Chinese smartphone brands such as Oppo are winning in Southeast Asia despite concerns over Huawei
- The rising popularity of Chinese brands in the region comes at a time when Huawei is under a cloud due to US blacklisting
Doan Kim Chi works for a local bank in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, and has been a loyal iPhone user for years.
She recently received an iPhone XS Max from her husband as a gift. It is the most expensive smartphone model from Cupertino, California-based Apple and retails at around US$1,100.
Although very satisfied with her new phone, Chi says she has noticed the rising popularity of new Chinese handsets in Vietnam in recent years, marking a change from the past dominance of brands such as Samsung and Apple.
“You can see adverts from the likes of Oppo everywhere [in Hanoi],” the 31-year-old Vietnamese banker said in an interview. “They have also hired local celebrities to help promote their phones here.”
The increased popularity of brands such as Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi in Vietnam comes after the deep-pocketed Chinese smartphone players launched a drive into emerging markets, leveraging the same kind of strategies they used to gain market share at home. This includes aggressive marketing tactics and providing innovative handsets at an attractive price point.
“Oppo TV commercials are broadcast during the golden hour on TV just after the news and in between movies,” said Chi. “You always see an Oppo ad when something big is on the TV.”