How Indian WhatsApp Influencers Find Brand Deals in Vietnam

Taking a step back, one cannot help but admire the natural instinct of our Indian influencers and content creators to adapt to shifting hues of the world.

A recent trend has seen Indian WhatsApp influencers cater to Vietnamese clients in the Southeast Asian market.

The wave of Indian influencers tapping into WhatsApp as a brand marketing tool for clients in Vietnam highlights the innate quality and characteristic of Indian influencers of having the tendency to migrate to places where the sun is shining.

🇻🇳 Vietnam is the Place to Be

Vietnam has been making strides in the influencer economy as it becomes a lucrative market for Indian influencers.

In fact, Vietnam has long since stopped being the dark horse of the Southeast Asia influencer markets. While it still hasn’t overtaken its neighbor Malaysia, for instance, it is growing fast.

Lately, there has been a barrage of Indian WhatsApp influencers coming out of nowhere and breaking through Vietnam’s influencer marketing scene as they cover all the niches.

📈 Data Insights

Data from the social media analytical software, Statista, shows that the Vietnamese influencer market is anticipated to grow by 29.4%, from $1.14 billion in 2023 to $1.47 billion 2025.

In 2023, social media influencers in Vietnam accounted for 80.9% of the whole influencer market share. And as much as 63.8% of professionals using influencer marketing in Vietnam focus solely on influencer marketing.

The influencer economy in Vietnam is vibrant and shows no signs of slowing down.

💬 Discovering Vietnamese Clients on WhatsApp

In the age of social media, discovering clients who want to pay for brand promotions and advertising through the influencer marketing medium has never gotten easier.

A good number of WhatsApp influencers, including those who already run advertisement services on the app, get inquiries from brands and clients directly through WhatsApp.

WhatsApp has dormant leads, meaning that it enables its users to contact a high volume of potential clients without any need for friend requests or following back.

WhatsApp users can send out as many broadcast messages as they want, and this allows WhatsApp influencers to send advertisement offers to thousands of clients at once without being flagged for spamming.

🏖️ Vietnam is Attractive

Vietnam is becoming an attractive market for Indian WhatsApp influencers looking to tap into opportunities in the influencer economy.

It is affordable, friendly, accommodating, and the cost of living is relatively low.

Vietnam besides that offers pristine beaches and a very lively atmosphere. The food is a 10/10, the women are gorgeous, and everybody seems to be happy.

It is almost impossible to have a bad time at Vietnam.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Vietnam & Thailand Comparison

In comparison to Thailand which is often touted for its nightlife and often is the first place that pops into one’s mind when considering a visit to Southeast Asia, Vietnam is more laid back.

While not a dull place by any means, it is more suited for unwinding and relaxing. This is perfect for influencers who want to promote a getaway vacation or something of the sort.

Vietnam also has a lot to appreciate in terms of its history, architecture, and culture.

📱 WhatsApp is Deep Lying in Vietnam

WhatsApp is very much entrenched in the Vietnamese society and so it makes sense for WhatsApp influencers to want to cater to this market.

A report from the social media tracker software, Hootsuite, states that WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in Vietnam with 81.5% of the total messaging market share.

Facebook Messenger comes in second, but the disparity to WhatsApp is huge at 7%.

💸 Payments in Informal Business Transactions

Another factor that makes WhatsApp attractive to Vietnamese clients is that they have a tendency to favor informal business transactions.

Over 60% of b2b transactions in Vietnam are informal. Informal business transactions are characterized as being less formal, unlicensed, or unregistered.

Organizations from overseas often find it hard to navigate local commerce in Vietnam because of the informal nature of their business environment.

Chinese businesses, for example, are known for operating in a very formal way, which puts them at a disadvantage in the Vietnam market.

💳 Instant Money Transfer Wallets

In Vietnam, there is not much use for bank checks.

To cater to their local clients, Indian WhatsApp influencers tap into their local payment services that are embedded into the apps that they use.

For instance, Payoneer, PayPal, and even Wise cannot be considered instant payment services because they take several hours to complete transfers.

The popular payment service in Vietnam is MOMO wallet which is more like a native Instagram payment feature that allows you to send and receive money without having to go through any links, third parties, or anything.

It is built into the app and is instant.

