Apple, Nokia quietly prepare for expansion in Vietnam

LinkedIn in Vietnam has many recruitment ads for the position of iPhone retail manager and iOS retail channel director in Vietnam.

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Apple poses high requirements when looking for the candidates who are excellent, have wide ties, and can develop a strategy to expand the sales of iPhone and iPad in Vietnam.

For the position of distribution manager, the candidates are required to have over 7 years of experience as a first-level distributor of smartphones in the markets of Asia – Pacific. The candidates who are currently senior managers have an advantage. The specific salary for both positions is not mentioned.

Before posting the recruitment ads, Apple made a clear move to prepare for the formal appearance in Vietnam. In August 2015, Apple researched the iPhone market in Vietnam by working directly with retailers such as FPT Shop or Mobile World. These distributors can directly import iPhone from Apple.

By the end of 2015, Apple also opened a representative office in Vietnam, located in District 1, HCM City, but it has not officially beenworking.

At the same time, Nokia is also quietly preparing to return to the market. According to Zing, Nokia will distribute two Android smartphones in Vietnam in June or late 2016.

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Nokia is seeking a come-back to Vietnam.

A retailer in HCM City told Zing that Nokia is seeking its former staff to rebuild its network in Vietnam.

Nokia has not hidden its intentions to return to the mobile playground and it will likely choose Foxconn as its hardware processor. This return, Nokia may choose cheap or medium-price products, instead of expensive ones.

According to retailers, the move by Apple and Nokia in Vietnam is necessary in the context of Samsung and Oppo’s dominance in the mobile market of Vietnam.

The presence of Apple in Vietnam will not bring dramatic changes immediately, while the return of Nokia is a mystery.

Nam Nguyen

Source: VietNamNet