Q2
How might demographics and education affect successful promotions?
Singapore's older, degree-holding audience wants evidence. Vietnam's young, mobile and mostly rural one wants to see it on a phone.
Singapore
Inform and prove: specifications, reviews, certifications, in English first.
Vietnam
Show and share: short video, livestreams and simple messages, in Vietnamese.
Who the customers are
Vietnam has about 17 people for every one in Singapore, and their median age is about ten years lower.
- Population
- Singapore: 6.1mJune 2025; 4.2m residents
- Vietnam: 102mOctober 2025
- Median age
- Singapore: 43.7Citizens, 2025; 20.7% aged 65+
- Vietnam: 33.4Whole population, 2025
- Living in cities
- Singapore: 100%A city-state
- Vietnam: 41%59% still rural
- Income level
- Singapore: High incomeWorld Bank classification
- Vietnam: Upper-middleWorld Bank, 2026; GNI per person US$4,970
How educated they are
More than a third of Singapore residents hold a degree. In Vietnam, most workers have no formal qualification, though the share is rising.
Singapore
37.6%of residents aged 25+ hold a university degree, 2025
Up from 33.0% in 2020; 64.8% have post-secondary or higher qualifications.
- Business is the most common field of study among graduates.
- Multilingual: English is the language of business; Mandarin, Malay and Tamil reach heritage audiences.
Vietnam
29.2%of workers have a diploma or certificate, end of 2025
Up from 28.8% in Q1 2025; more than 70% still have no formal qualification.
- Big-city gap: household income averages 27.5m ₫ a month in Ho Chi Minh City and 25.9m ₫ in Hanoi, against 21.9m ₫ nationally.
- Vietnamese first: campaigns must be in Vietnamese, outside a small urban elite.
What works in a promotion
An informed, older audience wants detail; a young, mobile one wants to see it and share it.
Singapore
- Inform, don’t shout: specifications, comparisons, reviews and certifications persuade a degree-holding audience.
- Two markets in one: digital-first campaigns for under-40s; clear, trustworthy messages for a fast-growing group of seniors.
- Premium positioning works where the claim can be proven.
Vietnam
- Show it: short video, demonstrations and livestreams beat long copy.
- Two Vietnams: aspirational, brand-led campaigns in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi; affordable pack sizes and simple messages elsewhere.
- Grow with the middle class: entry-level products today, trade-up ranges for tomorrow.