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Vietnam Remains a Top Three Instant Noodles Consumers

You won’t believe how many packs of instant noodles Vietnamese people consume, even more so during the global pandemic.


Vietnam Remains a Top Three Instant Noodles Consumers

Vietnamese eat the largest amount of instant noodles in Asia, even more than people in Japan - the home country of this type of food. Source: nld.com.vn

Vietnamese people consumed about 7.03 billion packs of instant noodles last year, behind China/Hong Kong and Indonesia, VNA citied the World Instant Noodles Association (WINA).

The latest survey by Nielsen Vietnam show that the consumption rate of domestic instant noodles has increased by 67%. Vietnam is home to about 50 local and foreign instant noodles producers.

China is currently the world's highest consumer of instant noodles, but the growth rate in consumption is not as high as that of Vietnam.

According to data from the WINA, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has caused a sharp increase in the demand for instant noodles around the world. The consumption demand of this product surged by 14.79% year-on-year in 2020.

Statistics of the WINA show the Asian market was the biggest consumer of this product, accounting for 56.45% of the total global instant noodle consumption last year, especially in Northeast Asian countries such as China, the Republic of Korea, and Japan.

With the five main markets, namely Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia, the Southeast Asian region accounted for 25.24% of the total demand.

According to a market research report of Facts and Factors, revenue from this item is expected to increase to USD 73.55 billion in 2026 from USD 45.67 billion in 2020. The annual average figure can reach 6% in the 2021-2026.

Regarding export potential, a number of Vietnamese companies recorded a 300-% surge in the noodle export output. Instant noodles made in Vietnam have been sold in more than 40 countries worldwide.



Covid-19 outbreak drives instant noodles sales in Vietnam. Source: nld.com.vn

Most brands of instant ramen noodles are precooked and dehydrated so that they can be packaged up and sent all over the world.

To dehydrate the noodles, most manufacturers will fry them or use many other techniques to ensure that they are preserved and ready for consumer use.

This is why instant ramen noodles can cook in a matter of minutes in boiling water, as they were already cooked to start with, they just needed hydration, and for the dehydration process to be reversed.

It is during the cooking process then that you can add your flavoring sachet, or add ian some cooked veggies, pork, beef or chicken and customize your ramen noodles to your tastes.

Instant noodles are high in carbohydrates and sodium so this high level of consumption is bad news when it comes to Vietnam’s public health.

Other experts suggest that people should only eat one or two packs of instant noodles per week.

Many Vietnamese people are well aware of the harmful effects of instant noodles, but it's common in Vietnam for people to snack on a pack of instant noodles between breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The noodles are popular among college students, who often live far from home and lack the facilities to cook themselves a proper meal.

The constant use of instant noodles for cooking is one of the main reasons behind the serious malnutrition in Southeast Asia, said UNICEF in 2019. Accordingly, instant food products like noodles and cookies could help fill stomachs but lack the essential nutrients for children’s growth.



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Hannah Nguyen

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