Korean brands leverage offline stores to capture Vietnam's e-commerce boom
As e-commerce rapidly transforms retail across Southeast Asia, Korean brands are using hands-on offline experiences in Vietnam to drive digital sales. Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) hosted its 2026 Korea Festival at Parc Mall in Ho Chi Minh City from Sept. 16-22, bringing 80 Korean companies together for product sales, market testing and cultural experiences. The event featured…
E-commerce is reshaping retail in Southeast Asia, and Korean brands are capitalizing on the trend by offering offline experiences in Vietnam, according to the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). The agency organized the 2026 Korea Festival at Parc Mall in Ho Chi Minh City from September 16-22, gathering 80 Korean companies for product sales, market testing, and cultural experiences.
The festival showcased Korean beauty products, food, and household goods, along with tastings tied to KOTRA's Seoul Food exhibition, live commerce, Chuseok cultural activities, and K-pop performances.
Among the participants were 48 domestic firms with limited overseas exposure and 10 companies entirely new to exporting, according to KOTRA. These brands sought the help of local vendors to test their products and evaluate Vietnamese consumers' reactions. Post the in-person event, KOTRA plans to extend the campaign to an online promotion on Shopee Vietnam from October 3-5. This digital push will involve 87 companies, encompassing domestic entities, first-time exporters, and co.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
