Snacking habits of the youth in Vietnam

July 2012
Copyright © W&S Company Limited - 2012
Research information
Survey on snacking habits of the youth in Vietnam
• Timing : 20th April – 4th May 2012
• Total sample size : 563
• Research area :All cities and provinces in Vietnam
• Gender : Male and Female
• Age : 16 – 29 years old
• Research objectives : Find out snacking habits of the youth in Vietnam and explore
growth opportunities for super hygienic snacking restaurants.

This research study is conducted by W&S Company Limited (100% Japanese invested) and
based on online panel of Vinaresearch.net

Copyright © W&S Company Limited - 2012

Executive summary (1)
1. Snacking habit
 Snacking restaurants have been familiar with Vietnamese young people. In fact, there is
more than 60% of the surveyed people who have come to these restaurants in recent 3
months. More surprisingly, 90% of these people usually go out for snacking at least once a
week and female group has a tendency of being more frequent than male one.
 Most respondents usually feel appetite for snacking at sunset and evening time (76.0%).
 More than 50% male and female chose snacking restaurants because of ‘good taste and
cheap’. While male group comes these restaurants for ‘suitable place to eat with friends,
colleagues’ (54.5%), female mainly comes for ‘Love snacking dishes’ (68.0%)

2. Snacking dishes
 The surveyed people usually order ‘Sweet soups’, ‘Flipped duck eggs’ and ‘Fruits dish’.
Besides that, ‘Mixing rice paper’, ‘Fried popcorn’, ‘Gracilaria’ and ‘Fired fish-ball’ are also
Vietnamese young people’s favorite.
 10.000 – 20.000 / dish is the most reasonable price to pay when going out for snacking.

Copyright © W&S Company Limited - 2012

Executive summary (2)
3. Place for snacking
6 over 10 surveyed people eat at snacking restaurants such as ‘sidewalk restaurants’ and
‘coffee / milky tea shops’ in recent 3 months.
 To satisfy hygienic snacking demand of the youth, models of ‘super hygienic snacking
restaurants’ have been forming. However, the percentage of choosing these type is only
28.7%.

4. Ideal snacking restaurant – Super hygienic

 Most of the surveyed people chose super hygienic snacking restaurants because of ‘Food’s
safety and hygiene’, ‘Cool and airy space’ and ‘Good and polite service style’.
 Regarding an ideal snacking restaurant, there are top three concern things: ‘Reasonable
price’, ‘Hygienic food’ , and ‘Good taste’.
 In conclusion, an ideal snacking restaurant needs to have two more things which are not
less important: ‘Reasonable price’ and ‘Delicious and appetizing dishes’.

Copyright © W&S Company Limited - 2012

Table of content

1 Snacking habits 6 - 11

2 Snacking dishes 12 - 16

3 Location for snacking 17 - 22

4 Ideal snacking restaurant – Super hygienic 23 - 29

Copyright © W&S Company Limited - 2012

SNACKING HABIT
Snacking habits
Snacking – Habit of the youth

 The survey result state that 6 Frequency of snacking habit

over 10 surveyed people came
to snacking restaurants 1.2% 1.6% 1.0%
7.6% 5.9%
within recent 3 months. 90% 10.2%
of these target respondents go 10.1% 11.4%
9.0% Once a month
out for snacking at least once
a week, including male and 2 - 3 times per
female. 29.3%
27.8% month
32.8%
Once a week

2 - 3 times per
23.2% week
22.6%
23.0% 4-5 times per
week
Everyday

26.8% 30.7%
23.4%

Total (N=563) Male (N=253) Female (N=310)

Copyright © W&S Company Limited - 2012

Snacking habits
Most people feel appetite for snacking in the afternoon

5 - 6 p.m. is popular timing for snacking.

30.0% 28.5%

25.0% 25.1%
22.4%
20.0%

15.0%

10.0%

5.0% 5.1% 5.6%

4.0% 4.4%

0.0%
Morning At noon Early Late Evening Midnight Any time
(10 - 12 a.m.) afternoon afternoon (7 - 8 p.m.) (10 - 11 p.m.)
( 3 - 4 p.m.) (5 - 6 p.m.)

Copyright © W&S Company Limited - 2012

Snacking habits
Reason for coming to snacking restaurants

Female group comes to snacking restaurants mainly for ‘Love snacking dishes’. In contrast, the
reason of male group is mostly ‘Suitable to go out with friends, colleagues’.

