Korean brands leverage offline stores to capture Vietnam's e-commerce boom

As e-commerce rapidly transforms retail across Southeast Asia, Korean brands are using hands-on offline experiences in Vietnam to drive digital sales. Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) hosted its 2026 Korea Festival at Parc Mall in Ho Chi Minh City from Sept. 16-22, bringing 80 Korean companies together for product sales, market testing and cultural experiences. The event featured Korean beauty products, food and household goods, along with tastings linked to KOTRA’s Seoul Food exhibition, live commerce, Chuseok cultural activities and K-pop performances. Among participating companies were 48 domestic firms with limited overseas experience and 10 companies new to exporting, KOTRA said, with local vendors helping them test products and gauge Vietnamese consumers’ responses. KOTRA said it will follow the in-person event with an online promotion on Shopee Vietnam from Oct. 3-5, extending the campaign from mall counters to one of Southeast Asia’s major e-commerce platforms. The online campaign will feature 87 companies, including domestic firms, first-time exporters and co