Vietnam: Air Quality Pollution vs. Industrial Growth, China Tourism & Taylor Swift and Food Delivery Industry Economics (ShopeeFood vs. Grab vs. Foodpanda) - E392

Valerie Vu, Founding Partner of Ansible Ventures, and Jeremy Au talked about three main themes: 1. China Tourism & Taylor Swift: Valerie shared the significant impact of Lunar New Year celebrations on Vietnam's work culture and economy, highlighting the extended holiday period shared with its neighbors like China and Singapore. She explored the potential economic benefits of reviving Chinese tourist numbers to pre-COVID levels, considering China's tourists historically accounted for a third of foreign visitors to Vietnam. They also discussed Taylor Swift's Singapore concert as a case study in tourism marketing. 2. Food Delivery Industry Economics: Jeremy and Valerie discussed the inherent challenges of the food delivery industry, characterized by low margins and, in many cases, negative profitability. They mentioned the failed negotiation between Foodpanda (under Delivery Hero) and Grab, highlighting the tough economic realities of the sector. Valerie also expressed her preference for ShopeeFood over Grab due to the smaller, local merchants, and "mom-and-pop" restaurants that the platform partners with. She also touched on the broader market dynamics, including the exit of other players like Bé Minh, the third-largest food delivery service, which left the Vietnamese market to focus on its primary market in South Korea. 3. Air Quality Pollution vs. Industrial Growth: Jeremy and Valerie talked about Vietnam’s economic benefits from its industrial sector, with the smartphone export growth of 16% year-on-year in January 2024. The economic boon comes at the cost of environmental degradation, with both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City respectively placing 3rd and 10th on alarming air quality index rankings. They explored potential strategies for addressing air quality such as temporarily halting industrial activities which China did around the 2008 Olympics to improve its air quality. They discussed the lack of substantial policy measures from the Vietnamese government to combat the air pollution problem partly due to the government's prioritization of economic growth through manufacturing, which is a key driver of Vietnam's GDP. Jeremy and Valerie also talked about the influence of high-profile educational backgrounds like Harvard, Oxford and NUS on tech startups, environmental policy, and the impact of global cultural events on local economies. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/vietnam-air-pollution Nonton, dengar atau baca wawasan lengkapnya di https://www.bravesea.com/blog/vietnam-air-pollution-in 观看、收听或阅读全文，请访问 https://www.bravesea.com/blog/vietnam-air-pollution-cn Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Learn more about HDMall here:  htps://www.hdmall.co.th https://www.hdmall.id