in the northern part is affected by damp and chilly winters from
November to February. (Embassy of Vietnam in UK 2014.)
During summer, the heat can soar up to 40o C for months, drying out rivers
(Blackshear et al 2011). As the country depends largely on hydroelectric plants,
many businesses have to suffer power-cuts regularly (The Diplomat 2010).
Additionally, the fuel supply for electricity generators is insufficient. Therefore,
the country is facing the growing threat of power blackouts (Bloomberg 2013).
Benecol might not be an exception for many of its products such as yogurt, milk
or margarine etc. needs to be refrigerated (Erkinjuntti 2014).
Another important factor in Vietnam is the high level of pollution. Many studies
have shown evidences that it can trigger heart attacks, strokes, irregular heart
rhythms, especially in people already at risk for these conditions. (Gold & Samet
2013.)

45

4.1.6

Legal factors

Two main discussion topics in this section are the issues of law and tax policies.
Laws and regulations
To enter the Vietnamese food market, a foreign company should be familiar with
various kinds of documents, including laws and regulations and the guides to
follow those rules. It is not easy to know everything about the legislations that
may apply to the case.
The author has sent questions regarding this matter to Mr Tran Huu Huynh, a
lawyer and the former Deputy Head of the Legislation Department, Vietnam
Chamber of Commerce and Industry. At the moment, he is the President of
Vietnam International Arbitration Centre. His replies about the numbers of
relevant laws and regulations can be viewed hereunder:
1- Commercial Law
2- Law on Food Safety
3- Law on Customs
4- Law on Export Tax and Import Tax
5- Law on intellectual property
6- Transport Law
7- Business Insurance Law
8- INCOTERMS, UCP of ICC
(Tran 2014.)
It is rather lengthy to quote details from all of these laws. This section will only
brief several key points about the Vietnamese legal environment surrounding
Benecol.
The laws of Investment and Commerce define the investors rights and
obligations, investment inducements, state administration of investment activities
and offshore investment. It also guarantees both domestic and foreign investors

46

against the nationalisation or confiscation of assets. (US Bureau of Economic and

Business affairs 2013.)
(Investment Law No.59/2005/QH11 2005; Commercial Law No.36/2005/QU11
2005.)
According to a research published on the American Chamber of Commerce in
Vietnam (2014), the Vietnamese food law indicates that a food product should
satisfy certain conditions on health and safety in order to be licensed. Other terms
specify about labelling or advertising, recalling, inspecting, importing and
exporting.
Particularly, the Law on Food Safety No. 55/2010/QH12 of Vietnam, in article 14,
demands scientific information and documents providing the effects of the
ingredients that create the functional food product. The Minister of Health shall
specify the management of functional foods. Additionally, the product must
satisfy the general conditions on food safety assurance in Article 10. (NAFIQAD
2014.)
Tax and import tariff
According to Mr Tran Dang, President of the Vietnam Association of Functional
Foods, the import tariff for ingredients and products of functional foods is located
at 30%, which is rather high compared to other product types (VnExpress 2012).
Besides, the VAT tax in Vietnam is 10%.

4.1.7

PESTEL Summary

Despite posing several difficulties, the macro environment of Vietnam provides

essential conditions which strongly encourage investments. The author has
summarised the most important features in each category of the PESTEL analysis.

47

TABLE 5. PESTEL SUMMARY

Political factors

Politically stable

Reducing trade barriers, increasing

integration with international
organisations and trade agreements

Economic factors

Good relation to Finland

Good development in GDP, FDI, stock
market

Rapid growth of consumer spending,

especially on foods, milk and beverages

Socio-cultural

factors

Technological
factors
Environmental
factors
Legal factors

Populous, large base of potential

customers
Harmful lifestyle, consumptions of
unhealthy foods, tobacco and alcoholic
beverages
Enormous growth in middle class
Health is one of the top concerns
Fast development
Concentration on infrastructure

Climate diverse in different regions

Heat and power-cuts
High level of pollution

Relevant laws
High import tariff

48

4.2

Vietnamese functional food market

This sub-chapter is designed to provide a closer look at the micro environment of

the Vietnamese functional food market. However, only the overall market
characteristics are described here. Further specifications about major functional
food companies will be discussed later in the next sub-chapter 4.3
This section will be progressed in 4 parts: (1) Cardiovascular diseases in Vietnam,
(2) Market size and development trend of functional foods, (3) Publics, (4)
Consumerism and (5) Distribution channel.

4.2.1

Cardiovascular diseases in Vietnam

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Lan Viet, Director of the Vietnam Cardiovascular Institute,
announced that 25.1% of the adult population in Vietnam are affected by
cardiovascular diseases (VN Ministry of Health 2010). CVD is among the major
causes of deaths in Vietnam (CDC Vietnam 2014). A research by the Ministry of
Health suggests that the burden of CVD will continue to rise. It offers a solution
of using mass media education programmes to address salt intake, cholesterol and
tobacco. (Ha et al 2011.)
As known previously, one-third of CVDs is attributable to high cholestero l.
According to WHO (2008), 36.1% of the population aged 25 and over in Vietnam
have elevated levels of cholesterol. To stay out of the risks, there are several
methods: pursuing healthy lifestyles, consuming medicines or having
procedures/surgery etc. (NIH 2014.)
The surgery and medical treatments are accessible in Vietnam with the same
quality found in other developed countries (VinMec 2012). However, these
treatments will not be investigated, as the Case Company has no intention to
compete with those. Benecols interest lies on how Vietnamese people use
functional foods to prevent high cholesterol and fight heart diseases (Erkinjuntti
2014). This matter is going to be discussed in the succeeding section.

