'Exporting' intelligence instead of raw materials: Vietnamese businesses earn 70 times more profit

Contributing 3-10% of GDP of many countries in the world, but the field of franchising - intellectual export in Vietnam has not yet received the attention it deserves. Recently, some Vietnamese enterprises have been preparing to step out into the world through this path.

Business leaders learn about franchising - Photo: BONG MAI

The workshop "Franchise strategy and sustainable growth model" was held by the 2030 Entrepreneurs Club in Ho Chi Minh City today, July 17, attracting more than 100 business leaders to learn how to bring Vietnamese brands to the world.

More than 100 business leaders learn how to export intelligence

“Last night, we just completed the first steps of negotiations to bring a Vietnamese coffee brand to Jakarta, Indonesia for exclusive franchise. We haven’t brought any products yet, but the partner has agreed to spend 2 billion VND, which is intellectual export,” said Ms. Nguyen Phi Van, senior advisor to the Government on the project “Supporting the national innovation and startup ecosystem”.

Ms. Phi Van said that franchising is not only for F&B or small businesses, but can be applied to all fields. Many large corporations such as P&G, Electrolux, Nestlé, Mango, IKEA… also use this model to expand.

Revenue sources include: initial franchise fee, monthly brand usage fee, advertising fund contribution, recruitment and training fees, digital platform usage fee, profit from supplying raw materials and goods, etc.

Through franchising, the value of the product can increase 30-70 times compared to raw materials. This is a stable cash flow, helping businesses to price higher and more sustainably.

As evidence of the advantages, in a class taught by Ms. Van and experts, a couple who started a business with a traditional Malaysian cake (similar to banh xeo) successfully built a chain of more than 1,000 mobile sales carts after being trained. "Cash is real, collected immediately. Unlike the supermarket channel, which requires more than 6 months to be paid," Ms. Van emphasized.

In many countries, this industry accounts for a high proportion of GDP such as: Singapore (3%), Philippines (5%), USA (5.1%), Malaysia (6.3%), South Korea (7.8%), Australia (9%), South Africa (9.7%) and Canada (10%).

Opportunities for Vietnamese businesses, including micro-enterprises

From a sidewalk cart, Mr. Ly Tan Tai - co-founder of Phuc Tea - said he started his business with a "super small" model. Thanks to participating in the Go Global program and learning the franchise strategy, the chain has now developed 157 stores and 55 franchise partners. It has launched a franchise store in the Philippines (under the name Happi Tea), and is expanding to the Indian subcontinent and the GCC (6 Arab countries).

Expert Nguyen Phi Van recommends that businesses that want to franchise systematically need to test, perfect the model, package the process and provide training. At the same time, build a comprehensive support platform for operations, marketing, supply chain, finance, legal and digital management, before expanding domestically and then internationally.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Tieng - President of the 2030 Entrepreneurs Club - said that after 20 years of operation, the club has continuously cultivated a community of entrepreneurs that develop sustainably and are responsible to society.

On this occasion, the unit launched the program "Go Global 2025 - Opening the millennium opportunity", aiming to connect Vietnamese businesses with high-quality international opportunities, update strategic thinking and innovate leadership thinking. Franchising is one of the focused knowledge.

According to data from the General Statistics Office, in 2024 and the first half of 2025, foreign-invested enterprises (FDI) accounted for the majority of total export value (70-74%), while Vietnamese enterprises contributed less than half.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Hung - General Director of CBV Group - commented that if Vietnamese enterprises know how to develop along the value chain instead of focusing on exporting raw materials, the chance of success can be much higher.

"This is a golden time for businesses to seize opportunities, especially when the Government is increasingly interested in the private economic sector," Mr. Hung emphasized.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/xuat-khau-tri-tue-thay-vi-nguyen-lieu-tho-doanh-nghiep-viet-thu-loi-gap-70-lan-2025071712141131.htm