Consumer Behavior Lecturer: Đào Cẩm Thủy

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Individual Assignment
Consumer Behavior (MKT201)
Topic: Choose one product in one country to analyse the impact of
culture on consumer behavior.

Lecturer: Đào Cẩm Thủy

Name: Đỗ Thu Trà
Student ID: HS140480 Subject: MKT201
Class: MKT1404 Room No: Beta 205

Auther: Đỗ Thu Trà 1 Class: MKT1404

Consumer Behavior Lecturer: Đào Cẩm Thủy

Table Content

1. Introduction.......................................................................................3
1.1 Short profile of the product............................................................3
1.2 Target customer and target market...............................................4
1.3. Aims...............................................................................................4
2. Body Part...........................................................................................5
2.1 Definition of culture and related factors..........................................5
2.2 Definition of consumer behavior......................................................6
2.3 Culture of the country......................................................................7
2.4 Consumer behavior in purchasing that product in that country......8
2.5 Analyse the impact of culture on consumer behavior in Vietnam..10
3. Conclusion........................................................................................11
4. References........................................................................................11

Auther: Đỗ Thu Trà 2 Class: MKT1404

Consumer Behavior Lecturer: Đào Cẩm Thủy

1.Introduction
In today's modern and busy society, it can be said that instant noodles have become
an indispensable part of everyone's life. That is why the instant noodle market is
also becoming more and more vibrant than ever. Having existed in the market for
nearly 20 years, Hao Hao instant noodle brand name Hao Hao has become so
familiar to any Vietnamese people. Vifon Acecook Joint Venture Company was
established on December 15, 1993 and started to manufacture and trade the first
product in Ho Chi Minh City on July 7, 1995. Acecook Vietnam has continuously
grown, received the trust of many consumers and has become the leading instant
noodle manufacturer in Vietnam with diversified and convenient product lines.

1.1 Short profile of the product

Hao Hao instant noodle product with the first taste of Chicken and Mushroom was
officially launched in September 2000 by Acecook Vietnam. By July 2002, the
spicy sour taste of Hao Hao Shrimp continued to be released. It is also the
appearance of this product that has contributed to elevating Acecook's instant
noodle industry in particular and Vietnam in general. Hao Hao brand is really
familiar with Vietnamese people, contributing nearly 25 billion packages serving
Vietnamese meals. Nearly 1.5 billion Hao Hao instant noodle packages born each
year have to undergo a modern production process with extremely strict criteria
(Quỳnh Ngọc, 2018). All input materials must meet the required food safety and
hygiene requirements and are rigorously tested to ensure quality standards before
being put into the factory. Located at 636 in the top 1,000 leading brands in Asia in
2017, Hao Hao Noodles of Acecook Vietnam Group increased 18 places compared

Auther: Đỗ Thu Trà 3 Class: MKT1404

Consumer Behavior Lecturer: Đào Cẩm Thủy

to 2016 in terms of consumer brand identity announced by Campaign Asia Paciffic

magazine (Tri thức trẻ, 2017). The first noodle packages with the price of only
1,000 VND, the sour taste or the satay of onion have opened the stage for a series
of noodle brands to be born in Vietnam. Today, the price of noodle packages on
the market is only 3,500 VND, a cheap price suitable for the budget and the needs
of all working classes.

1.2 Target customer and target market

Students are the biggest target customers of Hao Hao Noodles. In addition, there
are housewives, office workers who are also Hao Hao Noodles customers. Hao
Hao Noodles launched a variety of products to serve well and position its brand not
only with target customers but also with potential customers. Spicy and sour
noodles are for customers who like spicy and sour flavors with all flavors of
shrimp, chicken and beef Dry fried noodles are a treat for those who love fried
noodles. Mushroom-flavored noodles provide extra minerals and protein. Green
bean noodles remove nutritional supplements, do not fear heat.

Hao Hao Noodle is widely distributed in all provinces in the country, and exported
to foreign markets. However, the main market that Hao Hao Noodle is targeting is
big cities and towns in the country because it is an attractive market with high
population density and high average income. In addition, in big cities due to the
quality of work, the demand for fast food is increasingly popular.