49

4.2.2

Market size and development trend of functional foods

Across the Asia Pacific region, the health supplement market is expected to grow
by around 28% between 2002 and 2016. Remarkably, the growth reached 11%
only in the year 2006. Nowadays, Asian consumers are more educated in the
health care area. This will lead to an increase in the demand for products that
support busy lifestyle. More entrances to the health supplement industry are
anticipated. (AAHSA 2014.)
Vietnam is no exception to the global trend. In the recent 5 years, the functional
food market in Vietnam has been growing explosively (VIDS 2014). It is
considered to be the fastest growing segment in the food market (V.P.Tu et al
2011). In 2000, there were only 60 producers with around 400 products. The latest
data shows that there are 1,781 enterprises with more than 10,000 functional food
products being sold in 2012. At the same time, a survey by the National Food
Safety concluded that 56% of the population in the capital city Hanoi and 48% in
Ho Chi Minh City were using functional foods. (Vtown 2013.)
Surprisingly, while Vietnam has an abundant natural resource for producing
functional foods, 80% ingredients and 40% products of functional foods on sale
are imported. (VietQ 2013.) The price of functional foods in Vietnam is very high
compared to other countries in the world. This is caused by high import tax
(30%), greed of companies in earning high profits and the underdevelopment of
technologies. Moreover, the industry lacks support from its government.
Obviously, the domestic industry is struggling. (Vtown 2013.)
The Minister of Health, Mrs Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, shared her opinions about
functional food market in Vietnam. Overall, the market is rocketing with the
fastest pace in the food category. This fact reflects the great demand of customers.
Income gained by producing and selling functional foods can be so high that the
market has become awfully chaotic. People have been running after profits. It is
reported that many doctors have quit jobs to trade functional foods. As there are
many undesirable phenomena in the market, the government is attempting to
release appropriate regulations to tighten its control over the industry. (Nguyen
2014.)

50

Cholesterol-lowering products
In Vietnam, there are several products which claim to be able to lower cholesterol,
but the most outstanding ones are milk products of TH true milk (which buys
ingredient from Benecol), the Vision Direct Hit LCBalance (also contains
phytosterol) and a domestic tea product named Giao Co Lam, which is made from
Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Jiao Guo Lan plants). Besides, there is a powdered
milk product for elders called Sure Prevent (contains Plant sterol ester not Plant
STANOL ester!)

4.2.3

Publics

This section explains the role of public identities in Vietnamese functional food
market. Besides the government, there are 3 key identities: hospitals, Vietnamese
Association of Functional Foods and the media.
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thuy Vinh, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Central E Hospital,
replied to the authors question about the attitude towards the use of functional
foods in hospitals:
Hospitals in Vietnam do not consider functional foods as
medicines. It is not permitted to sell or advertise functional foods in
here. However, for the sake of patients, doctors can recommend
suitable functional products to aid medical treatments. (Nguyen
2014.)
Soon enough, doctors and nutritionists will be allowed to prescribe functional
foods for patients (DanTri 2013).
Also, there is an active social organisation works in the field of functional foods:
the Vietnam Association of Functional Foods (VAFF). It aims to educate
consumers, give guidance and support to its members (domestic functional food
manufacturers). Moreover, they hope to make functional food become a strong
industry and contribute to public health. (VAFF 2010.)

51

Still, the government and the VAFF remain ineffective in supervising the market.
The regulation is under-developed. Inspections are not performed regularly and
the punishments for derogations are inadequate. The studies which can prove the
health effects of functional foods are rather limited. Consequently, there are many
fake food products, false advertisements and over-pricing products etc. Numerous
journal articles concluded that many functional food advertisements in Vietnam
are over-exaggerating, misleading, false and deceptive. (VnExpress 2013.)
Consequently, consumers become confused, as they do not receive sufficient
guidance. (VnExpress 2013.) Most cannot even distinguish between drugs and
functional food. (AnninhThudo 2013).

4.2.4

Consumerism

Besides end consumers, Benecol regards food companies as their potential

customers. The author will show the top concerns of the Vietnamese companies;
however, the majority of this section focuses on describing the end consumers
buying habits.
According to a Nielsen report (2013), to household consumers, health is among
the top five concerns. The top five concerns of the suppliers/manufacturers that
are operating in Vietnam are different: (1) Competitive pressure/activity/growth;
(2) Inflation; (3) Low GDP growth; (4) Labour force skill shortage and (5) VND
devaluation

52

FIGURE 16. TOP CONCERNS OF BUSINESSES AND HOUSEHOLDS

(Nielsen 2013)

As explained from previous chapters, the middle class in Vietnam is rising

rapidly, contributing largely to the upsurge of consumer expenditures, especially
on beverages, dairy products and foods. A report by Nielsen (2013) also found out
different shopping behaviours of the end consumers. Their shopping habits and
changes (from 2011 to 2012) in milk, food and beverage products can be observed
in in the figure below:

FIGURE 17. BUYING HABITS ON FOODS, BEVERAGES AND MILK

(Nielsen 2013)

53

Narrowing down to the field of functional foods, currently, in big cities like Hanoi
or Ho Chi Minh, around half of the population is using these products. A survey
with more than 700 participants concluded that imported functional food is
preferred (V.P.Tu et al 2011).
Last but not least, functional milk formula dominates sales of all functional
packaged food. It is because Vietnamese consumers still see milk formula as a
replacement for breast milk. Many start feeding babies with milk formula as early
as six months old. Together with the healthy birth rate, this leads to the good
performance of dairy products in terms of sales. The functional dairy formula
consists mostly of powdered milk. (Euromonitor 2013.)

