Samsung Ranks No.1 in Vietnam Smartphone Market in 2021... Apple Also Doubles Its Share

Market Share 34%... 1%P Decrease in Share Compared to Previous Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] Samsung Electronics maintained its number one position in the Vietnamese market last year, but Apple showed rapid growth thanks to strong sales of the iPhone 13.

According to Counterpoint Research on the 14th, the annual Vietnamese smartphone market grew by 7% compared to the previous year.

Samsung Electronics ranked first with a 34% market share for the year 2021, and its shipment volume increased by 6% compared to the previous year. This is the largest scale of Samsung's performance in the Vietnamese market to date. However, the market share decreased by 1 percentage point from 35% the previous year.

Apple recorded more than double growth with a 119% increase compared to the previous year, driven by strong sales of the iPhone 13. Chinese brands Vivo and Xiaomi grew by 24% and 19%, respectively. Oppo, although ranked first, saw a 6% decrease in growth compared to the previous year. Oppo, which has strengths in offline channels, was severely impacted by government lockdown measures in the second and third quarters of last year and faced shortages of 4G system-on-chip (SoC) components. However, Oppo rebounded in the fourth quarter, growing 88% compared to the previous quarter.

Despite ongoing variables such as macroeconomic concerns, supply chain issues, and the emergence of COVID-19 variants last year, smartphone demand continued due to the pent-up demand effect (a phenomenon where suppressed demand rapidly revives). Vaccination rates increased, and with new product launches such as Apple’s iPhone 13 and the recovery of supply and logistics networks by manufacturers, the market surged again in the fourth quarter.

Researcher Tarun Pathak said, “Vietnam is one of the most active electronics markets in Southeast Asia and also one of the countries with the highest internet penetration in Asia. Although the market was disrupted by the COVID-19 situation, demand was always maintained. It is expected that the market recovery trend will continue this year as well.”

Meanwhile, in the Vietnamese market in 2021, online channels increased by 8% compared to the previous year, accounting for 15% of total shipments. However, growth was limited as logistics and digital payment systems are still in the development stage.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.