Analyzing Asian women from my own unique perspective! Vietnamese women have a 30% gal-ness level High potential for becoming gals

Vietnam's Rapidly Growing Women's Market

This time, we focus on Vietnamese women.

Alongside its economic development, Vietnam's women-related market, including fashion, is expanding significantly. It's a market attracting considerable attention.

Mobile phone penetration exceeds 175%※1, and Facebook user growth is exceptionally high at 27% over 8 months※2. We'd like to take a look at the "gal" level of these women who eagerly absorb fashion information from SNS and overseas sites.

※1 2011 International Telecommunication Union (ITU survey)
※2 Aun Consulting "Facebook Population Trends in 40 Countries" (May 2013)

Jan and the Bike
The bike even has flower decorations

Bike gals wear masks year-round for fair skin

When you think of Vietnam, what scene comes to mind? Isn't it the streets filled with motorcycles?

In Vietnam, girls naturally ride bikes too. According to the Asian Girls Survey, Vietnamese women have a bike ownership rate of a whopping 84.7%. That's by far the highest among all surveyed countries and regions. Moreover, Japanese-made bikes are overwhelmingly popular in Vietnam. It seems Japanese bikes are preferred there for their durability and performance.

A trend becoming standard among them is "masks"!

According to Ms. Jan, whom we interviewed, "When riding a bike, I always wear a mask. I wear a wide-brimmed hat under my helmet and protect my skin with a jacket and gloves." While air pollution from exhaust fumes is certainly a problem, it seems mask use for "skin whitening" purposes has also become commonplace.

Not for popularity, but for self-improvement: "beauty"

What does "beauty" mean to Vietnamese women?

Beyond the aforementioned skin whitening, they also have a very strong anti-aging mindset.
Remarkably, 67.7% of women actively strive to look younger than their age, a figure that stands out among the surveyed countries. Furthermore, high scores were seen in responses like "Intelligence and education reflect external beauty" (83.1%) and "I want to be praised for my fashion and style sense" (73.3%). On the other hand, 41.1% stated they "prefer dressing up to look attractive rather than wearing simple, comfortable clothes," and 56.5% said they "improve their appearance to look their best in front of the opposite sex." This suggests that fashion and beauty are viewed not as a means to be "popular" with men, but rather as a form of self-improvement and a part of their identity.

Source: Asian Women Survey

Ms. Jan wearing an Ao Dai

Furthermore, in Vietnam, many people continue attending cram schools and studying even after entering the workforce. The survey also revealed that they have the lowest living satisfaction among the target countries due to low pocket money, suggesting they make efforts to increase their spending money even slightly to go shopping or out for fun. Perhaps the value placed on beauty as a woman lies in being fulfilled both internally and externally.

Vietnam's Gal Level: 30% - Is the Potential for Galification High?

Once again, we've arbitrarily analyzed Vietnamese girls' gal-ness through three perspectives: LOVE (Heart), DECO (Technique), and GUTS (Body).

Vietnamese girls' gal level = 30% (with Japanese gal level set at 100%)

This result stems from the fact that in Vietnam, less money is spent on fashion and makeup, and activities tend to be limited to socializing within nearby communities rather than going out shopping, resulting in a lower visible "gal-ness."

However, their emphasis on valuing friendships with like-minded peers resembles Japanese gals who cultivate unique cultures within limited communities. This suggests potential for Vietnam's girls to develop their own distinct culture as the economy continues to grow.

When asked about the receptivity to Japanese gal culture, Ms. Jan said, "People with money might use Japanese products, but young girls find them too expensive to buy easily. Even when you turn on the TV, it's mostly Korean programs, so there's no chance to get Japanese information. I used to like Japan, but..."

Source: Minions Viet Nam
Official Facebook Page

This suggests that TV programs and other content are highly valued as a medium for obtaining information.

"Right now in Vietnam, imitating characters from the movie 'Despicable Me 2' is trending among girls."

Huh?! Is this the image?!

Vietnamese girls are "greedily" and in a way "innocently" absorbing fresh information from overseas in real time through Facebook, fashion websites, TV shows, movies, and more.

Vietnam now stands at a crossroads regarding which country's culture to "absorb." As seen in the example above, Japan's gal culture also seems to need to be conveyed through content.