{"id":833,"date":"2026-04-29T15:52:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T06:52:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/india-marketing.jp\/vietnam-news\/miniso-friends-vietnam\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T01:22:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T16:22:35","slug":"miniso-friends-vietnam","status":"publish","type":"vietnam-news","link":"https:\/\/india-marketing.jp\/en\/vietnam-news\/miniso-friends-vietnam\/","title":{"rendered":"MINISO opens its first \"FRIENDS\" store in HCMC to mark 10 years in Vietnam, shifting to a business model where IP products make up 70% of goods"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nThis article is based on what we could verify As of August 1, 2026<\/strong> This article is based on public materials and news reports from Vietnam. Vietnam's tax system, regulations, and administrative divisions change frequently, so information here may have been updated since publication. For actual business decisions, please confirm the latest details with the relevant government authorities or local experts as primary sources.\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Chinese lifestyle retail chain MINISO has opened Vietnam's first IP-focused store format, \"MINISO FRIENDS,\" on the 3rd floor of Van Hanh Mall in Ho Chi Minh City, timed to mark the 10th anniversary of its entry into the Vietnamese market. It opened on April 25, 2026. With IP merchandise accounting for about 70% of the assortment, centered on blind boxes and character goods, the store accelerates the capture of Gen Z. For Japanese IP holders and character businesses, this marks the sudden emergence of a new outlet for expanding licensing in one of Southeast Asia's largest youth markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The originating news: MINISO FRIENDS opens on the 3rd floor of Van Hanh Mall<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On April 25, 2026, MINISO opened its first Vietnamese \"MINISO FRIENDS\" store on the 3rd floor of the Van Hanh Mall shopping center in District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, to mark 10 years since its entry into Vietnam. FRIENDS is a new format MINISO has been rolling out in earnest since 2025; unlike its conventional general-merchandise stores, it adopts an IP-zone layout centered on IP-licensed merchandise and blind boxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opening ceremony featured a guest appearance by popular Vietnamese singer Quan A.P, and MINISO's in-house IP mascot \"Gift Bear\" made its debut. The venue featured corners for Disney's Stitch and Winnie the Pooh, Sanrio, Chiikawa, Star Wars, and the popular Chinese IP \"Luo Xiaohei,\" among others. The Star Wars and Luo Xiaohei collaborations marked their first introduction to the Vietnamese market. Pre-release items on offer included the in-house IP YOYO's \"Fly with the Wind Series,\" Sanrio's Southeast Asia-exclusive \"Hello Kitty Leopard\" collection, and the Chiikawa Sakura Season Collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Background: the trifecta of Vietnam's 10th anniversary, Van Hanh Mall, and the IP strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

MINISO opened its first Vietnamese store in 2016. Over the following 10 years it expanded to more than 30 major cities, placing flagship stores in major urban malls one after another, including Landmark 81, Vincom Times City, the Hoan Kiem Lake area, and Nha Trang Center. This FRIENDS opening marks that 10-year milestone as a symbol of the business model shift \"from a general-merchandise store to an IP platform.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chosen location, Van Hanh Mall, is an urban mall on Su Van Hanh Street in District 10 of Ho Chi Minh City, adjacent to universities and residential areas, known for strong drawing power among younger customers. The 3rd floor was originally an apparel section, which MINISO renovated for its IP-zone store format. At its Grandview Mall store in Guangzhou on the Chinese mainland, the FRIENDS opening drew about 10,000 visitors on its first day and recorded first-day sales of RMB 450,000 (approximately 9.45 million yen), making openings in urban malls with a high density of young customers the company's winning pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strategically, MINISO is rolling out two formats in parallel across Asia: LAND (giant flagships) and FRIENDS (mid-sized, IP-focused stores). Since the start of 2026 it has opened stores one after another, including Malaysia's Sunway Pyramid (February), LaLaport Bukit Bintang (March), Singapore's VivoCity (450 sq m, 3,200 SKUs, April), and Bangkok's Siam Square (three floors, 8,300 products, more than 80 IPs, more than 40 themed zones), with Vietnam positioned as its fifth major base. On the Chinese mainland, 26 LAND-format stores are already operating, and the FRIENDS format is planned to double across six Southeast Asian countries and regions within 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data: the scale of the FRIENDS Vietnam first store<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Item<\/th>Figure \/ Detail<\/th>Notes<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Opening date<\/td>April 25, 2026<\/td>10th anniversary of entering Vietnam<\/td><\/tr>
Location<\/td>3rd floor, Van Hanh Mall<\/td>District 10, Ho Chi Minh City<\/td><\/tr>
IP merchandise ratio<\/td>About 70%<\/td>Standard FRIENDS format<\/td><\/tr>
Existing stores in Vietnam<\/td>More than 30 major cities<\/td>Built over 10 years since entering in 2016<\/td><\/tr>
Key IPs<\/td>Sanrio\uff0fChiikawa\uff0fDisney\uff0fStar Wars\uff0fLuo Xiaohei\uff0fYOYO<\/td>Star Wars and Luo Xiaohei are Vietnam firsts<\/td><\/tr>
Reference: Singapore's VivoCity store<\/td>More than 450 sq m, 3,200 SKUs<\/td>Recent opening track record of the same format<\/td><\/tr>
Reference: Guangzhou Grandview store<\/td>About 10,000 visitors on day one \/ RMB 450,000<\/td>Track record of the FRIENDS format on the Chinese mainland<\/td><\/tr>
Reference: Bangkok's Siam Square store<\/td>3 floors, 8,300 products, more than 80 IPs, 40+ zones<\/td>Largest of the LAND format<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Market reaction: three perspectives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Vietnam's retail industry (Inside Retail Asia)<\/strong> positions MINISO's FRIENDS-format stores as \"a textbook example of IP-centric retail aiming for city-level landmark status,\" and describes the simultaneous rollout with the Singapore VivoCity store as \"a pivot toward IP-focused experiential retail.\" It sees this as a clear shift in axis from a general-merchandise store to an \"IP amusement park.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Trade publication Marketing-Interactive<\/strong> describes both the LAND and FRIENDS formats as \"city-level brand landmarks.\" For the Vietnam first store, it emphasized the \"more than 70% IP merchandise ratio\" and the \"debut collections of YOYO, Sanrio, and Star Wars,\" placing them alongside the opening results of the Guangzhou store on the Chinese mainland (10,000 visitors on day one, RMB 450,000). It reads this in the context of MINISO becoming a platform for IP operations across Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. The local mall (Van Hanh Mall official)<\/strong> emphasized, in its opening announcement, the appearance of guest singer Quan A.P and the Gift Bear mascot, highlighting appeal to younger customers and families. The mall positions the store as a draw for the District 10 area and is linking it with a social media campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

\u30d9\u30c8\u30ca\u30e0\u9032\u51fa\u652f\u63f4\u4e8b\u696d\u306e\u8cc7\u6599\u30c0\u30a6\u30f3\u30ed\u30fc\u30c9<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u6771\u5357\u30a2\u30b8\u30a2\u306e\u6210\u9577\u5e02\u5834\u3092\u653b\u3081\u308b<\/strong>\u306b\u306f<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n