1.3. Aims
Consumers are those who shop and consume products and services to satisfy
individual needs and desires. The consumer is the last person to consume a product

Auther: Đỗ Thu Trà 4 Class: MKT1404

Consumer Behavior Lecturer: Đào Cẩm Thủy

produced by a manufacturing process. By consuming those products, people meet

individual needs to survive. On the other hand, through consumption, people can
express themselves to the community. That is consumer culture. The culture of
consumption is also different among different ethnic groups and religions.
Therefore, culture is one of the important factors that strongly influence consumer
behavior and each person's buying decision. With this research paper, I choose the
product Hao Hao - a product familiar and close to all Vietnamese people. It is
suitable for the culture, lifestyle, lifestyle of the people here. We will go together to
answer the question: "Why do Vietnamese people prefer and use a lot of Hao Hao
instant noodles?" What factors influence shoppers to choose products?”. Thereby,
we will understand most clearly the effects of culture on consumer behavior.

2.Body Part
2.1 Definition of culture and related factors
Culture is a system of values, beliefs, traditions and norms established and
associated with a certain society, regime, religion or nation, which are passed down
from generation to generation other generation.

Culture is the first and fundamental cause of the determination of human needs and
behavior. The basics of values, perceptions, preferences, behaviors, habits, and
behaviors that we observe through the purchase of goods all contain cultural
identity. Consumers with different cultures will have different consumer behavior.
European consumption styles differ greatly from Asians. Therefore, in order to be
successful, Vietnamese exporters must learn carefully the consumer culture of the
importing countries.

Auther: Đỗ Thu Trà 5 Class: MKT1404

Consumer Behavior Lecturer: Đào Cẩm Thủy

A consumer’s culture determines the overall priorities he or she attaches to

different activities and products. It also determines the success or failure of specific
products and services. A product that provides benefits consistent with those
desired by members of a culture at any point in time has a much better chance of
attaining acceptance in the marketplace. It may be difficult to guess the success or
failure of certain products. (Solomon, Bamossy, Askegaard, & Hogg, 2006).

Culture system consists of 3 areas: ecology, social structure, ideology. Ecology is

the way system adapts to its habitat. Social structure is the way people maintain an
orderly social life. Ideology is mental characteristic of a people and the way they
relate to their environment and social group.

2.2 Definition of consumer behavior

Consumer behavior is the study of how individuals, groups and organizations
select, buy, use and dispose of goods, services, ideas, or experiences to satisfy their
needs and wants (Kotler and Keller, 2006). Consumer behavior combines ideas
from a number of disciplines including psychology, biology, chemistry, and
economics. Researching consumer behavior is very important because in this way
marketers can understand what influences a consumer's buying decision and how it
helps marketers decide how to submit display their products in a way that creates
maximum impact on consumers. Understanding consumer buying behavior is an
important key to reaching and engaging your customers and converting them to
your purchases.

Auther: Đỗ Thu Trà 6 Class: MKT1404

Consumer Behavior Lecturer: Đào Cẩm Thủy

2.3 Culture of the country

Culinary culture is a natural culture formed in life. For many ethnic groups and
countries, cuisine is not only a material culture but also a culture of spirit. Through
cuisine, people can understand the culture that shows the human dignity, cultural
level of the nation with ethics, rules and customs in the way of eating. Beautiful,
food is always an interesting topic. Vietnamese cuisine is not only the dishes and
recipes, but also a natural culture formed in life. They are known for their
characteristics such as: sociable, varied, low-fat; Strong flavor with a combination
of many different ingredients and spices to help increase the flavor and appeal in
each dish. With a country with a long history and different geographical position,
each region on this S-shaped strip of land has its own unique dishes, special
specialties that cannot be mixed. Vietnamese cuisine is the calling of the method of
cooking, the principle of mixing spices and the general eating habits of all
Vietnamese people in Vietnam. Although there are more or less differences
between regions and ethnic groups, Vietnamese cuisine still implies the most
general meaning to refer to all popular dishes in the Vietnamese community.
Vietnam is an agricultural country belonging to a hot, tropical monsoon region. In
addition, the territory of Vietnam is divided into three distinct regions: North,
Central and South, along with 54 ethnic groups. It is the geographical, cultural,
ethnic and climatic characteristics that define the specific characteristics of the
cuisine of each region or region. Every region has typical taste. That contributes to
rich and diverse Vietnamese cuisine. Northern cuisine is characterized by a salty,
rich taste, usually not as spicy, fatty, and sweet as other regions, mainly using thin
fish sauce, shrimp paste. Many people appreciate Hanoi cuisine for a while,

