Latest posts by Martin Moodie (see all)
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Welcome to my Interim Hanoi Bureau. I’m in the Vietnamese capital, staying at the excellent Rey Hotel, to attend the inauguration of Vietnam Duty Free’s splendid new stores at Noi Bai International Airport Terminal, which took place yesterday (15 October).
I flew into Hong Kong from Paris overnight on Tuesday after a three-week stay in France beginning with TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes (look out for my experience of the show in a coming Blog), quickly took care of domestic matters, packed some fresh clothes and was back at Hong Kong International Airport just hours after arriving there.
All that rush was worth it. Vietnam Duty Free is an emerging force that brings a new dimension to the country’s burgeoning travel retail sector.
Whereas airport retail has historically borne international names (DFS, Jalux, Lotte Duty Free – the last two still in situ at Noi Bai), the newcomer is emphatically Vietnamese in ownership and positioning (‘The National Duty Free of Vietnam’).
The company is a partnership between three well-established and ambitious Vietnamese groups determined to build a world-class travel retail legacy in Vietnam. I’ll bring you more on the company’s ambitions – they are deep – in a future article.
The newly opened stores in T2’s west and east wings (the former a pioneering part walk-through experience for Vietnamese travel retail) will be complemented late this year by a major store located immediately post central security, formerly occupied by Empire Duty Free.
I was privileged yesterday to join the ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside government authority, company and airport leaders. Privileged not just because of the honour but of feeling part of an historic moment for the travel retail sector here.
I am passionate about chronicling our industry’s history (I wrote DFS Co-founder Bob Miller’s biography, Miller’s Tale) and I deeply appreciated the significance of the moment yesterday.
Hanoi is the seat of government and Noi Bai International Airport therefore carries extra weight as a national showcase. It deserves a world-class shopping offer and (bolstered by Vietnam Duty Free’s retail peers and some fine destination merchandise stores) it now has one.
Last night, I was graciously hosted to dinner at the outstanding MAMMOM restaurant by Vietnam Duty Free CEO Le Thai Bao and colleagues, an outstanding eatery deservedly renowned on the international culinary map, a standing that earned it the prestigious Bib Gourmand distinction in the Michelin Guide Vietnam 2026.
It was an evening to celebrate a job well done and the rich potential that lies ahead, not just at Noi Bai Airport. Vietnam Duty Free leadership is determined that in time the company will earn a similarly high international reputation as the proudly Vietnamese restaurant in which we toasted the company’s future. ✈