4.2.5

Distribution channels

The main channels used in distributing functional foods are: drug stores,
supermarkets, specialty stores, multi- level marketing and online stores (Hongbang
2014).
The Pharmacy Law of Vietnam requires drug stores to place functional foods
separately from medicines. A drug store that wants to sell functional foods must
acquire the Certificate of Food Hygiene and Safety. However, most drug stores in
Vietnam do not follow these regulations, either deliberately or inadvertently.
(Hongbang 2014.)
In developed countries, as consumers tend to be knowledgeable, supermarkets
have proven to be an effective distribution channel for functional foods. People
can choose right merchandise for themselves. Conversely, consumers are less
educated in Vietnam. Hence, functional foods are not widely available for
purchases through supermarkets. However, this remains as a potential option for
future use. (Hongbang 2014.)
Speciality stores are rather popular in developed nations. These stores enable
customers to conveniently buy many types of functional foods at the same time.
Here, employees are trained to provide appropriate guidance to buyers. In
Vietnam, there is a chainstore brand called Lohha specialised in functional foods.

54

However, at the moment, Lohha stores can only be found in Hanoi. (Hongbang
2014.)
Another remarkable distribution channel for functional foods is Multi-level
Marketing. Recently, it has received much attention and became a hot
controversial subject. Positively, it distributes functional foods in a very fast pace
and gains new customers quickly. Negatively, multi-level marketing has been
falling into the disrepute caused by other businesses. The illegal Ponzi Pyramid
businesses, which have caused many frauds, often associate themselves with
multi- level marketing. Ponzi Pyramid has caused a considerable number of
frauds. Consequently, multi- level marketing and its products have become victims
of customers discriminations. (Hongbang 2014.)
Lastly, online retail businesses are rather new in Vietnam. Consumers, especially
old ones, are not familiar with this type. They still prefer physical contact.
However, this channel is gradually gaining popularity among young adults. Its
potential cannot be unseen (Hongbang 2014.)
Overall, choosing a distribution channel should be carefully done depending on
the product types. Benecols products are mainly milk, yogurt or margarine.
Mostly, these products need to be refrigerated. In Vietnam, dairy products can be
found virtually in every grocery store. Nonetheless, many shops, especially small
private kiosks, do not follow the preservation guidelines properly. Occurring even
more common in rural areas, this practice can significantly reduce the quality of
dairy products. (24h News 2013.)

55

4.3

Major functional food companies in Vietnam

This sub-chapter carries out the highest duty of this paper. It is to scan, select and
evaluate the most potential business clients. Only by cooperating with the right
partners, can Benecol maximise its benefits in the market.
First, the author will explain the principles which Benecol relies on to find
potential business customers. To scan for suitable businesses, Mr Olavi
Erkinjuntti provided several key criteria. The Case Company prefers companies
which produce margarine or other dairy products. Soya, powdered milk, coffee
and other supplements are also eligible, as Plant stanol ester can be incorporated
in various kinds of foods and beverages. In its field, a company should be one of
the biggest players. Only by then, the target company can have an abundant
financial power to invest, e.g. mass advertisement campaigns to target the publics,
including doctors and nurses. When doctors and nurses are convinced by solid
scientific evidences about the effect of Plant stanol ester, they can make
recommendations about Benecol to patients.
Moreover, the target companies should be science-minded and have motivation in
public health. This allows them to fully understand the potential of producing
functional foods to effectively fight cardiovascular diseases the major cause of
death worldwide. Lastly, they must take risks and be patient for a few years before
having profits.
(Erkinjuntti 2014.)
The author has put these criteria into the table below, categorised into five
segmentation dimensions. The model was already explained in the theoretical
chapter.

56

TABLE 6. BENECOL'S COMPANY SEGMENTATION

Geographic

Vietnam

Firmographic

One of the biggest companies.

Financially strong

Big market shares

High production

Benefits desired

Need a new competitive advantage

Purchase behaviour

Science-minded, concerns about public

Product Usage

health

Has to take risks, be patient for a few

years

Based on the segmentation criteria, five firms were selected:

Vinatea

TH true milk

Vinamilk

Trung Nguyen coffee

Cai Lan oils & fats industries company

Next, these firms will be reviewed. The author tried to find out the data regarding
the companys market, competitive advantages, products and visions. The CEOs
of VinaTea and TH true milk were interviewed to gather more precise
information. The other three companies are examined by secondary data sources
(mostly websites, journals and reports).

57

4.3.1

VinaTea The Vietnam National Tea Corporation LTD

Market of tea
Tea is the worlds second-most popular drink, only after water. This timeless,
aromatic beverage is enjoyed by people of all ages throughout the world. In a
way, tea is considered to be functional food as it offers several health benefits.
It helps to control weight, reduce high blood pressure, lower CVD risk and even
improve bone mineral density. (TheRichest 2013.)
Annually, 3.64 million tons of tea is consumed worldwide. Vietnam is among the
top five largest tea exporters. Every year the country exports around 104,700
metric tonnes of tea. Totally in a year the country produces 174,900 metric tonnes,
worth 204,018,000 USD in the international market. (TheRichest 2013.)
Company overview
Since its foundation in 1956, Vinatea has obtained many achievements in
production and business. Today, it is the biggest corporation in the market,
owning numerous subsidiaries. In 2012, Vinatea accounted for 32% of retail value
sales, followed by Unilever Vietnam International Co Ltd. (Euromonitor 2013.)
At the moment, Vinatea is cooperating with more than 120 foreign partners in 50
countries and territories. The company has thousands of hectares of tea fields. The
average productivity is about 15 tons of fresh bud tea/hectare. The main products
of Vinatea include: Black tea, Pouchung-Oolong green tea, Japanese green tea,
Gunpowder green tea... (Vinatea 2014.)
There is an existing paradox in the Vietnamese tea business. While being one of
the largest tea exporters, tea industry in Vietnam is unable to stimulate domestic
consumption. Annual domestic tea consumption is 300gr per capita, contributing
to a total of 30,000 tons a year. In comparision, the tea consumption per capita in
Japan, Middle East, Russia or the UK is around 2kg or more. That is a ten times
difference. (VBA 2014.)