Auther: Đỗ Thu Trà 7 Class: MKT1404

Consumer Behavior Lecturer: Đào Cẩm Thủy

claiming that it represents the most typical culinary quintessence of North Vietnam
with the dishes of pho, bun thang, bun cha. Southern cuisine, with a tendency to
taste sweet and sour, this is a place much influenced by Chinese, Cambodian and
Thai cuisine, characterized by often adding sugar and using coconut milk. Southern
cuisine also uses more saltwater and brackish water seafood than the North (fish,
shrimp, crabs, sea snails), and is very special with rustic dishes. Central food is
known for its pungent taste, with all its unique properties reflected in its distinct
flavor, spicy and salty dishes than northern and southern foods, and the colors are
mixed in style. rich, vibrant, inclined to red and dark brown. The central provinces
such as Hue, Da Nang, Binh Dinh are very famous for their sour shrimp paste,
various kinds of sauce or confectionery specialties in Da Nang, Hue. In particular,
Hue cuisine is influenced by the royal culinary style, so it is very sophisticated in
processing and presentation. On the other hand, because there are not many local
products and royal cuisine requires a large number of dishes, each ingredient is
processed in a variety of different dishes.

2.4 Consumer behavior in purchasing that product in that country

Whenever referring to a product for family, quality and safety are on top priority,
especially with instant noodles, Hao Hao considers as a prerequisite for the
development of popular food in Vietnam with the criterion of always maintaining
the right quality standards for consumers. With the first 7X, 8X, instant noodle is
the "cupboard" of many students from home away from home. But it was not until
Hao Hao Noodles appeared that the instant noodle meal was both full and cheap at
the student's dormitory that was upgraded to a delicious dish with an immortal
spicy taste. Hao Hao has cleverly zoned its customers. Those with income from 1-3

Auther: Đỗ Thu Trà 8 Class: MKT1404

Consumer Behavior Lecturer: Đào Cẩm Thủy

million / month, from 6 to 35 years old, children, students, students to housewives,

office workers who want to enjoy the full "cheap - fast - compact" then go with
Hao Hao's team. For all Vietnamese people, Hao Hao noodle is a familiar dish due
to its low price. A package of noodles only costs 3,000 - 5,000 VND while a bowl
of cheap vermicelli costs 15,000 VND, pho must be over 25,000 VND / bowl,
sticky rice, no one sells 5000 VND. Noodle processing is also simple and fast. Just
add the packages of seasoning, onions, and then pour in hot water and wait 3
minutes to get a bowl of hot noodles. Hao Hao noodle is a daily dish of many
subjects, especially students and workers. With students, instant noodles are
associated with many memories of youth. Every break time, the school cafeteria is
crowded with students eating a bowl of noodles quickly, recharging the next
period. Especially on cold winter days, enjoying a bowl of steaming noodles is
nothing like. As for the poor working people, compared to rice export with 20,000
VND, a bowl of anti-hunger instant noodles equal to 1/10 is considered a more
effective and economical anti-hunger solution. It is not only low-income people
who eat instant noodles, even salaried office workers often eat instant noodles.
When they do not want to go out for lunch, take a little more time to rest, Hao Hao
instant noodles are always their number one priority because of its convenience. Or
for those who work overtime, work late at night, anti-hunger instant noodles are an
effective solution. Especially on cold winter days, enjoying a bowl of steaming
noodles is nothing like. It is not difficult for us to buy a packet of Hao Hao instant
noodles. Noodles are available in all places, from rural to urban areas, from small
grocery stalls to shopping malls and large supermarkets.

