~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

[Year 1997]
[Year 1998]
[Year 1999]
[Year 2000]
[Year 2001]

Vietnamese firms' ad spend hits record last year

HANOI - Companies in Vietnam spent a record $152 million on advertising last year, up 31 per cent from the previous year, an official said on Friday. Producers of shampoo, detergent and beverages were the biggest advertisers, said Tran Minh Tan of Ho Chi Minh City's Advertising Association.

Spending on advertising in Vietnam increased sharply from just $8.1 million in 1992 to $68 million in 1995 and $116 million in 1999, he said. Last year, companies spent $82 million on television advertisements, $47 million on print media and $18 million for outdoor billboards, Tan said. The top 10 spenders on television advertising were all foreign-invested companies, with Anglo-Dutch food giant Unilever topping the list at nearly $20 million, followed by Procter and Gamble and Coca-Cola, both at $2.9 million, Tan said. Advertising was virtually unknown in Vietnam before the launch of market-oriented economic reforms called "Doi Moi" in the mid 1980s which dramatically changed its former centralised command economy.

The country has attracted more than $35 billion in foreign investment since the first foreign-invested project was licensed in 1988.

The Associated Press - June 2, 2001.