Bright prospects for growth in Vietnam bicycle market

Vong Xanh JSC general manager Peter Nguyen says the market is growing 15% annually with about 2.5 million bicycles sold every year, equivalent to aggregate revenue of 7.5 trillion dong (RM1.4bil). — Reuters

HANOI: With more Vietnamese commuters choosing to cycle, the prospects for the bicycle market look promising with great opportunities for bicycle retailers.

Peter Nguyen, general manager of Vong Xanh JSC, revealed that the market is growing by 15% annually with about 2.5 million bicycles sold every year, equivalent to aggregate revenue of 7.5 trillion dong (RM1.4bil).

Children’s bicycles have dominated sales in the market over the past few years as Vietnamese parents are willing to buy up to three bicycles for their children when they are between one and 15 years old.

The general manager underlined three factors that would continue to fuel the market growth in the long term.The first factor involves the rising middle class in the country, which would drive a new trend toward cycling for health, increasing the demand for sports bicycles.

Another factor is the addition of bike lanes to urban streets, which would encourage bicycle commuting and increase the number of cyclists in big cities. As more people stop using their cars and shift to greener means of transport, bicycle sales would rise.

The last factor centres around the expansion of public transport systems, a trend that drives motorbikes out of big cities. With the decline of motorbikes, commuters have no choice but to rely on bicycles for short-distance travel, which is good news for bicycle sellers.

The bicycle market is lucrative but fragmented with big companies holding just 10% of the market share whereas 90% falls to small-sized retailers. — Viet Nam News/ANN