Retail globalisation and regulation: interpreting the transformation of the food retail structure in Vietnam

Abstract

The research aimed to explore the regulatory and socio-cultural responses to retail foreign direct investment (FDI) in a third-wave, transition country- Vietnam. A combined qualitative and quantitative methodology together with documentary research was utilised to collect a wide range of secondary data from governmental and industry sources, much of which has not been utilised in western academic research in the field given the challenges of access to such information and of translating source material into English. This was supplemented by primary survey data from consumers and key stakeholders in the supply chain of two products, namely morning glory and fish sauce in three supermarket chains: Metro, Big C and lntimex, and used to analyse the transformation of the retail structure in Vietnam. Research findings suggest that the process of change in the Vietnamese food retail sector has been affected by the slow but progressive penetration of market liberalisation in which, as late as 2008, a foreign partner could hold no more than 49% of capital in a joint venture. While the Vietnamese retail market has transformed radically since the 1990s, with this shift has emerged a consumer society that is usually more discerning and demanding than before. Changing societal composition plays a crucial role in consumers becoming more conscious and conspicuous. The findings also reveal a complex layering of regulations, some of which are a hangover from the pre-2007 period and some of which have occurred since the accession of the World Trade Organization, in the form of the controversial economic needs test (ENT).

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ORCID for Neil Wrigley: orcid.org/0000-0002-3967-5668

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