Auther: Đỗ Thu Trà 9 Class: MKT1404

Consumer Behavior Lecturer: Đào Cẩm Thủy

2.5 Analyse the impact of culture on consumer behavior in Vietnam

Acecook not only guarantees the production process of machines in accordance
with Japanese technology standards, but also possesses its own processing know-
how to bring unique flavors to its products. Surely everyone has tried and enjoyed
the taste of sour and spicy instant noodles for the first time introduced by Hao Hao
in Vietnam. Although produced by Japanese technology, Acecook’s Hao Hao
Noodles still has pure Vietnamese flavor, suitable for Vietnamese taste. Noodles
that enter the instant noodle market later produce this flavor. Hao Hao Customer
Insight: "I want to have a cheap meal but still need to taste delicious, attractive and
need high quality". Therefore, the manufacturer has chosen the combination
strategy of "Japanese technology, Vietnamese flavor" - giving the task of creating
this local flavor to the professional Vietnamese division. It is the careful research
on the tastes and preferences of Vietnamese that has helped Acecook Vietnam
launch Japanese noodle packages into Vietnamese instant noodles, which are
welcomed and loved by users. Northern people tend to use simple noodles in terms
of taste - Hao Hao green beans, supplemented with delicious, nutritious green
beans, not afraid of heat. The southerners love to have a lot of spices - spicy Hao
Hao noodles for customers who like spicy and sour taste with all kinds of flavors
of shrimp, chicken, beef, satay, ... Hao Hao flavored duck noodle, Hao Shiitake
mushrooms provide additional minerals and protein to the user. Those who like to
eat dry have Hao Hao fried noodles. It can be seen that 3 Mien Noodles always
focuses on the element of "rich flavor, full quality". Kokomi is associated with
chewy noodles, Omachi is potato noodles, so "very delicious without fear of heat".
Particularly, Hao Hao emphasizes on Japanese quality which is different from

Auther: Đỗ Thu Trà 10 Class: MKT1404

Consumer Behavior Lecturer: Đào Cẩm Thủy

brands in the same segment (domestic enterprises). And prominent is the image,
value, closest to Vietnamese consumer culture. Hao Hao has a short name, easy to
call, easy to remember and when transcribed in Chinese, it means "Good good".
Hao Hao's product packaging is outstanding, colorful and eye-catching. The main
colors of the package are red, white, and blue. Prominent on it is the image of a
symbolic bowl of noodles very delicious. All of these factors have helped Hao Hao
come closer to Vietnamese consumers

3.Conclusion
As a brand name of instant noodles for a long time but not old, Hao Hao is
constantly innovating to bring convenience to users. Hao Hao has always received
enthusiastic support from consumers, especially Vietnamese families with diverse
tastes and innovation needs. The existence of the Acecook - Hao Hao brand in
Vietnam is not only about numbers, revenue, profit ... but the connection with the
society. The initial cultural and business differences were cleverly reconciled with
local needs and habits to form the foundation for the development of today's instant
noodle industry: diversified product flavors, modern technology, quality, food
safety and hygiene have been improved. With the successes in nearly 20 years in
Vietnam, it can be affirmed that Hao Hao instant noodle is not only the pride of
Acecook but also becomes a "symbol of quality" of Acecook, as the words itself.
commitment of this brand.

4.References

Auther: Đỗ Thu Trà 11 Class: MKT1404

Consumer Behavior Lecturer: Đào Cẩm Thủy

1. Quỳnh Ngọc, 2008, “Mì Hảo Hảo - Niềm tự hào của Acecook thiết lập Kỷ
lục Việt Nam”, Retrieved 6th Nov 2020, http://kyluc.vn/tin-tuc/ky-luc/mi-hao-
hao-niem-tu-hao-cua-acecook-thiet-lap-ky-luc-viet-nam.

2. Tri thức trẻ, 2017, “Mì Hảo Hảo: Sản phẩm Việt ngày càng tiến bước trên
thương trường Châu Á”, Retrived 6th Nov 2020, https://cafef.vn/mi-hao-hao-
san-pham-viet-ngay-cang-tien-buoc-tren-thuong-truong-chau-a-
20170706173955612.chn

3. Solomon, M.R., White, K., Dahl, D.W., Zaichkowsky, J.L. and Polegato, R.,
2017. Consumer behavior: Buying, having, and being. Boston, MA: Pearson.

4. Kotler, P. & Armstrong, G. & Wong, V. & Saunders, J. (2008) Principles of

Marketing: 5th European Edition.

Auther: Đỗ Thu Trà 12 Class: MKT1404