At the ceremony announcing products achieving Vietnam National Brand status on 16/10, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung urged the Ministry of Industry and Trade to innovate the program. He emphasized making businesses central, market-oriented, and actual effectiveness the measure of success.

Accordingly, the Ministry needs to refine criteria related to technology, innovation, domestic value, market share, and green standards. Simultaneously, the managing authority must increase post-recognition inspections and revoke the title if requirements are no longer met.

"The national brand title must guarantee quality, reputation, and competitiveness", the Prime Minister said. He stated that every product bearing a Vietnamese brand must affirm its quality, credibility, and aspiration to reach the global market.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung speaking at the event, 16/10. Photo: MOIT

Echoing the demand to uphold the title's prestige, Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung announced that the program will continue to elevate its criteria to international standards. It will also supervise brands after recognition and resolutely remove any that are no longer deserving.

According to the Minister, each selection cycle should serve as an opportunity to raise standards for the business community. This year, the program continues to be based on three core values: quality, innovation, and pioneering capability. The weighting for innovation, in particular, has increased from 18% to 30% of the total score.

The assessment focuses on research and development capabilities, the application of science and technology, digital transformation, green transformation, and intellectual property. The selection process involves verification by various ministries, sectors, and localities.

"Today's national brand emblem is not an award for the past, but a commitment by businesses to the future", the Minister stated.

From a business perspective, Le Thi Nga, Deputy General Director for research and product development at Masan Consumer, noted that achieving National Brand recognition increases the responsibility to maintain quality and commitment to consumers.

This year, Masan Consumer had 13 products recognized as National Brands. According to Ms. Nga, the company's products aim to compete through quality and Vietnamese identity. For food and beverages, she explained, quality extends beyond flavor and safety to include traceability, control over ingredients, formulas, and production processes.

Ms. Nga believes that increasing the innovation weighting to 30% of the total score provides direction for businesses to invest in product development. At Masan Consumer, this activity is based on researching consumer behavior and needs, combined with applying science and technology to serve different customer groups.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung visiting a business booth. Photo: VGP

To enhance competitiveness, the Prime Minister urged businesses to shift from cost advantages to value, and from processing and assembly to innovation and design. Brands should be considered long-term strategic assets, linked to increasing productivity, domestic value, and the ability to participate in global value chains.

"We need not only to create good products but also to build strong brands; not just to know how to produce, but to master value and the market", he remarked.

Businesses must invest substantially in research and development, mastering technology, design, and invention, while also elevating quality standards, green standards, and traceability. Data and artificial intelligence should be applied in brand management, with customer experience at the core.

When expanding internationally, businesses must develop distribution systems, partnerships, after-sales services, and intellectual property protection. According to the Prime Minister, success should be measured by customer trust and brand value, in addition to export turnover.

He also called on large enterprises to support small and medium-sized units in upgrading technology, quality, and management, collectively building robust supply chains. The business community must operate with integrity and transparency, avoiding origin fraud, trading counterfeit goods, and being responsible towards employees and the environment.

On the government's side, the Prime Minister pledged to continue reforming institutions, administrative procedures, and business conditions, removing obstacles, and creating a transparent and fair business environment.

He directed the Ministry of Industry and Trade to promptly submit the Vietnam National Brand Development Strategy. This strategy needs to define objectives and a roadmap for forming internationally competitive brands, linking the national brand with industries, localities, businesses, and products.

In 2026, 227 enterprises with 499 products were recognized as Vietnam National Brands, a more than 7-fold increase in the number of businesses compared to the first selection period in 2008. There are 14 businesses that have continuously held the title through all 10 cycles, and 84 enterprises recognized for five or more cycles.

The group of honored businesses achieved revenue exceeding 2.5 quadrillion VND, contributed over 133,000 billion VND to the state budget, and created jobs for more than 760,000 workers last year. The Ministry of Industry and Trade reported that the businesses recognized this year own nearly 5,700 trademarks, patents, utility solutions, and over 2,400 international certifications and standards.

Phuong Dung