{"id":26501,"date":"2026-09-16T14:17:37","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T07:17:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mindtea.vn\/thuong-hieu-va-nguon-goc-dang-thay-doi-cach-nguoi-viet-mua-tra\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T14:10:36","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T07:10:36","slug":"thuong-hieu-va-nguon-goc-dang-thay-doi-cach-nguoi-viet-mua-tra","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mindtea.vn\/en\/thuong-hieu-va-nguon-goc-dang-thay-doi-cach-nguoi-viet-mua-tra\/","title":{"rendered":"Brands and Origins Are Changing How Vietnamese People Buy Tea"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

For a long time, tea was a virtually unbranded product in the retail market. Customers would go to the market or their usual store, specify the type of tea they wanted, and the seller would weigh it from a large bag and repackage it in plastic bags. There were no labels, no expiration dates, and no information about the growing region. The only guarantee was the personal reputation of the seller. This structure is rapidly changing, and this change is not only altering how customers choose products but also shifting pricing power throughout the supply chain. This article analyzes the market impact of this process and its implications for distributors, retailers, and tea businesses.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

1. The model of selling tea by weight and its limitations.<\/h2>\n

The model of selling tea by weight survives because it suits the production structure. The average tea-growing household is only about 0.2 hectares, with small, fragmented production, collected through many intermediaries, and then mixed together. In that chain, labeling each batch is almost impossible, so goods are traded based on visual inspection and negotiated prices.<\/p>\n

The limitations of this model become apparent as the market grows. The lack of labels means there’s no way to distinguish between two batches of the same type but different quality, so competition automatically slides down to the lowest price. Good sellers aren’t adequately compensated, careful growers lack the incentive to invest, and customers have no basis other than personal trust. This is a price-stabilizing structure for the entire industry, not just the retail sector.<\/p>\n

\"Brands
Brands and Origins Are Changing How Vietnamese People Buy Tea<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. The transition to branded tea.<\/h3>\n

What has changed in the last ten years or so is the widespread availability of packaged teas with complete packaging, including brand names, barcodes, expiration dates, growing region information, and quality certifications. These products are present in supermarkets, specialty stores, e-commerce platforms, and corporate gift channels\u2014exactly the channels where bulk tea cannot be sold.<\/p>\n

The impetus for this shift comes from two sides. On the demand side, buyers have fewer opportunities to meet sellers directly than before, so they need a form of assurance to replace personal relationships. On the supply side, modern sales channels impose mandatory requirements on labeling and documentation, forcing manufacturers wanting to enter the channel to standardize. These two forces combine and accelerate the process much faster than industry insiders predicted.<\/p>\n

3. Geographical indications and the value of regional names<\/h3>\n

Alongside the corporate brand is another layer of endorsement: the name of the growing region. Tan Cuong, La Bang, Trai Cai in Thai Nguyen; Suoi Giang in Yen Bai; Hoang Su Phi and Lung Phin in Ha Giang; Ta Xua in Son La; Bao Loc and Cau Dat in Lam Dong. These names act as collective brands, built over generations and possessing a persuasive power that a new brand would find difficult to create in a short time.<\/p>\n

The problem with collective trademarks is that anyone can use them without a control mechanism. When the sales volume bearing a region’s name far exceeds the region’s actual output, the value of the name erodes. This is why geographical indications, certification marks, and regional management models become important: they transform a common name into a controlled asset and protect its value.<\/p>\n

4. Code for growing area and packaging facility<\/h3>\n

If geographical indications serve as a guarantee for consumers, then the growing area code and the packing facility code serve as a guarantee for trade. This technical requirement first appears in exports, where product labels must include the country of origin, ingredients, net weight, expiration date, the growing area or packing facility code, and the language of the target market.<\/p>\n

It is noteworthy that these requirements are impacting the domestic market. Once a business has established a system of coding designated growing areas for export, the marginal cost of applying it to domestic sales is virtually zero, while the competitive advantage gained is significant. As a result, serious export businesses are often also the ones with the most transparent records in the domestic market.<\/p>\n

5. Accessing information via QR code and the limitations of this tool.<\/h2>\n

QR codes on packaging have become a popular tool for guiding buyers to information about the growing region, production date, batch number, and inspection certificate. Its advantages include low implementation costs, ease of updating, and a sense of transparency at the point of sale, especially effective in gift and online channels where customers cannot sample the product beforehand.<\/p>\n

