HO CHI MINH CITY, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's urbanization brings rural consumers, accounting for 68 percent of the country's 90 million people, closer to their counterparts living in towns and big cities and to a diversified media world, according to Nielsen's recent Rural Mythbuster study.
When it came to identifying their digital consuming behaviors and key channels to reach them, television remained key while social media was evolving noticeably, Vietnam News Agency on Friday quoted the study as saying.
Television reach in rural communities was at saturation point, with more than 90 percent owning a television at home and 57 percent having more than 10 television channels.
Ninety percent of rural consumers owned a mobile phone and 50 percent of them owned a smartphone.
While Internet penetration remained relatively low, Internet and digital platforms usage are on the rise among these consumers.
According to the report, nearly 24 million people in rural areas used the Internet, which was on a par with their counterparts living in metropolitan venues.
Social media emerged as one of the key platforms for obtaining information, entertaining and keeping in touch with relatives, friends and children, with 22.5 million Facebook users living in rural areas compared to 23.5 million in urban areas.
"As a result of being exposed more to media channels, there are a number of common themes emerging in relation to their attitudes and behaviors," said Nguyen Anh Dung, director of retail measurement services at Nielsen Vietnam.
Rural areas have been constantly growing as a new market for many manufacturers over the years. In the first quarter of 2017, the rural market grew at 12.4 percent and accounted for 51 percent of total fast-moving consumer goods sales nationwide, while urban only gained 6.5 percent.