Suitable to go out with friends, colleagues 60.8% 54.5%

Male
Good taste and cheap 65.7% 50.0%

Invited by friends Female

50.7% 49.6%
Love snacking dishes 68.0% 42.6%
Hungry 40.8% 41.0%
Release stress 45.1% 36.1%
Habit 32.4% 29.9%
Save time
18.6% 26.2%
Collect addresses of snacking restaurants to
23.2% 23.4%
introduce with friends
Remind pupil or student time 24.5% 20.5%

Widely sold 16.7% 19.7%

Long time no eat 15.0% 13.1%

Copyright © W&S Company Limited - 2012

SNACKING DISHES
Snacking dishes
‘Sweet soups’ and ‘Flipped duck eggs’ are the most favorite dishes.
Sweet soups 75.1%

Flipped duck eggs 55.5%

Fruits dish 54.2%

Mixing/baking/rolling rice paper 52.2%

Boiled/fried/baked popcorn 47.8%

Gracilaria/ flan cake 44.5%

Fried fish-ball/beef-ball 40.9%

Grilled chicken legs 38.4%

"Banh Beo/Bot loc/Banh nam"… 38.0%

"Goi cuon/Bo bia" 37.8%

Fried dough 32.9%

Papaya/mango salad 25.5%

Soups 24.9%

"Pha lau" 19.8%

Fried/boiled ravioli 19.8%

Grilled octopus 11.8%

Others 14.7%

0.0% 50.0% 100.0%

Copyright © W&S Company Limited - 2012

Snacking dishes
Other favorite snacking dishes

Snacking dishes in Vietnam are diversified and rich. Besides the above dishes,
‘Mixing/baking/rolling rice paper ’, ‘Boiled/fried/baked popcorn, ‘Gracilaria/ flan cake’
and ‘Fried fish-ball/beef-ball ’ are also welcomed and consumed.

Fruits
dish
Mixing /
baking /
rolling
rice paper

Copyright © W&S Company Limited - 2012

Snacking dishes
For light snack dishes such as sweet soups, flipped duck eggs, boiled/fried/baked
popcorn, etc., the surveyed people usually pay under 10,000 VND for each dish.

Sweet soups
50,000 VND and above

Flipped duck eggs

30,001 – 50,000 VND

Boiled/fried/baked popcorn
20,001 – 30,000 VND

Mixing/baking/rolling rice
10,000 – 20,000 VND paper

Under 10,000VND “Goi cuon/Bo bia”

Gracilaria/flan cake

Copyright © W&S Company Limited - 2012

Snacking dishes
For dishes e.g. salad or ‘pha lau’, they usually pay higher which is from 10,000 – 20,000 VND.

Fried fish-ball/beef-ball

50,000 VND and above

Papaya/mango salad

30,001 – 50,000 VND

Pha lau

20,001 – 30,000 VND

Fried dough
10,000 – 20,000 VND

"Banh Beo/Bot loc/Banh

nam" rice cake
Under 10,000 VND

Fruits dish
Snacking dishes
Especially, respondents are willing to pay higher for grill dishes, which is above 20,000
VND/dish.

50,000 VND and above

Grilled chicken legs

30,001 – 50,000 VND

Grilled octopus
20,001 – 30,000 VND

10,000 – 20,000 VND Grilled skewers meat

Under 10,000 VND

LOCATION FOR SNACKING
Location for snacking
Sidewalk restaurants – Street cuisine habit

‘Sidewalk restaurants’
Sidewalk restaurants 64.9%
and ‘Coffee / milky tea
shops’ have been more Coffee / Milky tea shops 55.8%

popular and familiar with Near to schools 55.5%

many Vietnamese young Homemade 53.3%
people. Supermarkets 50.9%
On average, 6 over 10
Theme parks 45.8%
surveyed people came to
this two place for Markets 45.1%
appetizing dishes. Shopping centres 42.4%
Near to parks 40.0%
Near to workplaces 37.3%
Super hygienic restaurants 28.7%
Tourism places 22.9%
Near to hospitals 7.3%
Others 8.7%
Cannot remember 4.5%
0.0% 50.0% 100.0%

Copyright © W&S Company Limited - 2012

Location for snacking
Super hygienic snacking restaurant – Hygienic cuisine

To meet hygienic snacking

Sidewalk restaurants 64.9%
demand of the youth, a model of
‘super hygienic snacking Coffee / Milky tea shops 55.8%

restaurants’ has been forming. Near to schools 55.5%

However, the result shown that Homemade 53.3%
there was only 28.7% choosing
Supermarkets 50.9%
this place as regular one in
recent 3 months. Theme parks 45.8%
Markets 45.1%
Shopping centres 42.4%

