Vietnam ranks fourth in instant noodle consumption, tops per-capita use

According to the World Instant Noodles Association (WINA), instant noodle consumption in Vietnam increased by around 94 million servings from the previous year, placing the country fourth worldwide, after China/Hong Kong, Indonesia and India.

The ranking changes significantly when measured per person. With a population of more than 100 million, Vietnam’s 8.231 billion servings translate into around 80-81 servings per person a year, meaning the average person consumes a serving roughly every four to five days.

For comparison, Indonesia consumed 14.54 billion servings, around 77% more than Vietnam. But with a population of approximately 285.7 million, its average was only about 51 servings per person a year. Vietnam’s per-capita consumption was therefore nearly 60% higher than Indonesia’s.

Instant noodle market rebounds after a dip

Vietnam’s instant noodle market has not grown steadily over the past several years. Consumption peaked at around 8.557 billion servings in 2021, before falling to 8.48 billion in 2022 and 8.127 billion in 2023.

The market began recovering in 2024, reaching 8.137 billion servings, before rising further to 8.231 billion in 2025.

Compared with the 2023 low, Vietnam added around 104 million servings over two years. Even so, consumption is about 4% below the 2021 level, when demand for convenient foods surged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Globally, meanwhile, demand for instant noodles continued to reach new highs. WINA recorded around 124.2 billion servings consumed worldwide in 2025, the highest level in its five-year series. Vietnam accounted for about 6.6% of global demand.

Instant noodle market offers more than low-cost products

High consumption also reflects an increasingly diverse market. A Q&Me survey of 29 stores in Ho Chi Minh City found that supermarkets carried an average of 149 instant noodle products, compared with 74 at mini-supermarkets and 64 at convenience stores.

The product mix also varied by retail channel. At supermarkets and mini-supermarkets, packaged noodles accounted for 72% of the surveyed products in each channel, while cup and bowl noodles represented a larger share at convenience stores, reflecting demand for quick and convenient consumption.

Prices also vary across product types and retail channels. Packaged noodles typically cost around VND10,000-14,000, while cup noodles average about VND11,000-16,000. Bowl noodles can cost around VND17,000-25,000.

Consumers now have a broader range of choices beyond familiar domestic brands, including ramen, udon, Korean and Indonesian noodles, rice-based products and cellophane noodles.

This suggests that Vietnam’s instant noodle market is not simply a story of high consumption, but also one of product diversification and changing consumer preferences.

With more than eight billion servings consumed a year, instant noodles have become a major part of Vietnam’s food market, while the country’s exceptionally high per-capita consumption points to a deeply established demand for convenient foods.

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