However, it’s important to understand the true nature of the tool. A QR code only displays the information entered by its creator, so it’s not proof of quality in itself. True value only emerges when the code is backed by a batch record system, periodic test reports from an independent laboratory, and a genuinely maintained management process. For distributors, a simple way to verify is to scan the code on the goods they are importing and see if the information is linked to a specific batch number or just a general introductory page.<\/p>\n

6. Certification as a common language<\/h3>\n

In the higher price segment, certifications serve as a common language between buyers and sellers who are unfamiliar with each other. HACCP and ISO 22000 speak to food safety management systems. USDA or EU Organic certifications describe farming methods. HALAL opens doors to the Middle Eastern market. Rainforest Alliance is associated with environmental and social criteria.<\/p>\n

The cost of obtaining and maintaining these certifications is significant, making them both a barrier and an advantage. For businesses, it’s an investment in unlocking a high-paying customer base, rather than a bureaucratic hurdle. For distributors, certifications provide a basis for stratifying suppliers: those with complete documentation serving corporate clients, hotels, and export markets; and those without, serving traditional channels with different pricing and expectations.<\/p>\n

7. Concerns about residue increase the value of origin documentation.<\/h3>\n

The trend toward transparency of origin cannot be separated from the issue of pesticide residue, which is the most frequently mentioned bottleneck when discussing Vietnamese tea in the international market. The European Union has very strict MRL (Maximum Residue Limit) controls, the US applies FDA regulations, and any warning inevitably leads to more frequent testing of subsequent batches.<\/p>\n

This pressure has changed domestic pricing practices. Previously, a batch of tea with a test certificate and one without sold for almost the same price because the market couldn’t distinguish between them. Now, the price gap between the two groups is widening, especially in channels where buyers are responsible to the end customer, such as supermarkets, hotels, and businesses purchasing gift items. The documentation has therefore become a component of the selling price, no longer a purely cost-effective expense.<\/p>\n

8. Pricing power is shifting within the chain.<\/h3>\n

This is the most important market consequence. In the bulk sales model, pricing power lies with the collection and wholesale stages, as they possess information and control the flow of goods. When a product has a brand and a proven track record, pricing power shifts to the brand owner and those who control the sourcing area, as they are ultimately responsible and the ones whose names customers remember.<\/p>\n

The same thing is happening on a national scale. Vietnamese tea is exported to more than 70 countries and territories, but mainly in the form of large, unbranded, raw materials. Therefore, the average price in 2025 will only be around $1,700 per ton, approximately 60-65% of the world average of around $2,600 per ton. That difference represents the value of the brand and the documentation held by the importer.<\/p>\n

9. Market stratification and seller positioning<\/h2>\n

The result of these changes is a more clearly stratified domestic tea market. The bottom tier consists of unlabeled, bulk-sold tea, competing purely on price, with increasingly thin profit margins. The middle tier comprises branded, packaged teas with basic documentation, serving households and offices. The top tier consists of specialty teas with specific growing regions, certifications, and catering to gift-giving, high-end channels, and export markets.<\/p>\n

The problem with many distributors is that they are at the lower end of the supply chain but serving customers with middle-tier expectations. Customers ask about origin, expiration dates, and test certificates, but the distributors lack the documentation to answer these questions. This gap cannot be bridged by explanations alone; it can only be filled by changing suppliers. The development plan to cultivate 11,000 hectares of organic tea and 34,500 hectares of specialty tea by 2030 shows that the upper tier will continue to expand.<\/p>\n

10. Why do dealers need to choose suppliers with proven track records?<\/h3>\n

From an operational standpoint, choosing suppliers with established records offers four specific benefits. First, it opens up channels with better prices that unbranded goods cannot access. Second, it reduces legal and claim risks, as liability is determined on a batch-by-batch basis. Third, it maintains selling prices during market fluctuations, as the product is not directly compared to unbranded goods. Fourth, it builds its own reputation instead of simply selling off the reputation of others.<\/p>\n

The implementation is not complicated. Instead of asking for additional documents when needed, simply include the required documentation in the import conditions: information on the growing region, lot number, valid test certificate, quality declaration, and a sample for comparison. For export-oriented businesses, this is also the minimum documentation required to transition from selling raw materials to selling products under a Vietnamese brand, and a way to narrow the price gap with the world market.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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