Japanese retailers deepen presence in Vietnam’s consumer market
VOV.VN - Vietnam is increasingly attracting major Japanese retailers like AEON, Uniqlo, Takashimaya, and Muji as they seek to expand their presence to tap into the country’s booming consumer market.
Recently, AEON Mall Vietnam and Newland Investment held talks with Nguyen Viet Oanh, chairman of Bac Giang provincial People’s Committee, about investing in a new shopping mall covering nearly 7.7 hectares with total capital exceeding VND 3.9 trillion. The local authorities have pledged to facilitate procedures and support the project to accelerate its completion.
AEON’s ongoing expansion includes the AEON Mall Can Tho project in Binh Thuy district, spanning over 8.6 hectares with an investment of around VND 5.4 trillion. In Hai Duong, the group held a groundbreaking ceremony for a shopping mall covering 3.5 hectares with a capital of VND 1.17 trillion. The company recently opened new malls in Hue and Hanoi, bringing its total number of shopping centers nationwide to nine. AEON is actively searching for further sites to build large-scale supermarkets, especially in Hanoi.
In addition to retail, AEON Entertainment, a subsidiary focusing on cinemas, has entered the Vietnamese market with plans to open its first large cinema complex in the south, occupying up to 5,000 square meters. The company aims to become profitable within three years and expand to 21 cinemas nationwide by 2030. Vietnam is AEON Entertainment’s first overseas market.
Other Japanese brands are also deepening their commitment to Vietnam. Takashimaya, a leading luxury retail group, plans to increase the Vietnamese market’s contribution to 5–10% of its total profits, with a focus on optimizing its existing real estate and launching more malls in Hanoi by 2027. It is also expanding into education by partnering with local operators to run schools.
Meanwhile Uniqlo, a Japanese fashion brand has grown from a single store in Ho Chi Minh City in 2019 to 29 locations nationwide, with its latest outlet opening at Vincom Mega Mall Thao Dien.
A well-known retail brand in Japan, Muji continues to expand steadily, now operating 16 stores across Vietnam, with new locations planned for Vincom Times City.
According to experts at Avison Young, an international commercial real estate company, Vietnam’s young population, rising incomes, growing middle class, and rapid urbanization position it as one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic and attractive retail markets over the next decade.
Construction of AEON Hai Duong Shopping Centre kicked off
AEON Vietnam began the construction of AEON Hai Duong Shopping Centre in the northern province of Hai Duong on April 19.
