WHAT HAPPENED
The Vietnamese brand Nexsmart has publicly documented an evolution that manufacturers rarely advertise: first came trademark registration and protection, then a storefront in a major shopping mall (Mall storefront format), and at the third stage, a network of content creators formed around the brand, which the company estimates at 100,000 creators. This is reported by Vietnam.vn on October 20, 2026.
The sequence "legal protection → offline presence → creator network" is not accidental. In Vietnam, new regulatory frameworks affecting content creators—on cybersecurity, e-commerce, and taxes—took effect on July 1, 2026. This is reported by VECOM, the Vietnam E-commerce Association. In other words, a brand with a protected trademark and an established network of authors is in a winning position: it has someone accountable for content and someone to confirm the legality of promotions.
The figure "100,000 creators" deserves separate scrutiny. To be honest, there is no independent confirmation in open industry publications from 2025–2026 of exactly that number for a single Vietnamese brand. Similar scales appear in marketing materials from platforms and agencies, but industry and government sources cite much more modest figures. For example, Vietnam News cites the example of the MCN network Vitamin Network, which manages about 1,000 KOLs, while the live-commerce operator Ecogo (company data) claims "100+ KOLs in the network" and 15 live studios. So 100,000 is more likely the claimed audience reach of creators, not a staff of verified contractors.
WHAT IT MEANS
For a Russian entrepreneur looking at Southeast Asian marketplaces, the main takeaway is not "you need to recruit a hundred thousand bloggers." The takeaway is that brand protection is no longer the final point of a project. In Vietnam, a trademark is an entry ticket: without it, you won't pass verification on platforms, you won't be able to work properly with the registry, and you won't get access to official creator programs. Back in August 2025, VECOM launched the KLIC division with the Ecom HUB program, where authors are taught legal issues and personal brand management. In other words, the regulatory contour and the creator contour in Vietnam are deliberately being stitched together.
The second point is the economics of traffic. The creator model reduces acquisition costs because content is produced not by your staff but by a network of authors who already have their own audience. The state project Creator for Vietnam aims to grow a community of 10,000 quality KOCs by 2026 and generate around 1,000 billion VND in sales through social commerce—according to VietnamPlus. This is a benchmark: the state itself is investing to make authors a sales channel, not just entertainment.
The third point is offline as an anchor of trust. A mall storefront works for the Vietnamese consumer as confirmation that the brand is real. And this is directly linked to creators: it's easier for a content creator to advertise a product that can be touched in a shopping mall, and easier for the buyer to verify. Major mall operators are already using this—Vincom Retail's annual report for 2024 (published in 2025) directly describes creative spaces in the Creator House by TikTok format and the growth of live promotional events featuring authors.
The fourth point is risks. A creator network without verification becomes a source of reputational and tax problems. At the KOL Summit 2026 conferences in Vietnam, the industry and regulators are discussing the need for content verification and new criteria for evaluating creators—as reported by Vietnam News. For a Russian brand, this means: the model works only with a contractual framework with each author or aggregator; otherwise, the first content scandal will hit the brand.
I regularly see the same picture in operations in Ho Chi Minh City: a Russian brand arrives with a ready product and good content, but without a trademark registered in Vietnam and without contracts with authors. Then improvisation begins—working through intermediaries who "know people." Two months later, it turns out that promotional materials cannot be legally placed, and some content was made by authors without tax registration. Redoing it is more expensive than doing it right the first time.
VIETSMART EXPERT COMMENTARY
We would act in the reverse order of how it appears in press releases. First—the legal contour: filing a trademark application in Vietnam, checking whether the mark is taken, preparing documents for platform verification. In parallel—selecting one MCN operator with transparent reporting, not a "network of 100,000 people." The market allows this: the same Ecogo publicly claims 15 live studios and 50+ in-house talents, and that scale is enough for a pilot. And only after the first sales—scaling through government and industry programs like Creator for Vietnam.
The key mistake we see among partners is trying to buy reach instead of infrastructure. A creator network is not a media budget; it's an operating system: contracts, tax registration, content verification, warehousing and logistics for promotions. Without this, a hundred thousand authors turn into a hundred thousand claims.
CONCLUSIONS AND WHAT TO DO
- Register your trademark in Vietnam before launching sales and before hiring creators. Check the Nice Classification classes for your category and make sure the mark is not taken by a local player.
- Sign a contract with one MCN operator or agency with transparent reporting on GMV and content. Request a list of authors with verified audiences, not a general reach figure.
- Check the regulatory status of promotions: since July 1, 2026, updated requirements on cybersecurity, e-commerce, and taxes for content creators have been in effect in Vietnam—consult VECOM materials before launching a campaign.
- Book a pilot offline point or corner in a shopping mall: for the Vietnamese buyer, a physical storefront reduces distrust and increases conversion of creator campaigns.
- Include tax and legal registration for each author in the budget, or work through an aggregator that takes this on. Otherwise, fines and content blocking will eat into the project's economics.
Source: Vietnam.vn dated October 20, 2026