VietNamNet Bridge - Xiaomi and Nokia are step by step replacing Samsung, LG and Sony products in the market for hand-carried smartphones, which are brought to Vietnam across border gates and not imported through official channels or distributed by authorized resellers.


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The products are displayed at private shops for ‘reasonable’ prices. Buyers are not choosy about the product quality and do not care about a warranty.

Buyers also receive post-sale services from the sellers. After products arrive in Vietnam, technicians at private shops examine the products, classify them and put them on sale

BTD, a well-known technician in Hanoi, said the typical characteristic of hand-carried products is that they have value much lower than the goods imported officially, because they don’t have to go through customs procedures and quality examination.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge from the US, LG G6 from South Korea and Sony Xperia Z5 from Japan once created a ‘fever’ in the domestic market thanks to good design, strong performance and prices much lower than official imports.

But the hand-carried smartphone market has changed. Besides iPhones, private shops now focus on retailing products brought from China made by Xiaomi and Nokia. Samsung Galaxy S8, S9, LG V40 and Google Pixel 3 XL are imported in very small quantities.

“Strong features of products and reasonable prices, which were advantages of the hand-carried market, now are not important compared with products from Chinese brands now flooding the market,” Hoang Giang, the owner of private shop in Cau Giay district in Hanoi, said.

A used Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus brought from South Korea is offered at VND9 million. With the same amount of money, users can choose a brandnew Nokia X7, Xiamoi Mi Mix 2 and Xiaomi Mi 8 launched in 2018.

Unlike officially distributed products, hand-carried smartphone buyers can only receive a warranty from the seller. So, consumers would rather buy a new product from a weaker brand, than a used product of a stronger brand.

Unlike officially distributed products, hand-carried smartphone buyers can only receive a warranty from the seller. So, consumers would rather buy a new product from a weaker brand, than a used product of a stronger brand.

In general, hand-carried phone buyers face risks. On a smartphone fans’ forum, users complained that their LG G4 and G5 shut down suddenly and they could not be restarted, and the screen of Galaxy S7 Edge from the US showed pink stripes. 

“Users will have to spend VND4-6 million to replace Samsung’s screens or LG’s mains, which is nearly high enough to buy another product,” said Minh Duc, a technician at a shop in Dong Da district.


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Mai Chi