59.5% Near to parks 40.0%

Near to workplaces 37.3%
40.5%
Super hygienic restaurants 28.7%
Tourism places 22.9%
Near to hospitals 7.3%
Others 8.7%
Cannot remember 4.5%
Male (N=253) Female
0.0% 50.0% 100.0%
(N=310)
Copyright © W&S Company Limited - 2012
IDEAL SNACKING RESTAURANT
VS.
SUPER HYGIENIC SNACKING
RESTAURANT
Ideal vs. super hygienic snacking restaurant
Super hygienic snacking restaurant – Hygienic cuisine

Most of the surveyed people chose super hygienic snacking restaurant because of ‘Food safety
and hygiene’, ‘Cool and airy space’, and ‘Good and polite service style’

Total (%) 1st 2nd 3rd

Food safety and hygiene 94.3 87.3 4.4 2.5
Cool and airy space 47.5 2.5 25.9 19.0
Diversified and rich menu 43.7 2.5 24.1 17.1
Good and polite service style 37.3 1.9 14.6 20.9
Suitable for every age group 31.0 2.5 13.3 15.2
Follow common trend 15.8 0.6 12.0 3.2
Private space 8.9 0.6 2.5 5.7
Serve 24/24 7.6 0.6 3.2 3.8
Delivery service 5.1 0.0 0.0 5.1
Others 4.4 0.6 0.0 3.8
No specific reason 4.4 0.6 0.0 3.8
Ideal vs. super hygienic snacking restaurant
Ideal snacking restaurant

‘Reasonable price’, ‘Hygienic food’, and ‘Delicious and appetizing dishes’ are top three
things for an ideal snacking restaurant.

Reasonable price 82.4%

Hygienic food 79.5%
Delicious and appetizing dishes 71.1%
Clean and airy restaurant 70.5%
Fast and good service 66.2%
Diversified food and drink 61.3%
Parking area 58.0%
Suitable for friendly meetings 54.4%
Easy to find its location 47.6%
Spacious space 41.8%
Nice decoration 29.5%
Extended service time 24.5%
Soft music 23.5%
Others 4.4%

Copyright © W&S Company Limited - 2012

Ideal vs. super hygienic snacking restaurant
Ideal snacking restaurant – Male vs. Female

Reasonable price 84.0% 80.3%

Hygienic food 82.0% 76.2%

Clean and airy restaurant 71.9% 68.9%

Fast and good service 69.9% 61.5%

Delicious and appetizing dishes 79.4% 60.7%

Parking area 60.8% 54.5%
Diversified food and drink 66.7% 54.5%

Suitable for friendly meetings 55.2% 53.3%

Easy to find its location 46.4% 49.2%

Spacious space 42.5% 41.0%
Nice decoration 30.1% 28.7%

Extended service time 22.9% 26.6%

Female
Soft music 22.2% 25.0%

Others 4.6% 4.1% Male

Ideal vs. super hygienic snacking restaurant

In general, if comparing with an ideal snacking restaurant, a super hygienic one can satisfy 3
criterias over top 5 ones. However, the price level at this type is rather expensive which cannot
pass ‘reasonable price’.

Super hygienic snacking Ideal snacking restaurant

restaurant

Reasonable price 82.4%

Food safety and
87.3%
hygiene
Hygienic food 79.5%

Cool and polite

25.9% Delicious and appetizing
environment 71.1%
dishes

Clean and airy restaurant 70.5%

Good and polite
20.9%
service style
Good and fast service 66.2%

Copyright © W&S Company Limited - 2012

Ideal vs. super hygienic snacking restaurant

From this survey, owners of super hygienic snacking restaurants should focus and balance three
factors: delicious food, hygiene and reasonable price.

Hygienic food

Reasonable
price
CONTACT INFORMATION:
W&S Company Limited
Address: Fl.10, Western bank Building, 40 Pham Ngoc Thach St., District 3, HCMC.
Phone: (08) 38 223 215 Fax: (08) 38 223 216
E-mail: info@vinaresearch.jp
Client site : http://vinaresearch.jp
Member site : http://vinaresearch.net

The copyright of this report belongs to W&S market research company, 2012. The results of this
survey can be publicly used, but must be cited and sourced from Vinaresearch. In the circumstance
of using the table and graphs from results of this survey, the data at the source must be clearly stated
and based on survey results collected from Vinaresearch.