58

FIGURE 18 SEVERAL PRODUCTS OF VINATEA (Vinatea 2014)

In the last decade, Vinatea has strongly invested in technology, tea refinement,
processing equipment. As a result, the company possesses dozens of tea product
refinement and processing factories with modern equipment and technology
imported from Japan, Taiwan, India, Italy... (Vinatea 2014.)
Future plans and visions
Vinatea is targeting at improving the food safety, industrial hygiene and
enhancing quality to satisfy customers (Vinatea 2014). To find out more, the
author contacted Mr Nguyen Huu Tai, President of the Vietnam Tea Association
and Deputy Managing Director of Vinatea. Admitting that Vinatea, at the
moment, only produces limited amounts of functional tea products, he looks
forward to switching from raw production into manufacturing refined tea products
which offer additional health benefits. He emphasises the companys mission to

59

promote human well-being, for example, by creating hygienic and functional

beverages. (Nguyen 2014.)
Considering the use of functional foods as an indispensable trend of the current
age, Mr Nguyen Huu Tai also shared his opinions about the Vietnamese
functional food market:
The country has many advantages for functional food industry to
grow. First, the population is high. Second, as Vietnam has been a
poor country for many years, malnutrition exists among both
children and adults. Third, tobacco use and alcoholic beverage
consumption are high. In 2013, Vietnam consumed 3 billion litres of
beer, ranked third in Asia. Our ancestors always believe that
diseases are caused by what we put into our mouths. Although one
individual might not care, there are always others in a family who
pay attention to health. The Vietnamese consider Prevention is
better than Cure. Therefore, Vietnam is a huge potential market.
However, there are several downsides: The transformation into
market economy is incomplete; the government lacks control in food
hygiene and safety; products which are low-quality or fake. These
hinder customers from purchasing functional foods. On the other
hand, good quality and reliable products often associate with high
prices, which are not affordable to the majority.
Since Vinatea is a big conglomerate, Mr Nguyen Huu Tai welcomes any new
business offers and ideas. The company is always looking for opportunities to cooperate with international partners, who have advanced technologies and
experiences in the global level. These would help Vinatea to acquire more
competitive advantages, generate more profits and guarantee sustainable
development.
One of the subsidiaries of Vinatea, which has investment from Japan, is preparing
to produce several premium functional tea products. Besides domestic market,
they want to compete at the global level. They are willing to join forces with other

60

international firms. Mr Nguyen Huu Tai also suggested Benecol to contact him if
Benecol is interested. To him, Finland is a hi-tech and developed country.
Cooperating with Finnish companies is always one of Vinateas wishes.
(Nguyen 2014)

4.3.2

TH true milk

Market of milk
Even though Vietnam started to keep dairy cattle 40 years ago, the milk industry
is not very developed. The consumption of milk per capita in Vietnam is still low
compared to the rest of Asia Pacific (Euromonitor 2013). Nevertheless, in the last
5 years, annual milk consumption has increased considerably, from 5 litres per
capita to 13-15 litres per capita. In comparison, in Thailand it is 23 litres per
capita, in China it is 25 litres. From 2006 to 2011, the market grew 21-22%
annually. From 2011 to 2016, the market is expected to continue growing by 12%
a year. (NhanDan 2014.)
Locally-produced milk accounts for only 28% of the milk products in the market.
Around 72% of dairy ingredients in Vietnam are imported. Mostly, dairy
companies in Vietnam import milk powder to reprocess into drinking milk
products. Basically, this type of milk is considerably less nutritious compared to
fresh milk. (BaoMoi 2014.) In 2013, the value of imported dairy ingredients was
over 1 billion USD (BaoDauTu 2013).
The leading company in producing drinking milk products in Vietnam is
Vinamilk, with a 46 % value share (Euromonitor 2013). However, the most
striking company is TH true milk, which only joined the market since the end of
2010 (TH Milk 2014). In 2012, the company has around 30% share of the sector
for fresh milk (DDDN 2013).

