Samenvatting

Vietnam, a country with great opportunities in the alcohol industry, especially in the wine sector, is developing; and Vietnamese attitudes are changing. The industry has the possibility of participating in social development now and in the future. However, the wine industry has some issues and firstly has to face an elitism, in order to democratize wine for everyone. The establishment of a Vietnamese wine consumer profile provides the key step for wine professionals to get to know the clients precisely and to adapt their marketing strategy. A qualitative interview method has been used to collect the data to answer the main research question: How can wine act as a social indicator in Vietnam? The topics embrace the Vietnamese consumer profile with the definition of gender, age, and professional status, the best moment to consume wine in the day, the location, and the motive for consuming this alcohol. In parallel, industry professionals have been interviewed to give a precise and real overview of the situation in Vietnam. As the Vietnamese wine market is still young compared to other Asiatic countries such as China, the consumer has not yet embraced wine culture. There exist different consumer profiles in Vietnam. The Vietnamese profile is not defined by gender because women consume wine as much as men. People who are between 18 and 45 years old are the first consumers of this alcohol. Furthermore, these consumers are mostly managers (28.6%) and employees (50%). Men prefer to consume wine at lunchtime and women prefer it in the evening. The location for consuming wine is also influenced by the customer profile. The primary clients in restaurants who consume wine are between 26 and 45 years old (54%). In nightclubs and bars, professional status also has an influence. The higher the professional position, the greater the proportion of wine consumers. Future expectations are to develop the wine market with new wine suppliers, increase wine ranges (origin, winemakers, and price). Wine professionals lack information about the typical Vietnamese consumer. They notice a change in the habits of consumption, they remark that young women consume wine and they can define their favourite type of wine. However, there is no precise information about the Vietnamese consumer and the increase in wine consumption. This research provides the first steps in professionally completed information on the Vietnamese wine industry, to solve the issues the market is facing.