Thirty Years On, Co.opmart Is Still the Store Vietnamese Families Trust

Co.opmart, the retail brand of Saigon Co.op, is marking 30 years since it opened its first supermarket, Co.opmart Cong Quynh, in Ho Chi Minh City in 1996. The anniversary lands alongside another milestone this year, the 50th anniversary of Ho Chi Minh City bearing President Ho Chi Minh’s name, tying Co.opmart’s story to the city’s own history of rapid, relentless reinvention.

At a time when Vietnam’s modern retail sector barely existed, Co.opmart bet on a different model: Vietnamese enterprises, domestic products and the cooperative economy, run on a philosophy the brand describes as modern, transparent and human-centric. That bet has paid off in a currency harder to build than market share, trust. Over three decades, Co.opmart has earned the confidence of government authorities at every level, sustained partnerships with cooperatives and manufacturers, kept generations of employees, and built loyalty among millions of customers nationwide.

That trust has been tested, and reinforced, in difficult moments. Saigon Co.op has repeatedly stood alongside government authorities during natural disasters, floods, pandemics and other periods of hardship, supporting citizens when it mattered most. Thirty years on, Co.opmart’s anniversary isn’t just a brand milestone, it’s a marker of how far Vietnam’s retail sector and cooperative economy have traveled together.