A market leader in selling hi-tech devices will become the accredited distributor of Apple’s iPhone in Vietnam in mid-November, marking the official presence of the U.S. tech titan in a growing market where its products are currently bought only via authorized partners.
Apple is poised to host an event to inform local media of its official entry into Vietnam on November 14, according to a source close to
Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.
The retail unit of FPT, a leading Vietnamese telecom company, has been chosen to be the sole official distributor of the iPhone in Vietnam, according to the source.
FPT Retail currently operates the FPT Shop and F.Studio by FPT chains, with more than 70 countrywide stores as of July 2013, according to its website.
Other retailers in Vietnam will have to source from FPT Retail if they want to sell iPhones.
Some companies are also in direct talks with Apple to become official distributors of other products besides the iPhone.
It is unclear whether the prices of the iPhone at the Vietnamese official stores will be equal to those quoted by other regional Apple Stores, and what support policy will be offered to Vietnamese customers.
Apple products, from handsets including the iPhone, iPad, and iPod to computers like the iMac and MacBook, are currently available in the Southeast Asian country via authorized channels such as Authorized Apple Reseller and Apple Premium Reseller.
Apple Premium Resellers have been recognized by Apple for providing superior customer service with a focus on Apple solutions, service and support, the California company said on its website.
Meanwhile, an Apple Authorized Reseller is a business partner that has entered into a contractual relationship with Apple to sell software and/or hardware products, according to SearchITChannel.com.
Mobile network operators Vinaphone and Viettel, and local retailers such as The Gioi Di Dong (Mobile World), are selling the products under these contracts.
Apple devices are also brought into the country by traders who buy them from other markets and carry them back as personal belongings on their return to Vietnam by air, a kind of product known as hang xach tay in Vietnamese.
Sales of iPhones in Vietnam soared 262 percent in Apple’s fiscal first half ending on March 29, according to Bloomberg, which quoted CEO Tim Cook during a conference call with analysts on April 23.
Apple products are popular in Vietnam, and the smartphone sales in the country are predicted to increase 56 percent to about 12 million units in 2014, Bloomberg quoted Lam Nguyen, Ho Chi Minh City-based country director at International Data Corp, as saying.
Viettel and Vinaphone have said they will officially sell the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus starting November 14.
The mobile network operators are taking orders for the devices, but have not revealed prices as per strict policies from Apple.
The hang xach tay iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus purchased in Hong Kong or Singapore were available in Vietnam at exorbitant prices shortly after they were officially released in Apple’s official markets on September 19.
Traders were running ads on Facebook demanding VND33 million to VND42 million ($1,553-1,977) for a hang xach tay 16GB iPhone 6 Plus Gold, compared to the $750 contract-free price in the U.S.
The 16GB iPhone 6 costs VND25 million ($1,177) in Vietnam’s ‘black market,’ while the official price is $690.
Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Đăng ký: VietNam News