Indian WhatsApp influencers need only exchange MOMO wallet IDs to get the money.

International service providers may need MOMO convertor services but that is not an issue since Indian WhatsApp influencers already operate from these MOMO converter service providers.

They essentially act as the bridge that connects Indian WhatsApp influencers to their Vietnamese clients.

🪙 Vietnam Dong Payments

MOMO wallet expects payments in Vietnam Dong.

India WhatsApp influencers already have this sorted. They have an intermediary that converts Indian Rupees into Vietnam Dong for them.

But that is not the only alternative that Indian WhatsApp influencers have. They can also operate from payoneer accounts. Payoneer has a local currency option that Indian WhatsApp influencers can tap into.

💡 Vietnam Dong Rates

Foreign exchange rates are a big deal around the world, especially in Southeast Asia.

For instance, RMB conversions against Indonesian Rupiah, Malaysia Ringitt, Thailand Baht, Vietnam Dong, and Philippine Peso have been known to shot through the roof.

The same cannot be said for Vietnam Dong against international currencies.

The current exchange rate for India Rupee against Vietnam Dong stands at 1 INR equals to 383.85 VND.

That means that 1,000 INR converts to 383,848.65 VND.

Exchange rates fluctuate so one may have to check again on this but it generally remains quite stable.

🏬 Vietnam Dong Inflation

It is known that the more complicated things are, the more they are likely to breakdown.

The same can be said for currency exchange rates. The simpler things are, the less opportunities there are for unforeseen conditions to develop.

In that regard, Vietnam Dong is more stable than most currencies in the region and around the world.

This is because the Dong has not seen any significant inflation since the 1980s.

Inflation was last recorded in 1987 where it peaked at 650%.

Since then, inflation has been kept under control generally staying below 7%.

🪙 Vietnam Dong Stability

Unlike other Southeast Asian currencies, the Vietnam Dong does not get a nosebleed against external currencies.

For instance, Thailand Baht was once valued at 30 Baht for 1 USD.

It is currently hovering above 35 Baht for 1 USD.

So it is within the realm of reason to say that Thailand Baht has depreciated against the dollar by around 15%.

The Vietnam Dong on the other hand has retained a steady value of 23,500 VND to 1 USD for the past decade.

The current value of 1 USD is 24,009.60 VND.

1 USD has seen it realize a peak against the Vietnam Dong of 24,017.67 VND and a low of 23,459.50 VND.

🎉 Vietnam is Not China

Besides the natural beauty and the food, another reason why Vietnam is attractive to Indian influencers is that it is not China.

Many influencers and content creators have been making trips to China only to be flagged or not paid for their services.

Chinese businesses operate and conduct their marketing and advertisement strategies differently from Southeast Asian nations.

China’s culture is steeped in a long history of commercial relationships.

They need papers signed, stamped, and postage mailed.

Vietnamese clients do not need all of that and really appreciate the informality of business transactions.

✅ Vietnam is Still Evolving

Vietnam is still evolving and this means that there are still numerous opportunities for Indian WhatsApp influencers to tap into.

Southeast Asia is known for its digital landscape moving faster than the West.

While it is hard to forecast the future, it is a fair assumption that the influencer economy in Vietnam just might boom even more than it already has.

💡 BaoLiba Insights

To summarize, the influencer economy in Vietnam is growing and has become a lucrative spot for Indian WhatsApp influencers.

Currently, 80.9% of Vietnam’s influencer marketing is shared by social media influencers, with 63.8% of professionals focusing solely on influencer marketing.

WhatsApp is deeply entrenched in Vietnamese society with 81.5% share of the total market.

Indian WhatsApp influencers are finding it easier than ever to cater to Vietnamese clients as they just send a WhatsApp broadcast message.

Payments are a walk in the park as they operate from MOMO converter services that accept Vietnam Dong, and have instant payments to boot.

One reason why Vietnam is attractive for Indian WhatsApp influencers on top of its beautiful landscapes and delicious food is that it is not China and does not have a lot of the restrictions that Chinese clients impose on overseas influencers.

Finally, the Vietnam Dong is more stable than most Southeast Asian currencies. It has retained a steady value of 23,500 VND to 1 USD for the past decade.

It is hard to predict the future but it is a fair assumption that the influencer economy in Vietnam just might boom even more than it already has.