THE SOUTHEAST Asia Communications Agencies Network (SEA CAN) Alliance by COMCO Mundo, along with Chi Communications, a founding member and the Vietnam focal point of the Alliance, officially hosted the international conference in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The conference, titled “From Vietnamese Products to Regional Brands,” provided a forum for enterprises and regional communication experts to discuss how local culture, consumer behavior, and media environments shape the introduction of Vietnamese products to Southeast Asian markets. Through these discussions, the event opened opportunities for networking, experience sharing, and identifying suitable market approaches on the journey toward building regional brands.
Southeast Asia represents a promising market for Vietnamese enterprises thanks to regional trade linkages and supply chains. According to Vietnam’s Customs Department, bilateral trade turnover between Vietnam and ASEAN during the first nine months of 2026 reached USD 84.3 billion, up 20.6 percent over the same period, demonstrating ample room for collaboration and market expansion for Vietnamese brands. However, brand building across the region requires businesses to adapt to differences in culture, consumer behavior, and media environments in each country. Beyond product quality and distribution capabilities, communicating brand value in ways that resonate with local consumers remains an essential focus.
Against this backdrop, the conference featured the SEA CAN Alliance by COMCO Mundo leaders from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Drawing upon perspectives across seven markets, these communication experts shared growth opportunities and analyzed local factors that influence brand reception. Discussions centered on utilizing market insights to identify target audiences, tailor messaging, and choose communication channels while preserving the core identity of the brand. The event also brought together representatives of Vietnamese enterprises, foreign-invested companies in Vietnam, as well as business leaders and teams in charge of marketing, branding, communications, and market development, providing an opportunity for direct dialogue on key issues businesses face when expanding regionally.
Key market insights shared by the communications experts highlight distinct strategic imperatives across the region:
- Cambodia: Geographical proximity does not automatically translate into market understanding. Beyond reaching consumers via Facebook and TikTok, brands must prioritize Khmer-language content, maintain transparent origin tracing, and foster trust through strong relationships with employees, suppliers and local communities.
- Indonesia: The market comprises multiple distinct consumer hubs, from Jakarta to Surabaya, Bandung, Medan, and Makassar. Short-form video and livestream commerce drive product discovery, while traditional press reinforces brand credibility; businesses must integrate these channels and tailor execution across different territories.
- Malaysia: A diverse demographic landscape brings nuanced differences in language, culture, and digital ecosystems. Brands must carefully account for these dimensions when shaping content strategies and tailoring engagement for each audience segment.
- The Philippines: Engaging consumers requires a coordinated blend of press outreach, digital platforms, content creators, and grassroots activations. Authentic storytelling and hands-on experiences enable brands to build meaningful connections alongside expanding reach.
- Singapore: The market’s true value extends beyond local purchasing power to its role as a regional gateway connecting partners, investors and business networks. To establish a foothold, brands must deliver practical consumer value while providing verifiable proof of capability and corporate governance when engaging B2B stakeholders.
- Thailand: Value for money, quality and reliability stand out as paramount consumer priorities. Communication strategies should stem directly from customer behaviors and firsthand experiences, with digital platforms and micro-influencers playing an increasingly influential role.
- Vietnam: Amid AI-driven content surges and fragmented touchpoints, brands must preserve a coherent presence across news outlets, social platforms and AI-powered search engines. Culturally resonant platform content, credible voices and proactive community engagement remain essential pillars for cultivating sustainable trust.
“Venturing into the region is a journey full of challenges yet rich with promise. In our view, businesses require a consistent brand direction, but execution in each market must stem from local reality. The key is to identify which values to uphold and which elements to adapt. SEA CAN Alliance by COMCO Mundo aspires to connect businesses with regional experts and industry leaders to jointly solve this puzzle, from selecting messages to approaching customers,” said Ferdinand L. Bondoy, COMCO Mundo League of Enterprises’ Interregional President & CEO / Partner & Co-Founder and the Lead Convenor of SEA CAN Alliance.
On top of the talks, the event also officially launched the SEA CAN Alliance GO SEA Guidebook, consolidating practical insights and on-the-ground experiences from the regional network’s affiliate members across seven Southeast Asian markets. The guidebook outlines essential considerations prior to regional expansion, providing a framework for cross-market evaluation and identifying areas requiring deeper inquiry. Through this, the perspectives shared at the seminar serve as an ongoing reference for enterprises formulating regional brand development roadmaps.
The event was also made possible through the featured partnership with RuNam, a premium, high-class Vietnamese restaurant and café chain. RuNam served as both an official event partner and a focal point of the agenda, showcasing how domestic heritage brands can scale across borders while maintaining their core identity. A dedicated case study session examined RuNam’s strategic market entry into Cambodia, offering attendees a real-world roadmap for cross-border brand positioning and consumer engagement in neighboring Southeast Asian markets.
With comprehensive insights shared across seven key markets, the SEA CAN Alliance by COMCO Mundo reaffirmed its mission to bridge regional strategy with local execution, providing business leaders with the clarity and support needed for sustainable regional growth.
The conference was supported by Nước Vietnamese Restaurant as the official venue partner and Advertising Vietnam as the official media partner.