61

Company overview
TH true milk, as the name suggests, was established to deliver true milk which
is fresh and nutrient-rich to Vietnamese consumers. For this purpose, TH true
milk has been importing high-producing dairy cattle from New Zealand. Initially,
TH had 35,000 dairy cattle and in three years, it has increased to 45,000. Mrs Thai
Huong, CEO of TH true milk, plans to raise the quantity to 137,000 in 2017,
equivalent to half of the total dairy cattle in Vietnam. In the northern part of
Vietnam, TH true milk has gained 40% of fresh milk market share and is
continuing to expand rapidly in the southern region. The turnover in 2013 was
nearly 4,000 billion VND, equals to approximately 188 million USD. In 2015,
when annual production reaches 500,000 tons, the revenue is estimated to be
15,000 billion VND (705 million USD). Especially, TH is already buying Plant
stanol ester from Benecol. (Thai 2014.)
Competitive advantages
The competitive advantage of TH true milk is to produce fresh milk directly with
higher quality in Vietnam, while other firms only reprocess imported milk powder
into drinking milk products. Technology is considered to be the key to success.
The THs dairy plant in middle Vietnam is the biggest in South East Asia, using
the most advanced technologies in the world. (DanTri 2013.) The Vietnam
Minister of Science and Technology acknowledged that TH true milk has started a
revolution in the dairy industry (BaoDauTu 2013). In 2012, TH true milk was
voted as the most favourite drinking milk brand in Vietnam (GiaoDuc 2012).
Products
The product line of TH true milk can be seen below. It includes fresh milk,
sweetened milk, functional milk, etc. Several yogurt products are also available.
Three functional milk products of TH true milk, which were introduced in late
2012, are enriched with calcium, collagen and phytosterol, which relatively help
to strengthen bones and stimulate childrens growth, refine womens skin and
reduce blood cholesterol (GiaoDuc 2012).

62

FIGURE 19 PRODUCTS OF TH TRUE MILK (TH Milk 2014)

Future plans and visions

Mrs Thai Huong, CEO of TH true milk, declared that she has no rival. TH true
milk has a different path with other dairy producers in Vietnam. She keeps dairy
cattle to produce fresh and clean milk. The production is assisted by the highest
level of technology. TH pioneers in cooperating with leading firms worldwide to
apply the most innovative scientific achievements, especially in medicine, to
produce milk that can significantly promote human well-being. (Thai 2014.)
Besides human health, the development of future generations of Vietnam is one of
her passions. She has been investing and soon will introduce other high-quality
products, such as vegetables, cheese, butter, margarine, or even medicines, etc.
Moreover, she is building a five-star hospital and a university that meets worldstandards. All is to provide the Vietnamese people with what is best in the world.
(Thai 2014.)

63

FIGURE 20. TH'S SOON-TO-LAUCH PRODUCTS (TH Milk 2014)

Regarding functional food market in Vietnam, Mrs Thai Huong is aware of the
rapid development of functional foods in the recent ten years. This requires
domestic producers to react quickly. However, consumers are discouraged by
numerous fake and low-quality products in the market.
From May 2014, TH will release new lines of functional milk, including the
renewal of phytosterol-enriched milk products with Raisio Benecol. Overall, the
company is always ready to collaborate with international organisations that are
with high-end technologies and scientific achievements which can be applied into
production. With THs prestige and accomplishment in the Vietnamese market,

64

Mrs Thai Huong promises to share her success with her business partners, not
only in Vietnam but also in other foreign markets, including the USA.
(Thai 2014.)

4.3.3

Vinamilk

Overview
Vinamilk is the biggest dairy company in Vietnam. It is also the nations 15 th
largest firm (UNDP 2007). CEO of Vinamilk, Mai Kieu Lien, is among Asias 50
Power Businesswomen (Forbes 2014). Vinamilk is one of the most profitable
brands in Vietnam and a blue chip on the local stock exchange. In 2012, the
company sales rose 23% to 1.3 billion USD, while net income increased by 40%
to 280 million USD. (Forbes 2014.) The 2013 sales reached 1.5 billion USD
(VOV 2014).
Currently, Vinamilk is exporting its products to 26 countries worldwide. The 2012
export value was over 180 million USD. The company owns one dairy plant in
New Zealand and 11 others in Vietnam. (VnExpress 2013.) One of which is the
most modern powdered milk plant in Asia, started to operate in 2013 (Vinamilk
2013).
Competitive advantages
The competitive advantages of Vinamilk are derived from many factors,
including:

Good brand building strategy and the industry leader position

Diversity of products and wide distribution network,

Fast reactions to the changes in market demand and close relationships with
suppliers,

Management excellence

International standard manufacturing equipment and technology.

(Vinamilk 2014.)

65

Products
The Science and Technology Service Office of Ho Chi Minh city has verified that
the new yogurt product lines of Vinamilk are fortified with nutrients such as
Vitamin B1, B6, A, D, calcium, protein, iron etc. Vinamilk yogurt sales doubled
in the year 2011. 90% shares of the yogurt market in Vietnam belong to Vinamilk.
(VnExpress 2013.)
At the moment, Vinamilk has several functional milk powder products for elders:

Vinamilk Diecerna: helps reduce risks and fight diabetes

Vinamilk CanxiPro: adds calcium, phosphor and collagen to strengthen

bones and joints

Vinamilk Slimming Milk: helps to control or lose weight

Vinamilk Nutrition: suitable for people at any age, provides full nutrients,
vitamins and minerals to maintain good health and physical development

Vinamilk Sure Prevent: provides supplement energy and strengthens the

body in operating and growing. Cholesterol and lactose-free

(Vinamilk 2014.)
Notably, Vinamilk claims to incorporate Plant sterol ester (not Benecols Plant
STANOL ester!) into its Sure Prevent products. This product was introduced in
2012. Each glass of Vinamilk Sure Prevent provides 0.65g Plant sterol ester,
which helps reducing cholesterol absorption. Vinamilk Sure Prevent is also
available as drinking milk. (Vinamilk 2014.)

66

FIGURE 21. FUNCTIONAL MILK PRODUCTS FROM VINAMILK (Vinamilk

2014).

