At first glance, the green bottle with the product name “Tae Yang Soju” written on the white label in Korean looks like a Soju brand from South Korea. The distinctively Korean-looking soju was displayed among other Korean manufacturers’ products, such as Chamisul, Damso Soju, Andong Soju, and HIM Soju. But the alcoholic beverage is actually made by the Thai distillery Tawandang 1999. Like its Korean counterparts, Tae Yang Soju offers a line of fruit soju flavors, including green grape, peach, grapefruit, and strawberry.
Food and beverage products with Korean labels could be easily found at local supermarkets in Dong Da District, Hanoi Province, Vietnam, even though they are made by overseas manufacturers and sold in the Vietnamese market, similar to Tae Yang Soju. Dong Da District is an old quarter of Hanoi with a high proportion of local residents. Korean packaging is applied to products that are primarily sold to locals.
In the snack section, KINGYORI, a Korean-style seaweed snack, is prominently displayed alongside Nongshim Shrimp Crackers and Honey Twist Snacks. This product is made by KINGSTAR in Thailand. In the jelly products section, Chewy Konjac Jelly (labeled in Korean) produced by STARFOOD JAYA in Indonesia and Yogee Konjac Jelly (labeled in Korean) made by a Malaysian company are featured alongside Japanese products.
These Korean-labeled foods are not exclusive to the supermarket - they can also be easily found at highway rest stops. At a rest area near Hai Phong, about a two-hour drive from Hanoi, candies from a Chinese company labeled as soft candy jelly beans (labeled in Korean) were available. Another nearby rest stop featured durian-flavored coconut bread (labeled in Korean) from Heung Long Food Co., Ltd., a Chinese company.
A Korean guide working in Vietnam explained, “Just as there were consumers in Korea who used to buy products with English names, assuming they were made in the U.S., there’s a similar preference in Vietnam for Korean culture and products.” He added, “That’s why many companies use Korean on their packaging to make it seem like the products are made in Korea.”
The Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) is also aware of this situation. While aT does not collect specific statistical data on this issue, it has observed that Korean-labeled food products are sold in Vietnam, including those imported from other countries like China, as well as locally produced items. This trend is seen in both processed foods such as snacks, beverages, kimchi, and soju, and fresh produce like pears and grapes. According to aT, using foreign languages in product packaging design is not illegal. However, they caution consumers to be vigilant, noting that many Korean-language packaged foods in Vietnam appear to be using Korean symbols, such as the alphabet and the flag, to mislead consumers into thinking the products are made in Korea.
An aT official commented, “Due to the Korean Wave craze, including K-pop and K-dramas, local consumers have a strong affinity for Korea, which also extends to K-food products, attracting significant attention.” The official added, “It is believed that Korean packaging is used to mislead consumers into thinking that the products are made in Korea by leveraging the positive image of Korean food products.”
