Mr. Nguyen Anh Duc, General Director of Saigon Co.op, inspects goods at Co.opmart. Photo: HOANG HUNG
* REPORTER: Visiting Saigon Co.op's retail outlets in the days leading up to Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year), consumers can easily see the distinctive cultural characteristics of different regions through the displayed products. In your opinion, how does Saigon Co.op achieve this? * MR. NGUYEN ANH DUC : First of all, it must be affirmed that Saigon Co.op's motto is that it is Vietnamese, built by Vietnamese people, and for Vietnamese people. Therefore, there is no reason why, during the traditional Vietnamese Lunar New Year, the products sold at Saigon Co.op's 800 retail outlets should not be deeply rooted in Vietnamese cultural identity. It should also be added that throughout its development journey, Saigon Co.op and its suppliers have always been steadfast in their goal of building and developing the purely Vietnamese supermarket brand Co.opmart with a spirit of continuous improvement to best serve the Vietnamese people. This year's Tet program implemented by Saigon Co.op has the theme "Come to Co.op and bring Tet home." Accordingly, when people visit and shop here, they will be immersed in the Tet atmosphere of the three regions of Vietnam: North, Central, and South, finding Tet goods that are characteristic of each region that they desire. * When mentioning Saigon Co.op, perhaps everyone will immediately think of it as the "midwife" of the Vietnamese goods ecosystem. So, could you share a few thoughts about this analogy? * The two words "midwife" sound simple, but to be associated with this mission is a long story built and nurtured over 35 years of Saigon Co.op's formation and development along with more than 1,000 Vietnamese goods suppliers. From a single Co.opmart supermarket on Cong Quynh Street, District 1, Saigon Co.op has now built over 800 retail outlets nationwide, with various brands such as Co.opmart, Co.opXtra, Co.opFood, Co.opSmile, Finelife, etc. Alongside this growth, Vietnamese goods consistently account for over 90% of the products in the system. The strength of the distribution system also means that the role of "supporting" Vietnamese goods is becoming increasingly prominent, and consequently, opportunities for Vietnamese goods to expand their market share are also growing. Furthermore, in 2023, Saigon Co.op proactively collaborated with localities to build supply chains and value chains for goods. This activity aims to plan raw material sourcing areas, control product quality and origin, and promote safe and environmentally friendly consumption for domestic consumers. More importantly, this is the foundation for improving product quality, gradually overcoming technical barriers, and meeting international standards to further expand market share in the global market. * Expanding export markets is not a new concept for businesses. However, most Vietnamese businesses choose to export raw materials. So, what solutions does Saigon Co.op have to export Vietnamese goods under Vietnamese brands? * It must be acknowledged that Vietnamese goods, despite their diversity and good quality, are often only at a basic processing level, with monotonous packaging that lacks appeal to consumers. Businesses have limited capital and haven't invested much in research and development, so they don't have many new products or flavors to keep up with consumer trends. Therefore, to help Vietnamese goods reach a wider Vietnamese community, Saigon Co.op and its domestic suppliers proactively implement various market research solutions. This is the basis for "reinventing ourselves" and "reinventing goods" according to the trend of "selling what the market needs." Along with that, we will implement solutions to link domestic businesses with each other and between domestic and foreign businesses, creating an ecosystem of Vietnamese goods. This linkage will create a basis for businesses to harmoniously and rationally divide goods, sectors, and markets. From there, we will leverage the strengths and advantages of each domestic business, contributing to increasing domestic export capacity. * In the context of greening production, supply, distribution, and consumption throughout current economic development activities, how have Saigon Co.op and its suppliers transformed themselves to keep pace with this trend? * Saigon Co.op plans that by 2025, products introduced into the system, in addition to quality and design, must meet green product standards with specific criteria. Simultaneously, Saigon Co.op has developed promotional and sales policies with preferential prices, combined with the arrangement of separate display areas for environmentally friendly products and products from businesses that perform well in environmental protection. In early October this year, Saigon Co.op commenced construction of the Saigon Co.op Warehouse located in Le Minh Xuan Industrial Park (Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City), the first warehouse system in Vietnam built to green standards with modern equipment and applying advanced technologies from around the world . The warehouse is built with a "green" logistics model, featuring surrounding green spaces, a natural daylighting system, and an automatic fire extinguishing system. The commissioning of this warehouse system is clear evidence of Saigon Co.op's embrace of the green transformation trend of the Vietnamese goods ecosystem in general. It can be said that, in the context of domestic businesses facing significant competitive pressure from foreign goods and distribution systems, Saigon Co.op still maintains its motto of a "purely Vietnamese distribution system," serving as a "solid foundation for Vietnamese goods" and a "reliable destination for Vietnamese people."
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