Publisher Vietcetera Relaunches Its International Edition

News and business digital publisher Vietcetera announced Friday a relaunch of its English-language International Edition, which aims to attract a readership of over 5 million Vietnamese ex-pats living in the U.S., Germany, France, Australia, Canada and the U.K. Based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietcetera employs over 100 full-time staff and has grown an audience of 20 million monthly readers, according to the publisher. It is on pace to generate $3 million in revenue by the end of 2022, but its multiyear ambitions are grander, said CEO and co-founder Hao Tran. Vietnam's young-skewing population—more than one-third are under the age of 24, according to a recent U.N. report—combined with a relative lack of media news and business reporting competition, has helped Vietcetera attract advertising interest from brands like Meta, Mastercard, Diageo and Durex. These funds, plus the $2.7 million it raised in seed funding in August, will fund its English-language edition. “We want to bring Vietnam to the world and the world to Vietnam,” Hao told Adweek. “The importance of this country to the world is so paramount, and we want to be delivering what that message is.” The news comes amid a growing awareness in the U.S. of the interconnectedness of global capitalism, as supply-chain issues caused by the pandemic lay bare Americans’ reliance on commercial hubs like Vietnam. The relaunch also follows on the heels of a growing slate of publishers, including The Juggernaut and Rest of World, that aim to bring news from Southeast Asia to Western audiences. The International Edition aims to reach a young audience of Vietnamese diaspora. Bridging Vietnam and the diaspora Vietcetera originally launched as an English-speaking publication in 2016. It pivoted to Vietnamese-language content in 2018 after realizing how popular its coverage had grown among Vietnamese readers. Its International Edition sat largely dormant for the last three years, but the pandemic offered an opportunity for the publisher to reconfigure its strategy for reaching English speakers. The newly relaunched English-version website now features a new layout, logo and content focus, led by former Saveur editor Dan Q. Dao. It will focus primarily on Vietnamese culture––including food, music, film, lifestyle and profiles––as well as business reporting. “What we’re primarily trying to do is bridge younger generations, both in Vietnam and the diaspora,” Dao said. “There’s so much interest in Vietnam, and there’s a real focus on looking forward to the future.” The International Edition does not yet have a paywall or run ads, as its primary focus is building readership, Hao told Adweek. Vietcetera will begin running ads on its website when it reaches 500,000 monthly readers, and overall U.S. readership has grown 6% in the last two months, according to the publisher. Vietcetera declined to share the size of its current audience. The potential with podcasts Vietcetera hopes that the relative dearth of competitive media, combined with this untapped audience, will position it as the go-to vehicle for brands trying to reach Vietnamese and English-speaking audiences. This lack of saturation has proven especially beneficial in the world of podcasting, where the publisher has seen early success: 80% of its revenue comes from its stable of audio products, Hao said. One series, called Take It Off, explores sex education, a taboo subject in the mainstream media of Vietnam. The podcast has grown popular enough to spawn a television show and recurring column, as well as a sponsorship from Durex, the condom maker. Another series, called Cast Camp, follows an American Idol format, but for aspiring podcasters and was sponsored by Meta. “We're the leader of podcasting in Vietnam now. It's a format that was just not explored at all in this market,” Hao said. “But for the International Edition, we think our podcasts could be a compelling hub for advertisers to reach the 2.5 million, nearly 3 million Vietnamese in America.” Business and cultural reporting Vietnam is a hub for global online commerce, and recent production delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have underscored its importance to supply chains. Workers in the country produce more than 50% of all Nike footwear and more than 30% of Apple’s new AirPods, according to MarketWatch. Last week, Vietnamese carmaker VinFast debuted its first electric SUVs in the U.S. The centrality of Vietnamese business to American consumers puts Vietcetera in a place to capitalize on potentially lucrative brand sponsorships, Hao said. “I do believe that within the next five to seven years we can be hitting $30 million in revenue––that would only be 10% of the total addressable market, as of today,” Hao said. “So there's a big opportunity here.” How News UK’s Times Radio Is Driving Ad Revenue and New Subscribers

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