KOC - a hot profession for Vietnamese youth.

Every day at 7 PM, Tran Lan adjusts the camera, sets up the lighting equipment, and presses the livestream button to begin a live stream session showcasing, introducing, and selling cosmetics.

Lam is known as a KOC (Key Opinion Customer). In 2020, this 25-year-old man from Ho Chi Minh City decided to quit his office job to pursue a career in cosmetic product reviews because his monthly salary of 7 million VND "was not enough to live on in the city".

As a beauty "addict," he spends about two or three million dong each month buying products to try out and film videos . "Filming every day, using many different cosmetics, caused skin irritation, breakouts, and ulcers, but I only received a few likes from friends," Lam recounted.

After six months, his savings ran out, so Lam started asking brands to sponsor product samples for him to try, in exchange for free advertising. He gave the example of a one-minute sunscreen commercial that took 15-20 days to test, filming outdoors from morning till night, and having to inform viewers about its effectiveness. "When the channel reached 100,000 subscribers, I started accepting advertisements," Lam said.

Since 2022, Lam has started livestreaming for brands. Initially, he wasn't used to talking continuously for several hours, even up to 24 hours, and he nearly fainted several times during livestreams. "I had to learn how to tell jokes, encourage viewers to make purchases, and always stay cheerful even when being scolded," Lam said.

To date, he has an income that many people dream of, earning tens of millions of VND per hour of livestreaming. "The highest revenue I've earned from a livestream session was 200 million VND in two hours, and some 24-hour sessions have reached several billion VND," Lam said.

Tran Lam (in black shirt) is livestreaming to sell products on an e-commerce platform. Photo: Provided by the subject.

High income, flexible working hours, and no degree or specialization requirements contribute to making jobs like Tran Lam's, as KOC (Key Opinion Leader), attractive to young people.

Vu Dieu Thuy, founder of Kolin Academy, a training center specializing in KOC and KOL (influencers), said that since the beginning of 2024, they have been enrolling several hundred students each month in livestreaming and digital content creation courses, double the number from last year. Over 80% of the students are aged 18-29, mainly from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Each course lasts 4-10 sessions and costs from several million to several hundred million VND.

Ms. Thuy said the most difficult part of training beginners with no experience is helping them discover their strengths and advantages to turn them into talents, and then produce suitable content online. "Students who are already famous often take livestreaming courses to convert their personal brand into money and learn how to sell products," she said.

Currently, there are hundreds of social media groups recruiting KOLs, KOCs, and Influencers, with tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of members.

Bich Ngoc, 28 years old, from Hanoi, who has over 6 years of experience in the field, said that in the past year, since livestreaming sales on digital platforms became a trend, the need for brands and companies to recruit KOLs and KOCs for promotion has doubled or tripled. "In the busiest months, we can need dozens to hundreds of people to promote events," Ngoc said.

Le Du, 25, a creative director at a media company in Hanoi, who connects KOLs and KOCs with brands, says that less famous KOCs are often more willing to accept posting videos without paid endorsements, simply to get a free trial of services or products. Meanwhile, KOCs, KOLs, and Influencers with large followings (hundreds of thousands, millions) can receive salaries ranging from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of Vietnamese dong for a single video posted on social media.

Bich Ha, 23, creates food content on TikTok with over 300,000 followers. Photo: Provided by the subject.

Bich Ha, 23 years old, from Hanoi, was originally a student passionate about making food videos. After three years of seriously creating food-related content, she has amassed over 300,000 followers on her TikTok channel.

Ha says that to get videos with millions of views, besides knowing how to arrange food beautifully, she also has to practice her mouth movements while eating, and her voice needs to be deep, high, and expressive to enhance emotional impact. Not to mention, to "follow trends," Ha sometimes has to stay up all night to experience late-night eateries or wake up early to queue for videos when there are fewer people. The 23-year-old girl is proud to earn tens of millions of dong each month, providing a monthly allowance for her family.

Dr. Le Hoanh Su, from the University of Economics and Law in Ho Chi Minh City and a member of the Vietnam E-commerce Association, believes that in the digital age, users need to access information quickly, up-to-date, and concisely, leading them to prefer online shopping, thus creating opportunities for the development of KOLs and KOCs (Key Opinion Leaders).

According to experts, in the past, achieving fame and high income required a long and systematic image-building process, but nowadays young people can easily rise to prominence thanks to their appearance, ability to grasp trends, and connect with viewers. Even farmers, individuals, and families with inspiring stories can become famous, influential figures, and earn income from digital platforms.

However, Mr. Su also warned that many people, chasing fame or income, accept indiscriminate advertising without fully understanding the product, leading to public outrage, damage to their reputation, and even career losses. "To develop and survive in this profession, you must know how to create sustainable content that has a positive impact on the community," the expert said.

According to psychologist Tran Huong Thao (Ho Chi Minh City), the downside of some achieving early success, high income, and fame through this profession is that it can lead many young people to believe that making money online is easy. For society, some Gen Z individuals today feel inferior due to peer pressure, suffer from FOMO (fear of missing out), and may experience anxiety and depression upon witnessing the high incomes of some KOCs and KOLs.

Ms. Thao stated that FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) often occurs among KOLs and KOCs themselves. They are so preoccupied with chasing sales revenue, likes, and followers that they feel like failures when they are resting while others are still selling and working day and night. "Young people should learn how to balance their lives, dedicate time to themselves, and create valuable and insightful content," expert Thao advised.

Hoang Anh, 25, from Hanoi, earns tens of millions of VND per month creating content on photography tutorials and technology reviews (February 2024). Photo: Thanh Nga

Balancing his office job and KOC (Key Opinion Leader) with over 200,000 followers, 25-year-old Hoang Anh from Hanoi earns nearly 100 million VND by reviewing phones, cameras, advertising photo editing software, and suggesting Instagrammable spots in hotels and cafes. However, the price he pays is a lack of rest time, often leading to exhaustion due to overwork.

"Perhaps I'll quit my job to focus on creating more valuable digital content for the community," Hoang Anh said.

Thanh Nga - Vnexpress.net

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