Vietnamese people brave the rain to queue in Thailand to buy the iPhone 15.

VTC News•22/09/2023

On September 21st, many Vietnamese people began traveling to Singapore and Thailand to await the early launch of the iPhone 15. These are two of the rare Southeast Asian markets, close to Vietnam, that launched the iPhone 15 in the first wave, at the same time as the US, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Previously, Australia and New Zealand were the first two countries in the world to launch the product due to time zone differences.

However, heavy rain began falling in Singapore and Thailand from the afternoon until night. This made it difficult for those who chose to queue at the Apple Store in the World Center shopping mall (Thailand) or the store on Orchard Road (Singapore).

At these two locations, the number of people queuing to buy the iPhone 15 the following day gradually increased from afternoon to evening, even as they sought shelter from the rain. The majority were Vietnamese, many wanting to be among the first to own the device, while the number of people involved in the parallel import trade decreased compared to previous years.

Heavy rain in Thailand lasted from evening until late at night.

In Singapore, queuing to buy the iPhone 15 this year is even more difficult. Last year, security and store staff dispersed the crowds the night before the launch, allowing only a small number to stay and wait. This year, the Apple Store on Orchard Road and many lower-tier retailers and authorized stores have handed out wristbands to early arrivals.

" Only those with these wristbands are allowed to queue to buy the machines, so some people are reselling them for between 500 and 700 SGD, or about 12 million VND. But nobody dares to buy them because having a wristband only gets you to queue, it doesn't guarantee you'll get to buy a machine."

"The number of units sold depends on the number of stores that have them in stock. If you have a queueing wristband but the store runs out of the desired model when it's your turn to buy, you'll have to leave empty-handed. That's why nobody dares to spend a large sum of money just to buy a queueing wristband ," a Vietnamese person present at the Apple Store in Singapore confirmed.

The demand for imported phones has also decreased in the last two years as the official launch time in Vietnam has become shorter compared to international markets, and the prices of the devices have also become cheaper.

Ms. Phan Ai Chau, representative of the Di Dong Viet mobile phone system, commented: " Vietnam launched the iPhone 15 just one week after the Tier 1 group, and coupled with the difficult economic situation, the demand for imported phones to own them early is no longer as high as in previous years. On the contrary, the 'buzz' in the country has increased significantly, with dealers recording a record number of registrations to receive information about the iPhone 15 series ." This system alone recorded over 15,000 registrations before the launch, with customers interested in the iPhone 15 Pro Max accounting for up to 80%.

The heavy rain made it difficult for those waiting to buy the iPhone 15.

Customers are increasingly interested in officially distributed iPhone products in Vietnam (with the VN/A code) for convenience in use and warranty. In addition, the price of the iPhone 15 in Vietnam is quite competitive and is expected to fluctuate.

" This year, we're using the message 'I'm Titanium,' limiting pre-orders to the exact quantity allocated by Apple to ensure that those who pre-ordered will receive their devices during the early release on September 29th. This avoids situations like in previous years where customers had to wait too long despite pre-ordering ," Ms. Ai Chau emphasized.

According to someone who used to queue for years to buy imported iPhones from Singapore to resell early in Vietnam, this year the number of traders has decreased because the sales period between Singapore and Thailand and Vietnam has been shortened to just one week. Business owners have determined that if they don't sell everything within the first two days of receiving the goods, they will incur losses.

" A week is too short a time, so many people are willing to wait. Not to mention that Vietnam now has an online Apple Store, and the prices aren't significantly different from imported goods, so it's certain that business will be very difficult ," this person revealed.

Khanh Linh

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