4.3.4

Trung Nguyen Coffee

Overview
Today, Vietnam is the worlds second largest coffee exporter. The market jumped
from 0.1% to 20% in merely 30 years. Mostly, Vietnam exports green Robusta
coffee beans.(BBC 2014.) Established from zero in 1996, Trung Nguyen
nowadays is the largest coffee enterprise in Vietnam. Eleven out of seventeen
million households in Vietnam consume Trung Nguyens products. Trung Nguyen
exports coffee to 60 countries worldwide, including USA, Canada, Russia,
England, Germany, Japan, China, etc. (TrungNguyen 2014.) Its sales reached 151
million USD in 2011. (Forbes 2012.)
Competitive advantages
Trung Nguyens competitive advantage is consisted of five elements:

Special ingredients: collection of coffee beans around the world, mainly

Vietnam, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Columbia and Brazil

Modern technology: Cutting-edge technology from Europe

Inimitable secret formula: Oriental secret recipe using a special blend of

rare herbal ingredients, precious gems and additives

67

Passion: Never-ending process of exploration, innovation and

meticulousness

People: Trung Nguyen is a meeting place of creative and ambitious

individuals

(TrungNguyen 2014.)
Products
Trung Nguyen has a wide range of products, from top-class gourmet coffee to
convenient instant coffee. Some of them can be seen below.

FIGURE 22. SEVERAL TRUNG NGUYENS PRODUCTS (TrungNguyen

2014)

Some coffee products of Trung Nguyen offer additional functions, such as G7

Passiona which targets at female consumers. The instant coffee has non-dairy
creamer and is sweetened with zero-calorie sweetener. It is also enriched with
Collagen and Vitamin PP and other oriental herbs for refining the skin and
promoting health. (TrungNguyen 2014.)
According to Mr Olavi Erkinjuntti (2014), Plant stanol ester can also be
incorporated in coffee products. This is also an opportunity.

68

4.3.5

CAI LAN Oils & Fats Industries Company (CALOFIC)

Overview
In Vietnam, Oils and Fats growth is stimulated by the extension to smaller cities
and rural areas to substitute animal fats. The increasing perception about their
health benefits is also one of the leading reasons. CAI LAN Oils & Fats
Industries Company is the leader in the industry, with a 37% value share followed
by Tuong An Vegetable Oil JSC and Golden Hope Nha Be Edible Oils Co, with a
23% and 11% of market share respectively. (Euromonitor 2013.)
CALOFIC is a joint venture between Vietnam Vegetable Oils Industry
Corporation and Wilmar Group, Singapore (CALOFIC 2014). Wilmar is the
Asias leading Agriculture Group. Wilmar is ranked amongst the largest
companies by market capitalisation listed on the Singapore Exchange. It is also
the worlds largest processor and merchandiser of palm and lauric oils, as well as
largest in edible oils refining and fractionation, oleo-chemicals, speciality fats and
palm biodiesel. Furthermore, it is amongst the top ten global raw sugar producers
and is the largest raw sugar producer and refiner. (Wilmar 2014.)
CALOFIC was founded in 1996 with an initial investment of 22 million USD,
now increasing to 138 million USD. As one of the leading joint venture
companies in Vietnam, CALOFIC set the foundation and has been the backbone
of manufacturing and processing vegetable oils in the domestic market.
(CALOFIC 2014.)
Products
The products of CALOFIC are Neptune 1:1:1, Simply cooking oils, Meizan, CAI
LAN vegetable cooking oil, Kiddy vegetable oil, Olivoil olive oil and other
products such as instant noodle, confectionery, moon-cake, cream, bread, etc.
The most outstanding products can be seen in the table below:

69

TABLE 7. NOTABLE CALOFIC PRODUCTS (Calofic 2014)

Product name

Product image

Description

Blend of high-quality bran oil,

soybean oil and olein oil

Promotes health

Researched and consulted by

NEPTUNE

Vietnam National Institute of

1:1:1

Nutrition

Cholesterol-free, enriched with

Omega 3,6,9 and vitamin E

Contains natural antioxidants

Contains 80% unsaturated fatty

acid, effectively helps lowering

SIMPLY
soyabean

cholesterol

Cholesterol-free, enriched with

Omega 3,6,9 and vitamin E

Enriched with vitamin A,D,E

and Omega 3

MEIZAN
margarine

Cholesterol-free

70

4.3.6

Summary of functional food industry in Vietnam

To sum up, the functional food market has been growing explosively. This fact
reflects high demand for this type of products, attracting both domestic and
foreign investments. Conversely, there are considerable drawbacks such as the
lack of governmental control and the high number of confused customers who
have little knowledge about functional foods.
The research about consumerism in Vietnam has shown some interesting facts.
One of which was the consumers preference for the functional milk formula and
the preference to purchase imported products. Yet, there is a growing trend to buy
more local/Vietnamese brands.
The market for cardiovascular health functional foods is not yet developed. There
are only several products that claim to lower cholesterol levels. However, they
have only been sold for a few years. On the internet, there is no solid scientific
source available in Vietnamese to prove how effectively a product can be in
reducing cholesterol.
Distribution is yet another complicated issue. The four main channels are drug
stores, supermarkets, specialty stores, multi- level marketing and online stores.
Each channel has its own pros and cons. Depending on the types of products, a
company should be careful to select the most suitable channel.
These facts, combined with the result of the PESTEL analysis, have highlighted
the great potential of the Vietnamese market. Most importantly, the study about
major functional food companies yielded great results. These firms are generating
huge profits, with a growing concentration on delivering additional health benefits
to end users. Especially, of the five companies reviewed, 2 managers from two
businesses have shown their interests in cooperating with the Case Company.
Each companys exploration can be seen in the table below:

71

TABLE 8. MAJOR FUNCTIONAL FIRMS IN VIETNAM

Name

Company features

Market features

Vinatea

Biggest company in the industry

Tea

Investing heavily on technology

High volume of

Increasing food safety, hygiene and quality

export (worlds fifth

Gradually switching to high-quality functional tea

exporter)

production

Low domestic sales

Welcomes hi-tech international partners

Appreciate Finnish companies

TH true

100% fresh milk producer, prestigious brand

Dairy

milk

Rapid growth & high-tech

High competition

Ambitious, plan to release new products

Already buying Plant stanol ester

Market leader, healthy growth rate

Exports to 30 countries, modern technology

Many functional milk, especially the Sure Prevent

Vinamilk

and growth

Low domestic
consumption

Low fresh milk

domestic production

product with Plant STEROL ester to lower

cholesterol
Trung

Market leader, exports to 60 countries

Coffee

Nguyen

Modern technology, special ingredients & recipe

Worlds second

Few coffee products with additional health benefits

Market leader, joint venture with Wilmar

Plant-based cooking oils or margarine with

CALOFIC

benefits to cardiovascular system

exporter

Expanding to rural
areas

Increasing
perception about the
health benefits

72

CONCLUSION

This chapter covers three main aspects. First, it answers the Research questions
and sub-questions. Second, the reliability and the validity of the thesis are
assessed. Third, the author provides his suggestions for further research.

5.1

Answers to Research questions and sub-questions

Raisio Benecol is looking for business opportunities in Vietnam. It wants to find

suitable business partners to cooperate with in producing cholesterol- lowering
products. The thesis is conducted to solve the inquiry rationally. All of the
findings from the analyses on the market should then be simplified and filtered to
find the most important factors, which may affect the Case Companys decision in
Vietnam. The findings are summarised in the table below

TABLE 9. THE THESIS FINDINGS

Sub-question

Answers

What are the Case

Unique ingredient

Companys

Market leader

competitive

Sharing success

Political stability

advantages?
What are the

external factors that

Rapid economic growth & consumer spending

may affect the Case

Companys

Large base of customers, with high health concerns

intention in

areas

Vietnam?

Low-tech, power-cuts, incorrect preservation conditions in rural

High pollution

High import tariff

Cardiovascular disease is among top causes of death.

73

What are the

Functional foods are expensive and unaffordable to the majority

characteristics of

Explosive growth

the Vietnamese

Market lacking control, high number of fake or low-quality

functional food
market?

products

Complicated distribution channels

Few cholesterol- lowering products

Functional milk products dominate sales

High competition among big dairy producers

High percentage of imported products. Domestic players lack

support from government

What will be the

More educated customers

future development

Functional foods continue growing

of the Vietnamese

Government to tighten controls

What is the

Businesses are pressured with competitions

consuming trend in

High demand from end users

Vietnam?

Increasing expenditures on food

Little knowledge about functional foods

Preference of imported, or milk products

Health is the fifth top concern

VinaTea, TH, Vinamilk, Trung Nguyen Coffee, CALOFIC (Tea,

functional food
market?

Who are the main

players and what

dairy, coffee, cooking oil products)

are their strategies

All aims to provide products with health benefits

in the functional

Only few and newly-introduced cholesterol- lowering products

food market in

Investing largely in technology/ looking for hi-tech international

general and
cardiovascular
health in
particular?

partners

Overall, they desire innovation and sustainable development, to

boost sales and export values

74

Based on the findings above, the author can answer the main research question:
There are opportunities for Benecol in the Vietnamese market. Although there are
certain risks that are beyond Benecols control, many facts on the market are
supporting the Case Companys intention to come to Vietnam. Many firms in
Vietnam are willing to join forces with international companies. Two interviews
with managers of Vinatea and TH true milk show that they always welcome
Benecol. The Case Company should contact or investigate these companies
further to see if it is possible to introduce the brand Benecol to the Vietnamese
market in the near future.

5.2

Reliability and validity of the thesis

Besides having Mr Olavi Erkinjuntti, Benecols Area Director of Asia and

Australia as his mentor, the author acquired quality data from the
interviews/emails with several prestigious persons that have special knowledge
about the target market:

Nguyen Thi Minh Tien, Vietnam Minister of Health

Nguyen Thuy Vinh, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Central E Hospital

Tran Huu Huynh, President of Vietnam International Arbitration Centre,

former Deputy Head of the Legislation Department

Thai Huong, CEO of TH true milk

Nguyen Huu Tai, President of the Vietnam Tea Association, Deputy

Managing Director of Vinatea

The results from the interviews are also confirmed by information collected from
books, journals, reports, and websites, most of which can be easily accessed
online. Therefore, the research is highly reliable.
Secondly, collected data closely concentrates on the Vietnamese functional food
market. Verified by various sources, the collected data is relevant to the content of
the thesis and helps to achieve the objectives. Therefore, the study is reasonably
valid.

75

5.3

Suggestions for further research

This study targets at evaluating the Vietnamese functional food, focusing on some
major food companies in Vietnam. From the knowledge gathered, the author can
point out the available opportunities for the Case Company. Further research
should be carried out in order to create a comprehensive plan to acquire positive
results in the market. Some recommendations for further studies are as follows:

Thorough inspections / evaluations of the local companies to choose most

reliable partner(s)

Research for the most suitable or special product for the market

Research to design an effective marketing plan

Research for price positioning

These studies are recommended to carry out as soon as possible to utilise the
current opportunities. This might also determine the Case Companys success in
the target market.

76

SUMMARY

This research is stimulated by the authors interest to study a Finnish firm which
has intentions in the Vietnamese functional food market. The author contacted
Benecol, a Finnish brand of cholesterol-lowering products, which has had
activities in Vietnam. Mr Olavi Erkinjuntti, Benecols Area Director of Asia and
Australia, agreed to supervise the work. However, it should be noted that this
thesis is by no means a commissioned task. The author motivated himself to do
the research and Benecol only provided guidance to help the author to fulfil his
intention.
The thesis content focuses on the market for cardiovascular health functional
foods. The outcome of this work might serve as a supplementary data to the Case
Companys knowledge about Vietnam. It can help Benecol to identify the
available opportunities in the Vietnamese market. To achieve the target, both
theoretical and empirical studies are conducted.
First, the author discusses theoretical knowledge regarding cardiovascular health,
functional foods, cholesterol and relevant analytical tools to examine the external
environments in the Vietnamese market. This part prepares readers with the
necessary foundations to follow the subsequent empirical research.
In the empirical part, the author uses marketing tools to analyse both external and
internal factors affecting the Case Company. The competitive advantages of the
Case Company are revealed. The market is studied at the country level and
industry levels. Finally, several major functional food firms are studied. The main
findings reveal the opportunities for Benecol in the Vietnamese market; however,
further research is recommended to help the Case Company in making further
steps into Vietnam.

77

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Oral references
Erkinjuntti, Olavi. Area Director of Asia and Australia. Benecol. In contact since
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Nguyen, Thi Minh Tien. Vietnam Minister of Health. Interview 20 March 2014
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March 2014
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Tran, Huu Huynh. President of the Vietnam International Arbitration Center,
former Deputy Head of the Legislation Department. Interview 18 March.

95

Other Sources
Commercial Law No.36/2005/QU11. 2005.
Investment Law No.59/2005/QH11. National Assembly, 29. November 2005.

96

APPENDICES
A. MAJOR FUNCTIONAL FOOD COMPANIES
1. VINATEA CORP
Website: http://www.vinatea.com.vn/
Address: 92 Vo Thi Sau - Hai Ba Trung - Ha Noi - Viet Nam
Contact: [email protected]
Tel: 04.36226990
2. TH FOOD CHAIN JOINT STOCK COMPANY
Website: http://www.thmilk.vn/
Representative Office in Ho Chi Minh City:
05 Floor, Central Plaza Building, 17 Le Duan,Ward. Ben Nghe, District 1,
HCMC.Tel: (84-8) 5429 6666 | Fax: (84-8) 5429 7373
Representative Office in Hanoi:
02 Floor, Dao Duy Anh Tower, 9 Dao Duy Anh, District Dong Da, Hanoi.Tel:
(84-4) 3573 9777 | Fax: (84-4) 3573 9548
3. VINAMILK
Website: http://www.vinamilk.com.vn/
Address: 10 Tan Trao Street, Tan Phu Ward, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: (84-8) 54 155 555
Fax: (84-8) 54 161 226
Email: [email protected]

4. CAI LAN OILS & FATS INDUSTRIES COMPANY

Website: http://www.calofic.com.vn/
Address: Cai Lan Industrial Zone, Ha Long City, Quang Ninh
Province, Vietnam
Tel: (84-33) 3846 993
Fax: (84-33) 3845 971
Email: [email protected]
5. TRUNG NGUYEN
Website: http://www.trungnguyen.com.vn/
Address: 82-84, Bui Thi Xuan street, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh
City
Tel: 1900 6011
Email: [email protected]

97

B. OTHER DAIRY COMPANIES IN VIETNAM

1. ABBOTT
- Leading powdered milk producer
Website: http://abbottnutrition.com.vn/
Address: 2 Ngo Duc Ke street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh city
Tel: 1900 1519
Email: [email protected]
2. DUTCH LADY (FRIESLANDCAMPINA VIETNAM)
Website: http://www.dutchlady.com.vn/
FrieslandCampina Vietnam - Binh Hoa Commune, Thuan An District, Binh
Duong Province.
Tel: (84-650) - 3754422
Fax: (84-650) 3754726

3. NUTIFOOD NUTRITION FOOD JOINT STOCK COMPANY

Website: http://www.nutifood.com.vn
281-283 Hoang Dieu Street, Ward 6, District 4, HCMC, Vietnam
Tel: (84-8) 38 267 999
Fax: (84-8) 39 435 949

4. MOC CHAU milk

Website: http://mocchaumilk.com/
Address: 0223. 866 065
Fax: 0223. 866 184
Email: [email protected]

98

C. INTERVIEW QUESTIONS STRUCTURE

1. Interviewing companies
- How is your company doing at the moment? Your financial figures?
- What are your achievements?
- What are your main products?
- What might be your ambitions, plans, your strategies in the future?
- Do you know about cardiovascular diseases? Cholesterol? Are you interested in
this field? Are you interested to improve public health?
- Do you know about the trend of functional foods? Are you producing functional
food right now? Do you want to produce (more) functional food products?
- Have you heard about Benecol? Do your company want to cooperate with
international firms? How could international companies contact you?

2. Contacting other people (via emails)

- Nguyen Thi Minh Tien, Vietnam Minister of Health: What is the current
situation of the functional food market in Vietnam?
- Nguyen Thuy Vinh, Doctor: How do hospitals consider using functional foods?
Can functional foods be sale inside hospitals? Can doctors prescripe/recommend
patients to use functional foods?
- Tran, Huu Huynh, Lawyer: What are the laws that international companies like
Benecol should beware of when going to the Vietnamese market? What is the
tariff rate for functional food ingredients? Are there any deductions or government
supports?